Jordan Martinook's agent, Jeff Helperl, said sides are "close" on a deal but thinks the Coyotes may prefer to go to arbitration on July 26.
— Craig Morgan (@CraigSMorgan) July 21, 2017
Helperl would continue, visibly uncomfortable, that he could understand that the Coyotes were in the process of trying to find the resources to ensure they could lock Martinook up for an extended period of time. “They could barely keep the AC on,” Helperl noted, in reference to Arizona’s money troubles.
Martinook is a developing young centerman who is important to the success of the checking lines, given a good face off rate, while also being good on the penalty kill. “We appreciate Arizona’s desire to go to arbitration, and their expressed desire to get something done. They were really sweating it out there, almost like they were worried it wouldn’t get done. They seemed to feel some sort of relieved when we all agreed arbitration could get us the rest of the way to a deal.”
Reached for comment, a member of the Coyote’s front office confirmed that the two sides were very close before the decision to go to arbitration was made. “Yeah, we were pretty much there, but it’s forecast to be 105 next Wednesday, and the arbiter is in Toronto, and has an office with central air. It was an easy decision.”
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
