Arizona Coyotes trade Louis Domingue to Tampa Bay Lightning
Nov 14, 2017, 10:19 AM | Updated: 5:52 pm
Chicago Blackhawks' Richard Panik (14) scores a goal against Arizona Coyotes' Louis Domingue (35) as Coyotes' Jason Demers (55) looks on during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
The Arizona Coyotes announced on Tuesday they had traded goaltender Louis Domingue to the Tampa Bay Lightning for two players.
Michael Leighton, a 36-year-old netminder with 110 games of NHL experience, and Tye McGinn, a winger who played 18 games for the Coyotes in 2014-15, are the return pieces to Arizona.
Domingue last appeared in a Coyotes game on Oct. 12 and has since been demoted to the AHL, though he never reported there, he told Canada’s TVA Sports. The Quebec native explained his predicament with the Coyotes organization, where he’s been in limbo in recent weeks without a team to practice with.
That same report said Domingue spent a week and a half training with former teammate Shane Doan before going home to train with the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts.
Domingue also told TVA that it’s “exciting” to play in Arizona, “but you can not blame the fans for not showing up at the games. We do not win. What’s the point of coming to see us play?”
The 25-year-old spent parts of four seasons with Arizona’s NHL team and had a .856 save percentage this year. His best season came in 2015-16 when he had a .912 save percentage and 2.75 goals against average, appearing in 39 games as the backup for Mike Smith.
Coyotes GM John Chayka: “Happy to find an opportunity to give Louis a fresh start. It's a deal that creates some flexibility for us. We have three good young goalies in Tucson that we think are great prospects. It's a good problem to have, but we need to manage it properly.”
— Craig Morgan (@craigsmorgan) November 14, 2017
Arizona already has Antti Raanta and Scott Wedgewood as the goaltenders on its roster, but the Coyotes’ affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, already has three goaltenders on its roster: Adin Hill, Marek Langhamer and Hunter Miska. It wasn’t immediately known where Leighton and McGinn would report.
With goalies Adin Hill, Hunter Miska and Marek Langhamer already in Tucson, the Coyotes are still sorting out where their new acquisitions will report.
— Craig Morgan (@craigsmorgan) November 14, 2017
McGinn also has been with the Crunch this season. He is the brother of former Coyotes forward Jamie McGinn, who is now with the Florida Panthers.
Leighton, McGinn and Domingue are all on contracts that expire after this season, at which point the trio will all be UFAs.
It should be noted that Lightning GM Steve Yzerman was reportedly in attendance for the Coyotes’ game on Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets in Arizona, according to Jets reporter Ken Wiebe.
