SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The Arizona Coyotes have signed general manager Bill Armstrong to a multiyear extension as the franchise continues its rebuild.
Terms of the deal announced Wednesday were not released.
“For the past three years, Bill has done an excellent job restructuring our hockey operations department and rebuilding our hockey team,” Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo said in a statement. “He has acquired elite talent through the draft, trades, and free agency, and has established a winning culture by adding a great coaching staff and other key hockey operations personnel.”
The Coyotes hired Armstrong in 2020 to replace John Chayka, who had an acrimonious split with the franchise right before the NHL’s playoff pandemic bubble.
Armstrong’s task was to rebuild a franchise that hadn’t been to the playoffs since the 2012 Western Conference finals before earning a spot in the 2020 Stanley Cup playoff qualifiers.
Armstrong opted to start from scratch, trading away many of the franchise’s veteran players to accrue draft picks. He also hired coach Andre Tourigny, who signed a contract extension earlier this summer.
The Coyotes set their foundation with a talented core of young players, including All-Star Clayton Keller, Mattias Maccelli, Dylan Guenther and Barrett Hayton. Arizona has cashed in on its added picks the past two drafts, filling its system with talent.
Ready to take another step, the Coyotes were aggressive during the offseason, adding Max Dumba, Sean Durzi, Nick Bjugstad, Alex Kerfoot and Jason Zucker.
Armstrong arrived in the desert after serving as assistant general manager and director of amateur scouting for the St. Louis Blues from 2018-20.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL
John Marshall, The Associated Press
