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Coyotes ‘have some work to do’ in re-signing Rieder

New York Islanders v Arizona Coyotes

New York Islanders v Arizona Coyotes

NHLI via Getty Images

While it might seem premature (or maybe hyperbolic) to call it a saga, what the heck -- the Tobias Rieder saga in Arizona sounds like it’s hit a stalemate.

Rieder, coming off a career year with personal bests in goals (14) and assists (23), doesn’t appear to have closed the negotiating gap on a new contract, according to the Arizona Republic.

More:

“We have some work to do on him,” [Coyotes GM John] Chayka said.

There’s still more than a month to go before the team will gather for training camp, but the two sides don’t appear close to a resolution with Rieder’s camp considering the Kontinental Hockey League as an option.

“It’s just status quo,” said Darren Ferris, Rieder’s agent. “There’s been no discussions at this point that have made any meaningful change in anyone’s position.”

According to an Arizona Sports report, Rieder is seeking a two-year, $5.5 million deal, one that carries a $2.75M average annual cap hit. That would be a sizeable raise from the $925,000 he made on his now expired entry-level deal.

Per that same report, the Coyotes are offering “somewhere between $2 million and $2.3 million per year on a two-year deal.”

It’ll be interesting to see how this all shakes out.

Having only turned 23 in January, Rieder would seem to have reasonably good value. He’s a very quick skater that can play up and down the lineup, and didn’t just avoid a sophomore slump last season after appearing in 72 games as a rookie -- he thrived.

Looking ahead, the next date of significance

One would think the next big date for both sides is Sept. 4, when Team Europe opens training camp for the World Cup. Rieder, who was born in Germany and played there prior to joining OHL Kitchener, was named to the European squad in late May.