Arizona Coyotes’ price is right for Christian Dvorak’s 6-year contract extension

The Arizona Coyotes made the right call to extend Christian Dvorak to a long-term deal before it was too late.

It’s no secret that the Arizona Coyotes have been busy this offseason, specifically with retooling the team for the long haul.

Yes, part of that statement may seem like a broken record for the Coyotes after each passing season, but Arizona made the right decision to extend forward Christian Dvorak. The team announced on Thursday afternoon that it signed Dvorak to a six-year contract extension.

CapFriendly confirmed over Twitter that the youngster’s deal will hold an annual average value of $4.5 million.

The 22-year-old’s entry-level contract (ELC) was set to expire after the 2019 season, but the ‘Yotes are sending the right message to their fanbase with the signing.

Considering that Arizona has only clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on three occasions since the 2005 NHL Lockout, the club hasn’t been consistent with not only acquiring but retaining promising young talent. After two seasons with the Coyotes, the former second-round draft pick (2014) has tallied a total of 70 points (30 goals, 40 assists) in 156 games played and there’s reason to believe that Dvorak can potentially transform into a 30 goal-scorer sooner rather than later.

Did Arizona spend too much on the youngster, and so soon?

No.

https://twitter.com/ArizonaCoyotes/status/1027661998962561024

While the Coyotes have the salary-cap space to potentially overpay for any caliber skater, investing in a raw and young skater such as Dvorak is essential for a team that’s in need of establishing an identity and building around a core of players such as he and Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

It’s a fair deal for both Dvorak and Arizona. With the salary-cap increasing this offseason and with this skater’s potential, he may even be worth more than what the dynamic forward is getting paid two years into this extension.

Sure, Dvorak is making equal or more money once this contract begins in comparison to skaters such as Nazim Kadri ($4.5 million), Nick Bjustad ($4.1) and Viktor Arvidsson ($4.25), but the Coyotes have been in need to be more aggressive when it comes to certain players and the market.

Teams who are aggressive, but not overly aggressive, tend to succeed in the NHL. It’s about time Arizona took that approach and fans will see the positive benefits in Desert.