When the opening bell rang Wednesday morning for the start of NHL free agency, the Arizona Coyotes were quick to make moves. And other teams moved to sign their available players as well.
But things slowed down for a time, only to set up the late afternoon bombshell that was the trade of No.1 goaltender Darcy Kuemper to the Colorado Avalanche for a first-round draft pick in 2022, a conditional third-round pick in 2024 and 22-year-old defenseman Conor Timmins.
It marked the second major trade involving top Coyotes players in less than a week, after general manager Bill Armstrong dealt captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson and forward Conor Garland to the Vancouver Canucks.