The Arizona Coyotes have acquired the negotiating rights to defenseman Alex Goligoski from the Dallas Stars in exchange for a 2016 fifth-round draft pick, the Coyotes announced Thursday.
The deal - which was first reported by ESPN's Craig Custance - will give the Coyotes an exclusive opportunity to sign the 30-year-old, who's set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
If Coyotes manage to sign Goligoski, there will be a lot of disappointed GMs. Was a favorite on UFA D list.
— Craig Custance (@CraigCustance) June 16, 2016
The Stars had attempted to re-sign Goligoski, but after failing to come to terms on a deal, they elected to trade his rights rather than losing him for nothing, according to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun.
Goligoski's coming off his fifth full season with the Stars, finishing second to John Klingberg on the club's D-core with 37 points in 2015-16. He also contributed four goals and seven points in 13 playoff games.
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