Sarah McLellan

azcentral sports

Up to this point, Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney has only been able to daydream about potential off-season moves that will improve the Coyotes because he hasn't been issued a budget by ownership.

But clarity is coming.

Maloney and coach Dave Tippett met with IceArizona on Friday to outline their objectives for the summer, and now it's up to the owners to determine how much money Maloney can spend to accomplish those goals.

"We're going to listen to them and do what we need to do," President and CEO Anthony LeBlanc said.

With less than a month until free agency opens July 1 and the draft three weeks away, signaling the first wave of trade activity, time is running out to hatch a plan for free-agent targets or realistic trade options.

"I need (a budget) now, not July 15, because it really does impact what we're going to do," Maloney said.

Last season, the Coyotes' spending was at $62.3 million, according to capgeek.com. The cap is expected to rise for next season with projections landing it near $70 million, a noticeable jump from last season's $64.3 million upper-limit.

The Coyotes won't be a cap team, even with the arrival of ownership, but in light of the competition on display in the Stanley Cup playoffs – headlined by division rival Los Angeles Kings – the Coyotes could end up spending more than they initially anticipated it would take to become a playoff team.

"We had a budget that we though was competitive," LeBlanc said. "I wouldn't be surprised to see us go up a little bit."

While Maloney waits for his payroll parameters, which LeBlanc expects to be in place within the next two weeks, he has touched base with the six unrestricted free agents on his current roster.

"The league is having tremendous success, and everybody's looking to get significant increases," Maloney said.

One free agent who won't be in the mix next season is forward Viktor Tikhonov. Maloney reached out to Tikhonov last month to gauge his interest in returning to the NHL after playing the previous three seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League, but it sounds like Tikhonov – a restricted free agent whose rights the Coyotes hold until next summer – will be staying put.

"He has a contract next year in Russia for $3.1 million that he can't get out of – not that he would want to get out," Maloney said. "I think Viktor, at some point, would want to come back. I think once this contract ends, then they'll be some conversations."

Decision coming

It's possible the Coyotes announce a new assistant general manager sometime next week, as Maloney has narrowed down his wish list to one candidate – the only one he's interviewed.

"It's pretty clear to me if I can bring in this person that I want to bring in, then it'll work," he said. "I should know fairly soon and then if it doesn't, there's four or five people that I'm very interested in."

Maloney will be in New York on Monday to discuss potential rule changes as part of the league's competition committee, which he was asked to join. On Wednesday, he'll sit in on the general manager meeting but Maloney is keeping his schedule open in case the Rangers request his presence at center ice during Game 3 or 4 of the Stanley Cup final.

"I'm sure they'll have me drop the puck like Wayne (Gretzky) did (Wednesday) night," deadpanned Maloney, who drafted goaltender Henrik Lundqvist while serving as the Rangers Assistant General Manager from 1996-2007. "I'm waiting for that phone call. I'll just go down there and grab the puck and race out there."

Ice chips

-The Coyotes were hoping they could capitalize on the momentum of the Super Bowl in Glendale next February by hosting an outdoor game, but since that's not expected to happen, the Coyotes anticipate being on a long road trip while football fever takes over their neighborhood.

"You can expect to see the Coyotes go on a nice lengthy road trip," LeBlanc said. "I've seen the draft schedule."

-Despite falling in the quarterfinals and failing to medal, coaching Team Canada at the World Championships last month was still a worthwhile experience for Tippett.

"Our goal going into the tournament was to get better every game, and I thought our team did that," he said. "Even the game we lost to Finland, I thought we played very well. I watched it on the plane coming home. Really disappointing. A couple of tough goals in the third period cost us but great experience. Got to meet a lot of good people."