GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Coyotes have one week left in training camp and 13 days before they open the regular season on Oct. 9 against the Winnipeg Jets. That means 22 more players must be cut from the roster in short order to get down to the opening-day limit of 23.
The next round of cuts will come after Saturday's Red & White Scrimmage at Gila River Arena. But the proving ground for many players will come Friday night in San Jose.
"You look at the roster we have going there and really there's four, maybe five guys that you say for sure are going to be on our roster," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. "That's (Michael) Stone, (David) Schlemko, (Sam) Gagner and Dubnyk (and Zbynek Michalek). After that, there's a lot of players playing for jobs. We should have a competitive group."
Tippett said he has an idea how many more players will be cut Saturday, but he did not reveal that number.
"I kind of know where I want to go, going on that next road trip after today, but you start getting down to some of those numbers and it gets harder and harder," he said.
Coyotes 2014 top pick Brendan Perlini was due to have surgery on his right hand on Friday after breaking a bone in the hand. Perlini suffered the injury when he absorbed a slash during rookie camp.
No timetable has been set yet for his return to action, but Perlini was not expected to make the Coyotes roster this season.
GM Don Maloney said he continues to have conversations with the agent for forward Mikkel Boedker, but there is nothing new to report and Maloney has no idea if anything substantive will come before the end of the season when Boedker will again be a restricted free agent.
Boedker signed a two-year, $5.1 million deal last summer after sometimes contentious negotiations.
"I'm done thinking about that stuff," Boedker said Friday. "It's been two hard negotiations over the last two deals I've had so I've just learned to zone it out and not worry about it.
Forward Sam Gagner was in the lineup again on Friday when the Coyotes travelled to San Jose, which means he's playing more often than most veterans.
It's not a form of punishment.
"I want to see him play, get kind of a handle on what he can do," Tippett said. "I've talked to Sam about that. He agreed with me that he wants to keep playing."
Tippett also wants to get a feel for Gagner with different line combinations. Gagner has been playing center exclusively, but there remains the possibility Tippett could experiment with him on the wing, perhaps as soon as next week.
Goalie Mark Visentin is still out with a leg injury but aside from Perlini, Tippett said the rest of the team is fairly healthy.
The Coyotes will hold a scrimmage on Saturday at Gila River Arena to support the 100 Club of Arizona. The 100 Club provides assistance to statewide public safety agencies, police officers, firefighters, paramedics and their families through financial assistance, emotional support, safety enhancement stipends, and scholarships.
Tickets are $5, and all proceeds will benefit the 100 Club of Arizona. Parking is free and tickets can be purchased in advance at the Gila River Arena box office or online at ArizonaCoyotes.com.
As part of a pre-game ceremony, the Coyotes will recognize all of the fallen law enforcement officers over the past year.
Fans are also encouraged to donate online (keyword - azcoyotes) or by texting "Coyotes" to 68494. In addition, the Coyotes will auction off autographed player jerseys that will be worn by the players during the scrimmage. In addition, proceeds from the 50/50 Raffle that night will also benefit the 100 Club of Arizona.
The Coyotes are also encouraging fans to bring a new Teddy Bear (12 to 18 inches) to the game to participate in a post-game Teddy Bear Toss. All the bears will be collected and distributed to Glendale Police and Fire Departments, who will use these bears as a "first point of contact" at crime scenes and accidents to comfort children.
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