Coyotes CEO: ‘We’re committed to building a long-term winner’

It’s been a busy week for the Arizona Coyotes and the moves continued Friday.

The team sent captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Conor Garland to the Vancouver Canucks just hours before the 2021 NHL Draft.

The prize return of the trade was the 9th overall pick, which the team used on forward Dylan Guenther.

Before the pick was made, team president and CEO Xavier Gutierrez joined 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Stations Burns and Gambo to discuss the big trade and future of the franchise.

“Let me first start by acknowledging OEL… drafted here, beloved in the Valley, just want to thank him for everything he did both on and off the ice,” Gutierrez said.

The Coyotes CEO said trading away the long-time captain and the promising Garland was a tough decision, but one the team felt was necessary.

In a very busy start to the offseason, Gutierrez gave his kudos to Arizona general manager Bill Armstrong for the work he’s done since taking over last year.

“I want to take my hat off to Bill,” Gutierrez said. “Coyotes fans should be very excited and proud of his work.”

Since Armstrong became general manager, the CEO says the organization has invested heavily into hockey operations and building future assets.

Gutierrez finished by saying the organization is committed to “winning on a sustained basis” before anything.

He thanked the fans for their loyal support and hopes they can see what the team is building.

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