Coyotes Add Curtis McElhinney and Tyler Eckford

The Phoenix Coyotes have announced that they have signed goaltender Curtis McElhinney and defenseman Tyler Eckford to one-year, two-way contracts. McElhinney's contract will pay him $625,000 at the NHL level, while the financial terms of Eckford's deal were not disclosed. In 28 games last season with the Anaheim Ducks and Ottawa Senators, McElhinney posted a 9-13-1 record, two shutouts, a 3.18 GAA, and a .897 save percentage. Eckford appeared in four games last season with the New Jersey Devils, scoring no points. He also played in 37 games with Albany of the AHL, scoring two goals and 10 assists for 12 points. McElhinney isn't really the greatest signing for the Coyotes, as he has struggled quite a bit in goal at the NHL level. More than likely, he will play as a third goaltender behind Jason Labarbera and Mike Smith and will only see time in goal if either of the two aforementioned players should struggle or miss time due to injury. The Coyotes really took a step back in goal with the signings of these goaltenders given their consistency issues and could have found better goaltending alternatives on the free agent market. More than likely, the team is going to struggle quite a bit in goal next season. As for Eckford, he is really just a depth signing for the team and will likely spend the majority of next season in the minors.