David Moss re-signs with Coyotes while on his honeymoon

The NHL's free-agent signing period opened three days before winger David Moss' wedding July 4 and six days before he embarked on a honeymoon in Turks and Caicos with his wife Erinn.

Surely, he figured, a deal could be worked out before he left the country.

But it wasn't until Moss was nearing the end of his beach vacation that he signed not one but two contracts, eventually settling on the one that kept him with the Coyotes.

"Not having a deal done added a little bit more stress, but it was great to get a deal done," Moss said. "It was a big relief. Obviously, I'm very excited to be going back to Phoenix — a team I know and like, and I feel very fortunate to be able to go back there."

Moss signed a one-year, $800,000 deal with the Coyotes on July 11, but a day earlier he had agreed to a two-year deal with Geneve-Servette of the Swiss league.

"I was pretty close to going to Switzerland just because I hadn't really had any concrete offers from any NHL teams, and I had a nice offer from Geneve in the Swiss league and it was going to provide me with an NHL out clause for a week given the chance that I signed with an NHL team," Moss said. "So I figured at this point, that was probably my best option."

Moss even reached out to former teammate Matthew Lombardi to get his opinion on the club. Lombardi spent last season with Geneve-Servette and led the Swiss league with 20 goals and 50 points in 46 games.

But the Coyotes triggered the out clause when General Manager Don Maloney tabled an offer.

"Phoenix is not a cap team, so they have a certain amount of money in their budget and they have to make it work," Moss said. "I understood that and was patient. At the end of the day, I was happy that they made me an offer and really excited to get back."

This will be Moss' third season with the Coyotes. A depth winger, he's been used as a penalty killer and in a matchup role. His upside seems to be along the boards when he can generate pressure and momentum off a strong cycle and when he's forechecking.

But Moss was critical of his offensive performance last season, discouraged by his eight goals and 22 points.

"Talking with them, I know they're happy with the role I have and hopefully they still are when I come back and can help the team," he said. "I'm the type of guy that fits the system well, that can play in different positions and do a lot of little things well.

"Hopefully you put up better offensive numbers, but at the end of the day you're just trying to help the team win and do the little things right, which has kind of been Phoenix's staple. They get guys who do the right things, and the offense comes from a group of guys."

Motivation, it seems, won't be hard to come by next season.

"I'm looking to come into camp and be one of the guys trying to earn his ice time," Moss said. "That's for sure."