Coyotes acquire a haul of draft picks along with veteran Andrew Ladd

After making a trade earlier in the day, the Arizona Coyotes were involved in another with the acquisition of three draft picks veteran forward Andrew Ladd from the New York Islanders.

With no first round draft pick this year, the Arizona Coyotes have worked to acquire more draft capital and have added the Islanders’ second round pick in the 2021 Draft (60th overall, originally owned by the Colorado Avalanche), a conditional second in the 2022 Draft and a further conditional third round pick in the 2023 Draft.

This means that the Coyotes will now have picks 37 (originally Columbus’), 43 and 60 in this year’s draft, while holding a further three second round picks in next year’s draft after also acquiring the San Jose Sharks’ pick in the Adin Hill trade.

The draft picks will be a huge asset to general manager Bill Armstrong, who has worked hard to give himself enough capital to stockpile prospects and add to the very thin cupboard he inherited when hired prior to the 2021 season.

Via Arthur Staple: For the 2022 pick, the Coyotes will receive the better of the Islanders’ two selections - whether that is New York’s original pick, or the one they had acquired from the Colorado Avalanche in the Devon Toews trade.

From CapFriendly: The 2023 third round pick will be guaranteed to the Coyotes if Ladd plays even just one game for the team in the 2022/23 season.

Along with the impressive haul of draft picks, the Coyotes added Andrew Ladd - with the team reportedly keen to have his veteran presence on the team despite just one appearance in the AHL this year.

Ladd has two years remaining on a contract that holds an AAV of $5.5 million. This year, the Coyotes are expected to only pay the Maple Ridge, British Columbia native $3 million after the Islanders had already paid $1 million of his $3 million signing bonus.

Ladd will have a total salary of $4 million in 2022, a season in which he will turn 37. The career left winger joins the Coyotes having made 950 regular season appearances in the NHL, where he has scored 249 goals and added a further 289 assists.

His last spell in the NHL came during the 2019/20 season, where he scored a goal in just four appearances - adding 11 goals and three assists in 34 AHL games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

The Coyotes are heading for a transition period after the Expansion Draft takes place, with Armstrong looking to make his mark on the roster and provide a different team for fans to experience under the guidance of head coach André Tourigny.

Ladd will be a part of that new-look team for the next two seasons, and the organization will have a flurry of new prospects to work with and develop as a result. For the significant haul received from the Islanders, the Coyotes having given up nothing in return - a unique situation in today’s NHL.