Arizona Coyotes' Alex Tanguay excited for chance to help

The Coyotes are stuck in their worst slump of the season, a slide that has pushed them eight points back of a playoff spot with 19 games to go, but these facts don’t appear to have dimmed veteran winger Alex Tanguay’s enthusiasm for joining the club.

Arizona was on a list of 10 teams for which Tanguay would waive his no-trade clause, helping facilitate a swap Monday before the NHL trade deadline that sent Tanguay and prospects Conner Bleackley and Kyle Wood to the Coyotes for winger Mikkel Boedker.

Tanguay, 36, also considered signing with the Coyotes before the 2009-10 season, even having conversations with General Manager Don Maloney and captain Shane Doan before ultimately choosing the Lightning.

“They were interested,” he said. “At the time, I think the team was owned by the league if I remember properly. So I’m not sure if there was any possible way that we could have made the money work. … It was an opportunity that I was smiling at, but it never panned out and it’s unfortunate.”

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RELATED: Potential to win influence Boedker in talks with Coyotes

Tanguay finally donned Coyotes gear Wednesday, skating alongside center Antoine Vermette and winger Anthony Duclair during practice, and it’s likely he’ll debut Thursday when the team hosts the Ducks at Gila River Arena.

“I’m excited,” he said. “I’m happy where I’m at. This is a great opportunity, and I’m really lucky. I’ve been lucky for 15 years to play in this league, so I’m just going to work hard and hope for the best.”

This is Tanguay’s seventh stop in the NHL; he started with the Avalanche, winning a Stanley Cup in 2001, and played for the Flames, Canadiens and Lightning before returning to Calgary and more recently Colorado.

During his 1,000-plus games in the league, Tanguay has carved out a reputation as an astute playmaker – a passer who can set up his linemates and make those around him better.

Of his 850 career points, 571 are assists.

“He understands the strengths of his game,” coach Dave Tippett said. “He has to make good plays and make things happen that way. But he also understands to win, you have to be able to defend. You have to be able to do your job on the other side of the puck. So a good veteran presence for us. I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do.”

REPLAY:Coyotes chat with McLellan

The Coyotes could use a spark offensively, averaging only 1.83 goals-per-game during their losing streak.

Not only would a seamless transition by Tanguay potentially help accomplish that for the team, but it’d also likely improve his outlook for the future. His contract is up following this season when he’ll be eligible to become an unrestricted free agent.

Through 52 games, Tanguay has four goals and 22 points.

“There’s not a whole lot of years left for me to play hockey, but I still love the game,” he said. “I’d like to keep going. I’ve been feeling better in the last few weeks that I can still play, and you have to prove yourself and certainly that will be the case for me and I will try my best to do that.”

Ice chips

• Center Boyd Gordon, who’s been sidelined since the beginning of February with an upper-body injury after blocking a shot with his hand, is now considered day-to-day.
• Winger Craig Cunningham cleared waivers but remained with the Coyotes, skating in Wednesday’s practice.

Reach the reporter at sarah.mclellan@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8276. Follow her at twitter.com/azc_mclellan.

Thursday's game

Ducks at Coyotes

When: 7 p.m.

Where: Gila River Arena.

TV/radio: Fox Sports Arizona-Plus/KTAR-AM (620).

Ducks update: The Ducks hosted the Canadiens Wednesday, their first game since making a slew of moves before the NHL trade deadline Monday. Among their moves, the Ducks added forwards Jamie McGinn and Brandon Pirri. Before playing Montreal, Anaheim had gone 15-1-1 to climb into a playoff position. The Ducks went 12-1-1 in February – their best month in franchise history. Captain Ryan Getzlaf was named the NHL’s First Star for February after scoring six goals and racking up 20 points in 14 games. Getzlaf leads the team with 51 points, while winger Corey Perry has a team-best 26 goals.