Arizona plans to use all of its first seven draft picks

BUFFALO –Arizona Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong said he expects the team to use all of its seven picks in the first two rounds of the 2022 NHL Upper Deck Draft.

The Coyotes have three first-round picks, starting at No. 3. They also own the 27th pick, acquired from the Montreal Canadiens in return for the forward Christian Dvorak September 4. The Canadiens had acquired the choice of the Carolina Hurricanes as compensation for the forward and free agent Jesperi Kotkaniemi.

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Arizona also owns the Colorado Avalanche’s first-round pick following the trade that sent the goalie Darcy Kuemper in Colorado on July 28. The rank of the pick will be determined following the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Coyotes also have four second-round picks. In addition to theirs (34th), they own those of the Philadelphia Flyers (36th), the San Jose Sharks (43rd) and the New York Islanders (45th).

The repechage will be held at the Bell Center in Montreal on July 7 and 8.

“We’ve been evaluating all of that and we like what’s going to be available in the draft,” Armstrong said during the NHL’s judging session on Saturday. “It’s a bit uneven at times, but there are good players in there. And because of the depth, I imagine we’ll take advantage of all of those choices.

“There are opportunities to do a lot of other things in the draft, whether it’s moving up a few spots or looking at other options. So we will evaluate each possible scenario. »

Thanks to the number of picks in their pocket, the Coyotes might decide to select a player they like faster than expected. Armstrong confirmed he and his staff have discussed it, and it’s a situation he experienced as a scout for the St. Louis Blues, when the team had two first-round picks in 2010.

“We had a safe choice in Jaden Schwartz (14th overall) and we took the risk choosing [Vladimir] Tarasenko (16th), he said. We can do something like that. It all depends on the players we select at the start, then we can move forward. There is definitely a different feeling when you have multiple choices. You approach the draft in a different way, no doubt.

“Our goal throughout this draft is to find value. We will respect and value every choice. We’re not going to say, “I have four second-round picks, I can waste one.” You have to pretend to have only one second-round pick. But at the same time, there are always options. »

In the 2021 draft, Armstrong’s first as GM of the Coyotes, the latter selected nine players. Among this group was the defender JJ Mosera second-round pick (60th) who had 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) in 43 games with the Coyotes, and forward Dylan Guenther (ninth), who is expected to challenge for a job with Arizona soon. the next season.

The Coyotes finished second to last in the NHL this season (25-50-7) and have missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in nine of the last 10 seasons. But the haul from the latest draft as well as possible options for the Coyotes next month has Armstrong excited regarding the team’s future.

“It’s huge,” Armstrong said. We got ahead when we made a few trades last season to get Guenther, and we got three second-round picks. We’re now going back there this year with three first-round picks and four second-round picks. So I’m extremely excited to take advantage of that and add a lot of good players to the organization. »