Confirmed with Link: Coyotes trade Letunov, 2017 6th to San Jose for 2016 4th + 2017 3rd

[The Feckless Puck]

I like this move from a strictly deck-chair-shuffling perspective. We haven't had a whole lot of luck with NCAA prospects as a franchise, historically speaking, and this one is a skinny Russian to boot (nothing wrong with being skinny, Russian, or a skinny Russian, of course). Based on Chayka's comment it seems as though if Letunov was going to develop into an NHL player, it would take a lot of time and care that the Coyotes can't provide until they get some stability - and the stability issues probably factored into Letunov being considered a potential flight risk.

It seems as though Chayka and the ownership are big on asset accumulation and having a fourth-rounder in this year's draft and another third in next year's outweighed adding Letunov to a Tucson roster that's already going to be pretty full down the middle. Value-wise I'm guessing Letunov was worth more but in terms of organizational direction this is right in Chayka's sweet spot.

Another +1 from me for The Saviour.

 

[Kaibur]

Interesting. I can't see us actually getting a top player to sign an offer sheet with us, but using the threat of one as leverage in a trade I could see.

After the Gogo trade, the Yotes have made a public statement that they're willing to spend 6-ish on a top 4 Dman. Now that they've got their picks, it's also at least possible that they could offer sheet. If they don't have Gogo signed by the Draft, rumors could start floating around. And this off-season is definitely the time to try to hunt down those last couple of assets, much like the Isles did 2 years ago. I can't wait til Friday.

 

[XX]

Would rather have Letunov. But if he isn't going to sign or college players will require some sort of special protection, I can't complain.

 

[Chootoi]

Note the 3rd next year is Detroit's http://coyotes.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=886527

 

[Puck possession wins]

So we have a 1st, 2nd and two 3rds next year.

Could potentially offer sheet (even though the rare). Curious to see how Letunov turns out

 

[GiveAFlyingPuck]

I like this move from a strictly deck-chair-shuffling perspective. We haven't had a whole lot of luck with NCAA prospects as a franchise, historically speaking, and this one is a skinny Russian to boot (nothing wrong with being skinny, Russian, or a skinny Russian, of course). Based on Chayka's comment it seems as though if Letunov was going to develop into an NHL player, it would take a lot of time and care that the Coyotes can't provide until they get some stability - and the stability issues probably factored into Letunov being considered a potential flight risk.

It seems as though Chayka and the ownership are big on asset accumulation and having a fourth-rounder in this year's draft and another third in next year's outweighed adding Letunov to a Tucson roster that's already going to be pretty full down the middle. Value-wise I'm guessing Letunov was worth more but in terms of organizational direction this is right in Chayka's sweet spot.

Another +1 from me for The Saviour.

I see what you did there.

 

[BUX7PHX]

Yeah, I was hoping for a slightly higher return, but I had this feeling that Letunov was a player whom we may have had some difficulty signing or projecting anyhow.

One question - when do we have to declare which pick we are giving up to PHL? Reason I ask is b/c this trade actually marries the two perfectly. Let's say we get to this pick in the 4th round, and we have someone who was still considered top 60 value in the round? We could defer, and then just hand one of the 2017 picks over to PHL. If there is no one whom we like in the 4th round this year, or the value on our board doesn't match with who is available, send the pick to PHL, and have two 3rd round picks next year.

Would have liked a little more value on Letunov (thought he would be an excellent prospect to give in part of a larger deal), but we hedged our bet well by receiving at least one pick and then letting the draft play out to where we can make a better-informed decision on using or sending the 4th rounder away.

 

[Foggy1097]

San Jose wins in a landslide.

Three things that are important for context:

1. That 2016 4th is now transferred to Philly, allowing AZ to keep their '17 3rd
1A. For Arizona this means they effectively dealt Letunov and a 6th for two 3rds.

2. If Arizona traded Letunov (who's clearly a better asset than two 3rds) and had to add a 6th rounder to get a bite, it's probably because he's not interested in signing in Arizona and may opt to go the free-agent or Europe route, regardless. I suspect Arizona was not an option for him, and San Jose is making a little bit of a gamble, hoping they can convince him to sign with them.

3. Arizona acquired this player for Zbynek Michalek two deadlines ago. Michalek re-signed in Arizona a few months later. Letunov was basically a freebie for the Coyotes anyway.

So while San Jose is the winner here, Arizona isn't really the loser. One team won and the other broke even.

Letunov just had too many options. Arizona doesn't do well with guys that have other options. Haha. We kind of have to take guys who have no choice.

While I'd rather have Letunov, I'm guessing Chayka did what he had to do. Teams likely weren't willing to offer more because they have the same fears that Arizona does about this player having too many options. He's not your typical prospect. There's some risk due to his non-traditional path thus far.

Also, Arizona now has their own 1st, their own 2nd, and their own 3rd next year (due to Philly now getting the SJS '16 4th instead of our '17 3rd).

That means they can offer-sheet somebody now if they choose to. That wasn't an option before. They're a little more flexible this morning than they were last night. That's not the worst thing.

Not sure if Letunov is "clearly a better asset than two 3rd's"...depends on who the two 3rd's end up being. Yandle was a 3rd round pick. Letunov seemed like one of the most expendable prospects they had. ARI has a surplus of C's now, and Merkley, Dvorak, MacInnis, Dauphin all seemed to be more highly thought of prospects. I guess to kind of break even and solve that 4th to PHI problem it's not a bad deal.

 

[BUX7PHX]

Might also be a dumb question, but wasn't there some talk within the expansion draft rules forum regarding unsigned players being protected if drafted within a certain time period. Especially true since Letunov is playing in college, we hold his rights for a while, correct?

Maybe this was simply a way to also prevent ourselves from protecting a player that would be unlikely to sign this year or in future years and get a return on him, even if somewhat smaller than what I would have hoped for.

 

[RABBIT]

I'm about as bummed at losing Letunov as I was losing Lessio. One of those circumstances where it was like "oh, looks like there could be something there."

**** em. Who cares? We had other priorities that needed to be met, we needed draft picks that belong to other teams. Good job Chayka.

 

[kihekah19*]

Not sure if Letunov is "clearly a better asset than two 3rd's"...depends on who the two 3rd's end up being. Yandle was a 3rd round pick. Letunov seemed like one of the most expendable prospects they had. ARI has a surplus of C's now, and Merkley, Dvorak, MacInnis, Dauphin all seemed to be more highly thought of prospects. I guess to kind of break even and solve that 4th to PHI problem it's not a bad deal.

Letunov may be holding a lot of the cards, but your take is same as mine - to a T

 

[mouser]

Not a fan of this trade.

I can't really have an opinion until mouser tells us what Letunov's options are.

Could he play another year of NCAA and then go to the KHL for a few seasons and become a free-agent?

Could become a UFA for the 2018-2019 season either by staying in college and going the Blake Wheeler route or going to the KHL.

 

[PHX FireBirds18]

The development of Ryan Macinnis made him expendable. Draft Brown and you're looking Dvorak, Strome, Brown, Macinnis in your pipeline. Who knows, maybe even BPA next year is a center as well. Letunov is a nice looking prospect but nothing I'm seeing is exceptional. Best case scenario he ends up like Berglund. A 2nd/3rd liner with some two ability. I like the trade, even more so if he was trying to pull a Turris and exit college early. I agree with Freckless, there's no room for him on the farm either. Chayka is doing a good job managing our assets.

 

[Vinny Boombatz]

If he wasn't going to sign then Chayka gets a passing grade, otherwise, I'd have to put this one down as a below average return on a pretty decent asset.

 

[XX]

I'm about as bummed at losing Letunov as I was losing Lessio. One of those circumstances where it was like "oh, looks like there could be something there."

**** em. Who cares? We had other priorities that needed to be met, we needed draft picks that belong to other teams. Good job Chayka.

Letunov was a 2nd round pick progressing very nicely. Lessio was a guy that could never make it past the AHL at the point he was traded. They're not really comparable.

Pretty underwhelming move unless there's a reason for it, like him not wanting to sign. Or he wants to get the college degree and keep developing, and the Coyotes want no part of a Vesey situation.

 

[rt]

Vesey got a single 3rd. If we waited for the Letunov situation to get there, we'd have a third three years from now instead of two 3rds next year.

Obviously these aren't exactly the same situation and there are no guarantees. I'm just illustrating that it's complicated.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

Vesey got a single 3rd. If we waited for the Letunov situation to get there, we'd have a third three years from now instead of two 3rds next year.

Obviously these aren't exactly the same situation and there are no guarantees. I'm just illustrating that it's complicated.

I think the thing to remember is that even if Letunov makes the NHL and thrives, that's several years from now at best. We could have held onto him and gambled that a) he'd want to sign after his final year in college and b) would finally fill out and become an NHL-caliber player with the right extended development. But I think this deal better fits the timeline of the franchise - Letunov was worth more not just in pick assets alone, but to strategically stock our pantry for shorter-term moves.

By the time Letunov becomes an NHL-ready player - much less a star - it'll probably be around 2019 or 2020. A lot can happen in that much time. I don't know that I liked Letunov's skill set enough to play the long game with him.

 

[RABBIT]

Letunov was a 2nd round pick progressing very nicely. Lessio was a guy that could never make it past the AHL at the point he was traded. They're not really comparable.

Pretty underwhelming move unless there's a reason for it, like him not wanting to sign. Or he wants to get the college degree and keep developing, and the Coyotes want no part of a Vesey situation.

I wasn't comparing Letunov to Lessio at all. I just said i don't really mind losing him. I don't think he'll amount to much. He's been on 3 NHL squads and hasn't played an NHL game yet, apparently there is something there.

If you check out Craig Morgan's Twitter, he posted comments from Chayka hinting that we weren't going to be able to sign him due to center depth.

 

[XX]

By the time Letunov becomes an NHL-ready player - much less a star - it'll probably be around 2019 or 2020. A lot can happen in that much time. I don't know that I liked Letunov's skill set enough to play the long game with him.

I think you'll see Chayka and the scouts lean towards avoiding NCAA projects for similar reasons. If they pan out, you run the risk of them just waiting to be UFA. Better to get someone with more controllable rights. Doubly true if you own your farm team and want them there asap.

Letunov was max value on the Michalek trade so it doesn't really bother me. He's just not the usual chopped liver being thrown overboard.

 

[Matias Maccete]

I wonder if st Louis moved him for the same reason. If it's been his plan all along to play all 4 years in the ncaa and get his degree then go pro with a team of his choice his value wouldn't be very high.

 

[Jakey53]

The development of Ryan Macinnis made him expendable. Draft Brown and you're looking Dvorak, Strome, Brown, Macinnis in your pipeline. Who knows, maybe even BPA next year is a center as well. Letunov is a nice looking prospect but nothing I'm seeing is exceptional. Best case scenario he ends up like Berglund. A 2nd/3rd liner with some two ability. I like the trade, even more so if he was trying to pull a Turris and exit college early. I agree with Freckless, there's no room for him on the farm either. Chayka is doing a good job managing our assets.

He was years away from getting a sniff of the NHL.

 

[_Del_]

Maybe they're sold on drafting Logan Brown...

 

[Puck possession wins]

Yandle's negotiating rights go to Florida for a conditional pick

 

[cactus shake]

Really dislike the move. It's a minor one given Letunov's considered far away from making the NHL but they all add up. Just seems a waste of an asset & I don't like that it's within the division. He's a prospect trending upwards & as the Vesey move shows you can still get something in return late in the day. The depth at centre is still hypothetical at this point, I don't see the rush to make this kind of move at all. Would rather have lost the 3rd next year if that was the main motivation.

 

[Plub]

I don't like this move. However, I'd guess there's a reason for it and it's likely what many of you have already mentioned; he was probably going to look at all his options rather than just signing with us.