Coyotes add ex-Oilers, Canucks F Chiasson on PTO
Published
The Arizona Coyotes signed veteran forward Alex Chiasson and goaltender Christopher Gibson to professional tryout contracts on Wednesday.
Chiasson spent last season with the Vancouver Canucks, posting 13 goals and 22 points in 67 games. He played the previous three years with the Edmonton Oilers, scoring a career-high 22 goals and 38 points in 73 games during the 2018-19 season.
The 31-year-old, who was selected by the Dallas Stars in the second round of the 2009 draft, has appeared in 631 career games with the Stars, Ottawa Senators, Calgary Flames, Washington Capitals, Oilers and Canucks. He has 114 goals and 224 points in those games.
Gibson, 29, spent last season in the AHL, going 7-5-2 with the Charlotte Checkers while posting a .907 save percentage and a 2.80 goals-against average.
A second-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 2011, Gibson has appeared in 16 career NHL games with the New York Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning, posting a record of 4-5-3. His last NHL action came with the Lightning during the 2020-21 season, when he appeared in two games, posting a 1-1 record with a .875 save percentage and a 2.66 GAA.
Coyotes roster outlook
The Coyotes currently have more than $20 million in cap space for this season, per CapFriendly, with 22 players on their roster.
Arizona still has one restricted free agent still to sign in 2018 fifth-overall pick Barrett Hayton. The 22-year-old forward had 10 goals and 24 points in 60 games last season.
At goaltender, Gibson will look to compete for a spot on the roster with incumbent starter Karel Vejmelka and off-season addition Jon Gillies. The Coyotes used six goaltenders during the 2021-22 season, though only two - Vejmelka and Ivan Prosvetov - remain signed for this year.
The Coyotes finished second-last in the NHL last season, missing the playoffs for the ninth time in the past 10 seasons.