‘Yotes Notes: Coyotes create roster flexibility by waiving John Scott
Oct 8, 2015, 1:44 PM | Updated: 5:23 pm
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Coyotes waived forward John Scott on Thursday in a move that gives the team some roster flexibility. If Scott clears waivers, Arizona can reassign him to Springfield of the American Hockey League without putting him through waivers again if he plays fewer than 10 games or before 30 days pass.
He isn’t expected to be reassigned any time soon.
“John’s here and he’s not going anywhere,” coach Dave Tippett said.
The Chicago Blackhawks did the same thing with forward Bryan Bickell last week and he remained with the club, playing in Wednesday’s season opener against the New York Rangers.
Sending Scott down in the future would allow the Coyotes to recall another forward. There are several whom Tippett expects to get chances with the team at some point this season, including Henrik Samuelsson, Matthias Plachta, Jordan Szwarz and Lucas Lessio.
Twenty-four hours are required for a player to clear waivers.
The Coyotes signed Scott to a one-year, $575,000 deal this summer to be what general manager Don Maloney termed a sheriff, protecting the team’s young players from excessive physical play.
The 6-foot-8, 260-pound Scott, 33, has five goals, five assists and 517 penalty minutes in 274 career NHL games with San Jose, Buffalo, Chicago, Minnesota and the New York Rangers.
KINGS FALLOUT
Two Los Angeles Kings escaped further discipline and will be in the lineup when L.A. hosts the Coyotes on Friday at Staples Center. Offseason acquisition Milan Lucic was assessed a match penalty for going after San Jose’s Logan Couture on Wednesday in the Sharks’ 5-1, victory after Couture upended him. That penalty carries an automatic one-game suspension, pending league review, but the league chose not to enforce the suspension.
Captain Dustin Brown escaped supplemental discipline for his late and borderline hit on Couture on which he appears to slam his head up into Couture’s face.
Doesn't sound like there will be anything further from SJ/LA last night. Would expect conversations with both Brown/Lucic, though.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) October 8, 2015
Yahoo’s Greg Wyshinski outlined the NHL Department of Player Safety’s thinking in not suspending Brown, who may be the most reviled Coyotes opponent among Arizona fans.
MILESTONE WATCH
The Coyotes’ website outlined a few milestones within reach this season.
— Tippett needs 12 victories to reach 500 (excluding playoffs) as an NHL head coach. Tippett enters his seventh season with the Coyotes with a 488-332-130 record in 950 regular-season games. He is set to coach his 1,000th NHL game on Feb. 2, 2016 at home against the Los Angeles Kings.
— Center Antoine Vermette will enter the season having played in 475 consecutive regular-season games. That ranks second behind Andrew Cogliano (622) for the longest active streak in the NHL.
— Goalie Mike Smith needs six wins to reach 100 with the Coyotes and six shutouts to pass Ilya Bryzgalov and Nikolai Khabibulin (21) for the most in franchise history.
— If he doesn’t miss any games, center Martin Hanzal is in line to play his 500th NHL game (all for the Coyotes) on Oct. 22 at the New York Rangers.
INJURY UPDATE
Shane Doan is nursing a lower body injury that may limit him for the first couple weeks of the season, but the Coyotes captain expects to play Friday in Los Angeles.
Tippett said he expects to have everyone available for Friday’s game.
