Team: 2022-23 Arizona Coyotes

Initial Creation Date: May 25, 2022

Published: May 28, 2022

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

Part of the Nobokov 2022 Mock Offseason Series, All Armchair GM's take place in a mock offseason universe

NOTE: For those who might gripe about the levels of spending that the Coyotes are doing given their arena situation, let me just explain my thinking here. The Coyotes, for the sake of their own survival, need their Tempe deal to work. But if the team is viewed as a dumping ground for bad contracts and openly not trying to win games, how could they get a massive entertainment complex built in Tempe where they are the centerpiece? Signing guys like Ryan Strome and Ondrej Palat while also continuing the rebuild process allows Alex Meruelo to give the appearance of wanting to compete while also preserving the long-term vision of Armstrong's scorched-earth rebuild. Plus, with their new arena situation, they are advertising it as an "intimate, premium product." So, I believe that they need to approach this offseason at least trying to weaponize their cap space to create a watchable product, at least for just this year so the Tempe deal can be approved. So, they'll splash some cash. Generally speaking, if the Tempe deal goes through, Alex Meruelo can expect the value of the Coyotes to go up considerably. So while he may be forced to eat some losses and burn some cash thanks to not hugging the cap floor, it'll probably end up being financially beneficial in the long run. I mean, imagine if the Coyotes could advertise "We spent to the Salary Cap!" when trying to get the Tempe deal done...

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