It has been no secret that the Coyotes have been looking to add some offense to their team the last few weeks. However, with that kind of talent extremely hard to find the 'Yotes had nearly given up hope. Furthermore, after beating the Thrashers with a depleted lineup it seemed perhaps everything was ok in the desert as far as the offence was concerned.
It all changed however when Phoenix enquired about the recently made available players on the Senators squad. Vardy initially contacted the Sens regarding Jochen Hecht but was dissapointed to find out that he had already been shipped off to the Thrashers. The talks contined from there however as the Senators expressed a keen interest in young Coyote David Perron. While GM Vardy was hesitant to move his prized prospect, the idea of landing both Todd White and Martin Erat had Vardy intreagued. In the end Vardy let go his clutch on Perron in order to significantly bolster his lineup this season. The deal was finalized as follows:
Coming to Phoenix: Todd White + Martin Erat
Going to Ottawa: David Perron + STL 3 2009
While losing Perron certainly hurts the coyotes long-term, Erat is already a proven top-line talent. And at only 26 years old and RFA at contract end he will help not only this year, but well into the future too.
The Coyotes top 2 lines now look like this: Sundin-Erat-White Morrison-Connolly-Selanne
This deal should undoubtedly make the coyotes a contender this season.