Sarah McLellan

azcentral sports

Six Arizona players are eligible to test the free-agent market%2C which opens Tuesday.

The Coyotes recently bought out Mike Ribeiro and signed Sam Gagner and B.J. Crombeen.

The team has decided not to bring back veteran defenseman Derek Morris.

Note: Scroll down to the bottom of the story for a look at all six of the Coyotes' free agents.

Change is expected after consecutive non-playoff finishes, and Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney has already been working to ensure the roster the team debuts in the fall is different than the one that finished last season.

The Coyotes recently bought out center Mike Ribeiro, found his replacement in center Sam Gagner and also added a bottom-six winger with size and grit in B.J. Crombeen.

More revisions could come Tuesday via subtraction as the Coyotes have six NHL players eligible to test the free agent market once it opens for business at 9 a.m. Arizona time.

"Right now, just in my conversations with their agents and what they're looking for, none of them will return," Maloney said. "That could change when the market changes and maybe they don't get quite what they want and they realize Arizona is a pretty special place to play hockey in. But right now, I would say based on the salary expectations that we wouldn't anticipate of them returning."

The Coyotes have decided not to bring back veteran defenseman Derek Morris, who has spent parts of 10 seasons with the Coyotes in two stints. This opens up more playing opportunity for youngsters Connor Murphy and Brandon Gormley.

"We just felt we wanted to change our mix," Maloney said.

Winger Radim Vrbata's camp heard from "more than a handful" of teams during the interview period leading up to Tuesday, his agent Rich Evans said, while also keeping in touch with the Coyotes. Vrbata is coming off a three-year contract worth $9 million and has been a regular 20-goal scorer but much of his success has come with the Coyotes.

Even so, he's in line for a raise.

"He's welcome back, but his idea of what he wants to get paid and mine are probably a little different," Maloney said. "So we'll see."

Backup goalie Thomas Greiss, who wants more playing time, had eight teams reach out to his agent Ray Petkau last week. Maloney did his own homework during that time and was able to gauge who was available as a backup and for what price.

"It's just nailing down which guy we want," he said.

The addition of Crombeen makes it less likely winger Paul Bissonnette returns, and the Coyotes could find other options to replace forwards Dave Moss and Jeff Halpern.

"We're looking for value," Maloney said. "We know we'd like to add a scoring winger or two. We would like to add to our team speed. We'd like to be a better defending team. There's all kinds of tweaks we would like to do if we can, and that's where I think it's going to be subtle changes that are going to be in our game plan verses the one or two huge splashes."

The Coyotes have approximately $52.4 million tied up in current player payroll with a spending limit between $55-57 million. On Monday, they extended qualifying offers to forwards Brandon McMillan and Jordan Szwarz and want to keep some roster flexibility should a younger player earn a spot in training camp.

The Coyotes are also allowed to start negotiating an extension for center Antoine Vermette starting Tuesday. Vermette has one year left on his contract and is set to make $3.75 million next season. He led the Coyotes in goal scoring in 2013-14 with 24.

"Certainly we'll talk, whether it's this summer or training camp, to see if there's a way to get something done," Maloney said.

But before addressing Vermette's status, it's more likely Maloney takes care of next season's roster by adding a few more offensive pieces - even another centerman.

"We may just be sitting on the sidelines through the month of July until we find that player that we think can be a good value signing," Maloney said. "That's really what we're looking for now - value and fit and chemistry and who's going to fit into our group."

The Coyotes were able to acquire Gagner and Crombeen via trade, shipping a 2015 sixth-round pick to Tampa Bay Sunday evening to complete the swap, and while it may take another trade to receive the type of offensive boost the Coyotes need, Maloney hopes to avoid that.

"Ideally for us, we'd like to look at the holes on our roster and fill them in free agency without giving up some sort of asset," he said. "That's our preference."

Patience could actually benefit the Coyotes. While they likely won't be competing for the headliners of this free agent class, like center Paul Stastny, wingers like Ales Hemsky or Milan Michalek could be solid fits.

If these players have to lower their asking prices to find a home, the Coyotes could be a desirable destination.

"It'll be interesting to see who gets left at the altar, so to speak," Maloney said. "That might be when we show up."