Arizona Coyotes fans and NHL observers on Sunday could finally exhale and relax after a wild week for the team in which there was much to process. But only for a day.
Monday brought several pieces of Coyotes news, the biggest being the official retirement of defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson, which quietly happened over the weekend.
The shot-blocking specialist from Sweden was about to enter free agency. He played the last four of 14 NHL seasons with the Coyotes, after winning three Stanley Cups with the Chicago Blackhawks.
The steady Hjalmarsson had five assists in 41 games last season.