Coyotes trade G Eric Comrie to Red Wings for D Vili Saarijarvi
Nov 30, 2019, 10:32 AM | Updated: 11:29 am
Eric Comrie #1 of the Winnipeg Jets watches a replay after letting in a goal while making his NHL debut during the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on April 6, 2017 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
(Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
The Arizona Coyotes announced Saturday they’ve traded goaltender Eric Comrie to the Detroit Red Wings for AHL defenseman Vili Saarijarvi.
Comrie, 24, was the third goaltender on the depth chart after the Coyotes acquired him off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets right before the start of this season. Because he was not waivers-exempt, he would’ve had to clear waivers to go to AHL Tucson, the Coyotes’ affiliate. Therefore, the Coyotes instead kept him on the 23-man NHL roster before trading him.
When the Coyotes acquired Comrie, goaltender Antti Raanta was day-to-day. He and Darcy Kuemper were fully healthy entering Saturday, and Comrie never did appear in a game for Arizona.
Saarijarvi, 22, was the Red Wings’ third-round pick in 2015, going three picks before Coyotes goaltending prospect Adin Hill. He’s a right-handed defenseman who has never played an NHL game, but he adds depth to the Roadrunners blueline after spending this season with the Red Wings’ AHL club, the Grand Rapids Griffins.
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Saarijarvi has played 13 games with the Griffins this year. In 125 career games with that team, he has two goals and 26 assists. He’s 5-foot-10 and 183 pounds.
The Finland native played his amateur hockey with the OHL’s Flint Firebirds and Mississauga Steelheads.
