Coyotes Sign Lauri Korpikoski To Two-Year Deal, Avoid Arbitration

In an offseason that's been more noted for the player they lost (Ilya Bryzgalov) than anything else, it's nice for the Coyotes to get some positive news coming down this week.

On Wednesday, the Coyotes agreed to a new two-year deal with forward Lauri Korpikoski. The two sides were set to head to arbitration this summer, which is no more with this new deal.

Korpikoski was tied for fifth on the team in points last season, with 40, which included 19 goals. His goal total was tied with Lee Stempniak and Radim Vrbata for second on the team, behind captain Shane Doan. He was also a plus-17 on the season.

From the official Coyotes press release:

"We are very pleased to sign Lauri to a two-year contract," said Maloney. "Lauri is an excellent skater, a versatile forward and an important player on our team. We are happy to avoid arbitration and finalize a contract."

Also this week, the Coyotes added some depth signings, with four two-way deals. One of those deals was Brett MacLean, one of the better prospects the organization has to offer. He should see more time with the big club this year.

The other three players signed were former Anaheim Duck Kyle Chipchura, Marc-Antoine Pouliot, and Mathieu Beaudoin. All four deals are one-year contracts.

The Phoenix Coyotes are holding a Prospect Development Camp from July 7 to July 10 in Peoria, AZ. Inside temperatures for the ice skating-based event are guaranteed to make this a much better way to spend your free time than any other outdoor activity such as golf, tennis or walking to your car.

Fans are welcome to come to Polar Ice at 15829 North 83rd Avenue and take advantage of the coolness as young players try and impress General Manager Don Maloney and Head Coach Dave Tippett with their hockey abilities.

Coyotes fans, hockey fans, and fans of being inside somewhere cool should definitely check it out. All sessions will be free and open to the public.  A full schedule of on-ice practice times for the development camp is listed below: 

Thursday, July 7 Goalies ONLY - 10:00 a.m. - 10:20 a.m. All Players - 10:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.

Friday, July 8 Goalies ONLY - 10:00 a.m. - 10:20 a.m. All Players - 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Saturday, July 9 NO ICE (we recommend going to the movies or perhaps the mall or library)

Sunday, July 10 Goalies ONLY - 10:00 a.m. - 10:20 a.m. All Players - 10:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.

According to the Coyotes, each of the Coyotes' eight players selected in the 2011 Entry Draft will be in attendance including defenseman Connor Murphy, the Coyotes' top draft choice (20th overall) in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. 

In addition, former draft selections such as forwards Chris Brown, Brett Hextall, Phil Lane and defensemen Maxim Goncharov, Brandon Gormley and goaltender Mark Visentin will also attend. 

There will also be three free agent camp invitees participating bringing the total number to 28 players. The camp will provide players with NHL coaching and instruction in both on and off-ice workout sessions.  

The following is a list of players who will be attending the camp: 

GOALTENDERS       

The Phoenix Coyotes announced additional free agent signings on Wednesday. They've added free agent defensemen Nathan Oystrick and Dean Arsene and free agent forward Matt Watkins to the pack via one-year (two-way) contracts. 

Here's more information on the minor league players who will likely spend lots of time enjoying Portland, Maine in the winter.

Last season, the 6-foot, 210-pound Oystrick played nine games with the St. Louis Blues, recording 1-2-3 and nine penalty minutes. Oystrick also played 61 games with the Peoria Rivermen (AHL), registering 15-30-45 and 125 penalty minutes. It marked the third time in his last four AHL seasons that Oystrick reached at least 15 goals, 43 points and 105 penalty minutes (he recorded 15-32-47 and 106 PIM in 2006-07 and 15-28-43 and 112 PIM in 2007-08 with the Chicago Wolves).

During the 2008-09 season, the 28-year-old native of Regina, Saskatchewan, played 53 games with the Atlanta Thrashers, recording 4-8-12 and 50 penalty minutes. In addition, in 2007-08, Oystrick led the Wolves to a Calder Cup Championship, playing in 24 playoff games and recording 3-8-11 and 35 penalty minutes.

In 65 career NHL games with the Thrashers, Anaheim Ducks and Blues, Oystrick has collected 5-10-15 and 61 penalty minutes. Oystrick was originally drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers in the seventh round (198th overall) in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.

Last season, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound Arsene played 77 games with the Peoria Rivermen (AHL), collecting 1-10-11 and 137 penalty minutes. The 30-year-old native of Murrayville, British Columbia, also played 13 games with the Edmonton Oilers in 2009-10, recording 41 penalty minutes.

In 2008-09, Arsene helped lead the Hershey Bears to a Calder Cup championship, playing in 22 playoff games and collecting two assists and 14 penalty minutes.

Last season, the 5-foot-10, 187-pound Watkins played 64 games with the San Antonio Rampage (AHL), posting 15-20-35 and 45 penalty minutes. During the 2009-10 season, the 24-year-old native of Aylesbury, Saskatchewan, recorded 12-10-22 in 51 games with San Antonio.

Watkins was originally drafted by the Dallas Stars in the fifth round (160th overall) in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

The Phoenix Coyotes managed to cobble together enough money from their "owner" to avoid losing one of their best players to free agency. The team confirmed they are signing restricted free agent All-Star defenseman Keith Yandle to a five-year deal. The contract for the 24-year-old emerging star is reported to be $26.25 million.

"Keith is an elite player and one of the game's best young defenseman," said General Manager Don Maloney in a statement. "He is an important part of our future and we are thrilled to sign him to a long-term contract."

The team was facing the prospect of having to trade Yandle and get pennies on the dollar in return, but instead pulled off a huge win for the embattled franchise with this signing. Yandle has the potential to grow into a "face of the franchise" kind of guy in the coming years.

Yandle is coming off a great season in which he played all 82 games and recorded 11 goals with 48 assists for 59 total points. For his career, he has 32 goals, 112 assists and 144 points over 283 games.

The Phoenix Coyotes were busy over the holiday weekend adding depth to their defense. The team signed goaltender Curtis McElhinney and defenseman Tyler Eckford to a one-year (two-way) contracts. Here's more about both players from the team's official press release.

In four NHL seasons with the Ottawa Senators, Anaheim Ducks and Calgary Flames, the 6-foot-2, 197 pound McElhinney appeared in 67 games posting a 18-26-4 record with a 3.13 goals against average (GAA) and a .898 save percentage.

In 2010-11, the 28-year-old native of London, Ontario played in a career-high 28 games with the Ottawa Senators and Anaheim Ducks posting a record of 9-13-1 with two shutouts, a 2.99 GAA and a .903 SV%.

McElhinney was originally drafted by the Calgary Flames in the sixth-round (176th overall) in the 2002 Entry Draft.

Last season, the 6-foot-1, 200 pound Eckford played four games with the New Jersey Devils and 37 games with the Albany Devils (AHL), recording 2-10-12 and 12 penalty minutes.

In 2009-10, the 25-year-old native of Vancouver, British Columbia set career highs in goals (8), points (31) and plus/minus (+11) with Lowell (AHL).

Eckford was originally drafted by New Jersey in the seventh-round (217th overall) in the 2004 Entry Draft.

It's unfortunate as anything that the Coyotes are so publicly struggling with their ownership situation. It's having an affect on their ability to sign free agents, and now may result in their highest profile player being shipped out of town.

Heading into the offseason, the two biggest concerns were free agents Ilya Bryzgalov and Keith Yandle. One of those problems was sorted out when the Coyotes shipped Bryz to Philadelphia, but they had really hoped to get Yandle re-signed.

Yandle broke out in 2010-11, ranking near the top of the defenseman rankings, with 59 points. As a restricted free agent, the Coyotes have the right to match any offer, but with a thin free agent market out there, especially on the blue line, many had expected a team to overpay Yandle on an offer sheet and take advantage of the Coyotes' financial woes.

Several teams would, or already have, surely show interest in Yandle, who is just 24 years of age. New Jersey is a team that has been rumored to be interested in trading for the defenseman, but there are still teams out there with cap space that could simply sign Yandle to an offer sheet.

You would think the Coyotes would be more interested in holding on to what is now their franchise player, but it's not exactly their fault. With limited money to work with, and all those ownership questions, a large deal is difficult for them to pull off.

Either way, we should know in the coming days what the fate of Keith Yandle could be, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see him in a new sweater at this point in '11-'12.

The Coyotes didn't do much moving on Friday, but when you look at what the Florida Panthers did on the first day of NHL free agency, who did?

The big add for Phoenix was the acquisition of Mike Smith, former goaltender for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Many wondered if the Coyotes would seek out a bigger name, like Jean-Sebastian Giguere or even Tomas Vokoun, but they went with a bit younger of a commodity in Smith.

It also helps that Smith played with Coyotes head coach Dave Tippett when he was in Dallas, playing behind Marty Turco. It appears that the Coyotes will feel comfortable rolling out a goaltending duo of Smith and Jason LaBarbera, though it's unclear how comfortable fans of the Coyotes will be with that.

Boyd Gordon was another of the three new faces the Coyotes signed on Friday. Gordon spent seven years in our nation's capital, before turning down a deal to return and coming to Phoenix. His stats are nothing overly impressive, but he's a wizard in the faceoff circle, which is something the Coyotes were definitely looking to add, and still are, this summer.

The most intriguing, and perhaps most frustrating signing, of the day was the signing of Vancouver goon Raffi Torres, who has become known more for his illegal hits, more than almost anything else he does on the ice. In 80 games with the Canucks, Torres tallied 134 hits, as well as 29 points.

It's interesting that given the type of player he is, Torres is actually capable of putting up some numbers, which includes a career high 41 in '05-'06. Still, it's interesting that the Coyotes signed a guy like Torres, given their inconsistencies on the penalty kill.

One guy the Coyotes did decide to bring back was forward Radim Vrbata, who re-signed on a three-year deal. Vrbata tallied 48 points in '10-'11, the second highest total in his career. He wasn't healthy for a good chunk of the season, which led to some inconsistencies, but he could be a very productive player in the top six for Phoenix next year with a completely healthy year under his belt.

As we head into Day 2, there is still plenty of work to be done for the Coyotes, especially after losing Vernon Fiddler, Eric Belanger, and Ed Jovanovski to free agency. Look for them to add a bit of defensive depth, but especially take a look at some center options to get deeper in the middle.