Ilya Bryzgalov Could Be in Line for Big Payday

by Adam Gretz

Filed under: Coyotes, NHL Free Agency, NHL Economics

This summer's free agent market turned out to be a painful place for goaltenders: not that many openings for a starting job, and few teams interested in spending big money on the position. It resulted in guys like Evgeni Nabokov bolting to Russia and Marty Turco taking a huge paycut. Granted, the market wasn't exactly saturated with a supply of top-notch goalies, but rather a couple of players like Dan Ellis and Chris Mason that could be had on the cheap, while still providing solid production.

Next summer's group, however, could include two of the league's top goaltenders with Ilya Bryzgalov of the Phoenix Coyotes and Tomas Vokoun of the Florida Panthers both scheduled to be unrestricted free agents. That doesn't mean their respective teams can't work out new deals before then, and that appears to be a possibility with Bryzgalov and the Coyotes.

On Monday, Craig Custance of the Sporting News reported that one of the next orders of business for Coyotes general manager Don Maloney is striking a long-term deal with his starting goaltender.

 

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