When a veteran player, headed to unrestricted free agency in the Summer, gets dealt at the trade deadline, he's going in hopes that his new team wins a Cup. Well, it was a job well done for forward Antoine Vermette, who was dealt from the Coyotes to the Blackhawks at the deadline, bringing his skill down the middle to a team that made good use of his clutch scoring. Vermette won his Cup and now he returns to the team that dealt him away, satisfied with what he had accomplished.
On Wednesday, Vermette signed a 2-year deal, with a cap hit of $3.75 million per season, bringing his talents back to a team that is still in the middle of rebuilding.Last season, between Arizona and Chicago, Vermette was good for 13 goals and 38 points in 82 games during the regular season, which had him ranked 202nd overall in pool scoring, 140th among all forwards.
The Coyotes are a mere shell of the team they once were, when they made the playoffs. Financial and location uncertainty in this off-season shouldn't be a concern for the players, but you would have to think it weighs on their minds as well.Nevertheless, the team is rebuilding, the focus will be on youth in the 2016 team and it will be up to the veterans, like Vermette or Shane Doan, to help guide them along in the NHL. I don't think this is going to be a great season for scoring for the Coyotes, so the onus on picking them won't happen until late in the draft, if at all.
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