Report: Arizona Coyotes sign Antoine Vermette to two year contract

The Arizona Coyotes are welcoming a variety of old faces back to the Valley. Yesterday it was Boyd Gordon. This morning it was Zbynek Michalek. And now, it's Antoine Vermette.

Vermette headed back to ARI on a 2 year deal. It's believed to be an AAV of $3.75M.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) July 1, 2015

Vermette returns to the Valley at the same AAV that he cost the Coyotes when he left. The center was traded to Chicago at the trade deadline for defenseman Klas Dahlbeck and the 30th overall pick in this year's draft, which became Nick Merkley.

After recording 13 goals and 22 assists in 63 regular season appearances with Arizona, Vermette only tallied three assists in 19 regular season games with Chicago. He was benched on more than one occasion for the postseason.

But Vermette ultimately responded; he matched his regular season assist numbers for the Blackhawks in the playoffs, and scored four times. Three of those goals were game winning goals, including at pivotal moments in Chicago's series against Anaheim and Tampa Bay.

With Vermette's signing, the Coyotes now have Vermette, Martin Hanzal, Brad Richardson, Boyd Gordon, and Joe Vitale as centers. Barring any trades, it seems like Arizona is finished adding pieces at that position.

We will update this story as we receive official confirmation from the team.

UPDATE: (5:45 PM)

The Coyotes provide confirmation. And they're excited about it.

It's OFFICIAL! #Coyotes Sign Center Antoine Vermette to a Two-Year Contract | MORE http://t.co/QqPvDipaEb pic.twitter.com/elmNescNa2

— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) July 2, 2015