Coyotes News & Rumors: Vejmelka, Hayton & More

Now is as good a time as any to get caught up on the news around the Coyotes. While there’s a lot to discuss, we have to begin with the trade rumors surrounding Vejmelka, which have caused a stir on Twitter/X.

Vejmelka Trade Rumors Are Nonsense

On Dec. 16, insider Kevin Weekes suggested that Vejmelka could be on the move. He said several teams, such as the Oilers, Red Wings, and Hurricanes, were eyeing the 27-year-old and could be targeting him since they are dealing with goaltending issues. It made sense teams were at least looking at him. However, it makes absolutely no sense for the Coyotes to trade Vejmelka, given their current situation. They don’t have a go-to guy to call up in the American Hockey League (AHL) like they did last season with Ivan Prosvetov, who was claimed off waivers by the Colorado Avalanche at the start of the season.

In the AHL now, they have Matt Villalta and Anson Thornton. If a Vejmelka trade were to happen, they’d have to rely on one of those two for the remainder of the season unless they trade for another netminder. Both are AHL players for the time being and shouldn’t be playing in the NHL quite yet. Especially Thornton, who arguably shouldn’t even be in the AHL, given his current skill set. Given the success the team has had recently, what would the message be to the locker room? This season is about growth and seeing new players blossom, and trading Vejmelka would only hurt the team, regardless of the return coming back to Arizona.

Hayton & Boyd Expected to Be Out for Extended Amount of Time

Craig Morgan reported on the PHNX podcast that Barrett Hayton and Travis Boyd would be out for a substantial amount of time. Hayton’s surgery on his hand/thumb hasn’t been responding well, and his timeline to return is now shortly after the All-Star game or early February. This one stings just because of the crucial impact Hayton delivers each night, and while it may not be on the stat sheet, Hayton does far beyond that. He gets to the net, drawing in players, which creates infinite space for Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz to work with.

For Boyd, he was finally starting to pick his game up, but he then got injured. It’s suspected that he’ll be out for the remainder of the season with a torn pectoral muscle. The 30-year-old was in and out of the lineup, but once injuries hit, he started to find his game and was really playing solid hockey. If the Coyotes sneak into the playoffs, he could return then, but for now, he will be out for the remainder of the season.

Injuries have nagged the Coyotes all season long, and these add to the list. Both are huge pieces to the team’s success, and they’ll have to win without them for the foreseeable future.

Mullett Magic Is Real

There was plenty of speculation heading into last season on what Mullett Arena would be like. Its capacity is unlike any in the NHL, and fans and players were intrigued by how everything would play out. Now that we’re almost a season and a half in the Mullett Arena experience, it’s a true home-ice advantage. The Coyotes have a current record of 32-20-5 at the Mullett.

This is especially impressive, considering they were rebuilding last season and were in no position to be talking about the playoffs. They all rallied together, and the energy the crowd was giving made a monumental impact on the team as a whole. Some thought after a few rough games this season at the Mullett, the success wouldn’t last. However, that was not the case as, so far, they’re 11-5-0 on home ice. That record is the third-best start on home since in Coyotes franchise history. Despite the small capacity, they’re winning games at home, and that’s all that matters.

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