Coyotes Acquire Sean Durzi
I guess the Coyotes were serious when reports came out about the team being eager to try to improve the club. Arizona is without a home and have been tasked with upgrading the team. The team is finally looking to turn the corner and just landed a dynamic blue-line player. Sean Durzi is heading to the desert after the LA Kings have traded him for a Montreal second round pick in 2024.
Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff was the first to report the news:
It’s Durzi to #Yotes for 2024 2nd Round pick (Montreal).
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 24, 2023
Durzi, 24, has one year left on his contract carrying an AAV of $1.7 million. Durzi is also now the highest paid defenseman on the Coyotes roster which tells you everything you need to know about the state of the Yotes’ defense core. Arizona controls Durzi’s rights through the 2025-26 campaign. Arizona has so many draft picks as it is so they can afford to offload one for a good player.
“Sean is a reliable two-way defenseman who has good vision and contributes offensively,” said Armstrong. “He will be a very good addition to our blue line and we look forward to having him on our roster this season.”
This is now the second right-shot defenseman the LA Kings have dealt this offseason. Sean Walker was also traded to Philadelphia in the Ivan Provorov deal. We also know the Kings are very much a win-now team so trading Durzi feels like an odd move on the surface.
Sean Durzi posted nine goals and 29 assists in 72 games for the Kings a season ago. That was enough to finish second in points among all Kings’ blue-line players.
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