O'Brien was scratched Wednesday versus the Flames, the eighth time in 11 games he's sat out.
O'Brien has averaged just 8:51 of ice time over his three appearances so far, adding five PIM, 13 hits and one shot on goal. The 30-year-old has mostly been an enforcer throughout his career -- he's topped 100 PIM in three straight seasons and has back-to-back 200-hit campaigns. O'Brien and Michael Carcone are likely to compete for one spot in the lineup most of the time. Both were out Wednesday when Utah opted to dress seven defensemen following the trade for Olli Maatta and the demotion of Josh Doan.
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Coyotes' Liam O'Brien: Inks three-year deal
Rotowire
O'Brien signed a three-year contract with Utah HC on Wednesday, per Chris Johnston of The Athletic.
O'Brien had five goals, 14 points, 153 PIM and 228 hits in 75 contests with the Coyotes in 2023-24. The 29-year-old is likely to serve primarily on the fourth line for the upcoming season. He was eligible to become an unrestricted free agent Monday after completing his two-year, $1.55 million contract.
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Coyotes' Liam O'Brien: Sets tone with early goal
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O'Brien scored a goal on three shots and added four hits in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Oilers.
O'Brien opened the scoring at 2:18 of the first period in a game the Coyotes never fell behind in. The fourth-liner had three points over eight contests in April, finishing 2023-24 with career-best numbers across the board. He had 14 points, 72 shots on net, 153 PIM and 228 hits over 75 appearances. He is a pending unrestricted free agent, though O'Brien's peak is likely a high-energy fourth-liner.
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Coyotes' Liam O'Brien: Deposits goal Sunday
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O'Brien scored a goal on four shots and logged three hits in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Sharks.
O'Brien has points in back-to-back contests after an 11-game drought. The 29-year-old has enjoyed some short bursts of offense this season, but he stays in the lineup for his physicality. He's at 13 points, 65 shots on net, 216 hits and 153 PIM through 70 appearances this season.
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Coyotes' Liam O'Brien: Adds assist, physicality in win
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O'Brien notched an assist, 10 hits and a plus-2 rating in Friday's 7-4 win over the Golden Knights.
O'Brien snapped an 11-game point drought when he set up Michael Carcone's game-tying goal in the third period. During the scoring slump, O'Brien racked up 20 PIM and 43 hits as a physical fourth-liner. The 29-year-old forward is at a career-high 12 points with 213 hits, 153 PIM, 61 shots on net and a minus-1 rating over 69 appearances this season.
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Coyotes' Liam O'Brien: Assists in consecutive contests
Rotowire
O'Brien notched an assist in Friday's 4-0 win over the Red Wings.
O'Brien has a helper in three of the last four games. Friday was just the third game all season in which he failed to log a hit. The fourth-liner has 11 points, matching his career high, and he's added 133 PIM, 160 hits and 45 shots on net over 57 appearances.
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Coyotes' Liam O'Brien: Contributes helper in loss
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O'Brien recorded an assist, five hits and 10 PIM in Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Wild.
O'Brien has a helper in two of the last three games, but it's unwise to expect him to keep up that kind of production. The 29-year-old has 10 points through 56 outings this season, one shy of his career-high 11 from the same number of games in 2022-23. He continues to fill an enforcer role, adding 133 PIM and 160 hits while playing in the bottom six.
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Coyotes' Liam O'Brien: Collects helper in win
Rotowire
O'Brien logged an assist and two hits in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Capitals.
O'Brien snapped an eight-game point drought with the helper, though he also missed time with an upper-body injury in that span. The 29-year-old has been a fourth-line fixture when healthy. He's earned nine points, 121 PIM, 150 hits, 43 shots on net and an even plus-minus rating through 54 games in that limited role this season.
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Coyotes' Liam O'Brien: Returning Sunday
Rotowire
O'Brien (upper body) will return to the Coyotes' lineup Sunday against Winnipeg, Patrick Brown of the team's official site reports.
O'Brien missed Arizona's last six games after suffering an upper-body injury. The 29-year-old forward has three goals, eight points and 129 hits through 49 games this season. O'Brien will take over for Michael Carcone on the Coyotes' fourth line.
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Coyotes' Liam O'Brien: Lands on IR
Rotowire
O'Brien (upper body) was placed on injured reserve Friday.
O'Brien will miss Friday's game against the Hurricanes, but he'll be eligible to return as soon as Sunday against the Avalanche. Either way, the 29-year-old forward has notched just eight points through 49 contests this season, so fantasy managers outside of deep banger leagues -- O'Brien has 116 PIM and 126 hits this season -- shouldn't need to track his status.
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Coyotes' Liam O'Brien: Deemed day-to-day
Rotowire
O'Brien is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury and won't play Wednesday versus the Wild.
O'Brien's collected only eight points through 49 contests this season, so most fantasy managers won't notice his absence. Adam Ruzicka will likely remain in the lineup until O'Brien is ready to return.
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Coyotes' Liam O'Brien: Snaps drought with helper
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O'Brien notched an assist and four hits in Monday's 5-2 win over the Penguins.
O'Brien ended his drought at 14 games with the primary helper on Nick Bjugstad's insurance marker in the third period. Steady offense is typically not a hallmark of O'Brien's play -- the 29-year-old instead relies of his physicality to stick in the lineup. He's at eight points, 108 hits, 105 PIM, 38 shots on net and a plus-5 rating through 45 appearances.
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Coyotes' Liam O'Brien: Quiet on offense
Rotowire
O'Brien has gone 13 games without a point after he was held scoreless Thursday in a 2-1 loss to the Canucks.
O'Brien has racked up 37 PIM, 38 hits and 12 shots on net in that span. The 29-year-old was productive around the start of November, but he's otherwise done little scoring while serving as an enforcer for the Coyotes. He's at seven points, 105 PIM, 103 hits, 37 shots on net and a plus-3 rating through 43 outings.
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Coyotes' Liam O'Brien: Snaps slump with helper
Rotowire
O'Brien picked up an assist and seven PIM in Thursday's 4-3 overtime win over the Avalanche.
O'Brien set up a Travis Boyd goal in the second period and fought Josh Manson in the third. After a burst of offense around the start of November, O'Brien went quiet for 10 games before his helper Thursday. As an enforcer, it's not unusual for the 29-year-old to endure long scoreless stretches. He's managed six points, 43 hits, 64 PIM, 19 shots on goal and a plus-3 rating through 22 outings in a bottom-six role.
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Coyotes' Liam O'Brien: Gets goal in loss
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O'Brien scored a goal in Saturday's 5-3 loss to the Jets.
O'Brien's tally put the Coyotes ahead 2-0 in the second period. The physical forward is playing some of the best hockey in his career with two goals and three assists over the last five games. That's all of his offense this season, and he's added 10 shots on net, 22 hits, 34 PIM and a plus-3 rating through 11 contests. It seems likely O'Brien will be a fixture on the fourth line throughout 2023-24.
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Coyotes' Liam O'Brien: Chips in with helper
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O'Brien posted an assist and three hits in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Ducks.
O'Brien avoided the penalty box for the first time in six games. He's also been more engaged on offense, earning four points over his last three outings after going scoreless in six straight contests to begin the season. The 29-year-old has a goal, three helpers, eight shots on net, 21 hits, 34 PIM and a plus-3 rating through nine appearances in a fourth-line role.
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Coyotes' Liam O'Brien: Plucks apple in loss
Rotowire
O'Brien notched an assist, four hits, two shots on goal and two PIM in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Kings.
The helper was O'Brien's first point in seven outings this season. The 29-year-old enforcer has been a fixture on the fourth line, eclipsing 10 minutes of ice time in just two contests so far. He's racked up 16 hits, 27 PIM, six shots on net and a minus-1 rating. Outside of incredibly deep formats that reward the tough stuff, O'Brien is a non-factor in fantasy.
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Coyotes' Liam O'Brien: Tallies twice in overtime loss
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O'Brien scored two goals on four shots, added four hits and went plus-2 in Thursday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Canucks.
It was O'Brien's first multi-goal game in his career. The 28-year-old had three points over his last two contests, but he remains more of a bottom-line grinder than a big scoring threat. O'Brien had three goals, 11 points, 203 hits, 114 PIM and a minus-5 rating in 56 NHL appearances this season.
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Coyotes' Liam O'Brien: Good to play Thursday
Rotowire
O'Brien (illness) will draw back into the lineup for Thursday's game against Nashville.
O'Brien missed Tuesday's 6-2 win over St. Louis because of the illness. He has a goal, seven points, 60 PIM and 149 hits in 38 contests this season.
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Coyotes' Liam O'Brien: Sitting out Tuesday
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O'Brien (illness) won't play versus the Blues on Tuesday.
Fantasy managers are unlikely to notice O'Brien's absence -- he has just seven points in 38 contests. Bokondji Imama will likely take O'Brien's spot on the fourth line.
