Arizona Coyotes waive forward Jean-Sebastien Dea for contract termination

The Arizona Coyotes have placed forward Jean-Sebastien Dea on unconditional waivers for the purposes of mutual contract termination, the club announced Saturday morning.

Dea, 29, did not record a point in four games with the Coyotes during the 2022–23 regular season. The five-foot-eleven forward spent most of the season with the American Hockey League’s Tucson Roadrunners, racking up 23 goals and 50 points in 67 games.

According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Dea is leaving the Coyotes organization to pursue an opportunity overseas. He was set to enter the second season of the two-year, two-way contract he signed with the Coyotes in 2022.

Dea was set to earn $775,000 with the Coyotes and $225,000 with the Roadrunners in the 2023–24 season. With Dea’s contract now earmarked for termination, the Coyotes won’t be on the hook for any of his 2023–24 compensation.

The Arizona Coyotes have placed forward Jean-Sebastien Dea on unconditional waivers for purposes of terminating his contract.

— Arizona Coyotes PR (@AZCoyotesPR) August 5, 2023

Dea is the second player to have his contract terminated by the Coyotes this off-season, although he is the first to have it occur via mutual agreement.

Back in July, the Coyotes terminated Alex Galchenyuk’s contract less than two weeks after he signed with the team after he was arrested by the Scottsdale Police Department on multiple charges related to a late-night disturbance. Galchenyuk subsequently entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.

Dea made his NHL debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2016–17 season after spending parts of four years in the team’s organizational pipeline. He made brief stops with the Penguins, New Jersey Devils, and Buffalo Sabres before signing with the Coyotes in 2022.

Through 37 career NHL games with those four teams, Dea has collected five goals, seven points, and 14 penalty minutes. He has never appeared in a Stanley Cup Playoff game.

The Coyotes have been one of the NHL’s busiest teams this summer, signing numerous unrestricted free agents (including Jason Zucker, Nick Bjugstad, Alex Kerfoot, and Troy Stecher) and re-signing key RFAs Matias Maccelli and Jack McBain. The club also agreed to terms on an entry-level contract with top prospect Logan Cooley.