NHL Rumors: Arizona Coyotes Clayton Keller Possible Trade Destinations

The Arizona Coyotes referendum to build an entertainment district in Tempe, Arizona failed. On May 19, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the representatives for Clayton Keller met with the Coyotes to discuss the club’s future on and off the ice. While this by no means indicates that Keller is either requesting a trade or that the Yotes want to move him. He is under contract with an AAV of $7.15 million through the 2027-28 season. He has a no-trade clause in his deal that kicks in for the 2024-25 season. Still, if things don’t progress to the satisfaction acceptable to Keller and his representatives, he could possibly be traded. In other words, let the NHL rumors fly!

Keller Thought to be the Foundation of the Yotes Rebuild

With a player of his talent, it seems unreasonable to think he could be moved. Of course, that was the same sentiment around Jakob Chychrun. It is debatable how long a young player can be expected to be patient for his franchise to get their priorities in order. All these guys want to win… and the sooner the better. Keller showed the NHL last season that he can be an exceptional player. He tallied 37 goals and 49 assists and had six power-play goals, with 14 assists. His shooting percentage was 16.6 percent. Make no mistake, if he is put on the trade market, teams will be lining up to add him to their rosters. Here are five such trade destinations per Lyle Richardson of bleacherreport.com. Who would have thought that Keller would be involved in NHL rumors?

Anaheim Ducks

The first requirement for any team wanting Keller is whether they absorb his contract. The Ducks will have $39.1 million in cap space to show they can be in the running. The Ducks are deep in young talented prospects including Trevor Zegras, Mason Mctavish, and defenseman Jamie Drysdale, plus a reliable scoring winger in 25-year-old Troy Terry. Zegras, Terry and Drysdale are all restricted free agents this summer, but there should be enough to re-sign them and take care of Keller’s cap hit.

The addition of Keller could help the Anaheim club’s terrible 2.51 goals per game average, along with 15.7 percent power play success rate. To consider receiving Keller will take quite a haul. Draft picks and prospects like Nathan Gaucher and Tristan Luneau may need to be included in any prospective deal.

Chicago Blackhawks

If you thought the Ducks had formidable salary cap space, the Blackhawks have even more with an estimated $41.8 million available. Think of general manager Kyle Davidson’s excitement if he could put Connor Bedard on a line with Keller. With both Blackhawks legends Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews exiting the Windy City, the addition of Bedard and Keller would almost be magical. It could even put the Hawks timetable on their rebuild into turbo boost. Davidson also has the resources to pull off such a deal. He has an extra first-round pick this season, along with six others in the next two rounds. Now, that is draft capital! With the Coyotes rebuild still in second gear, the Hawks seem fit to make them an offer they can’t refuse in this NHL rumors possibility.

New Jersey Devils

The Devils too have adequate cap space to pay Keller if need be. With $34.3 million in their coiffures and 12 players signed, they are in excellent financial shape to acquire Keller. Of course, they must re-sign restricted free-agent wingers Timo Meier and Jesper Bratt. Or, if they don’t, Keller would be an excellent insurance policy to sustain the offense. Lining up Keller with Nico Hischier or on a second line with Jack Hughes would not be bad at all. In return, the Arizona club could request Alexander Holtz or blueliner Seamus Casey.

Ottawa Senators

The Sens are wondering about the status of Alex DeBrincat. If they want to keep him, it will cost them a $9 million qualifying charge and he will also have arbitration rights. If they don’t want to do that, he could be traded. So, if that happens, DeBrincat’s stats could easily be replaced by Keller for almost $2 million less and a long-term contract added in for good measure. The Coyotes may want Shane Pinto or Ridley Grieg as part of a return.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins have $20.2 million in cap space, but need to sign some more players. Keller’s ability to play either wing could place him on a line with none other than Sidney Crosby. Wouldn’t that be special? If Jake Guentzel takes off into free agency, Keller could step right in to get the Pittsburgh club back into contention again. Defenseman Owen Pickering and goalie Joel Blomqvist might have to be part of the return. And, don’t forget the Penguins have the 14th overall pick. The Coyotes lost Chychrun and only have goalie Karel Vejmelka under contract.

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Keller Needs to Stay in Arizona

Even with NHL rumors that he could be traded, it just doesn’t seem to make much sense to move him. Certainly, as of now, he is their best player. That doesn’t mean he can’t be dealt. We all thought Chychrun should stay, but when a player decides his time is up, the only alternative is to meet their request. If Keller loses faith in the Coyotes ever getting an arena built in the valley, he may request a trade. As of now, that hasn’t happened.

The arena fight hasn’t been lost yet. There are new hopes that a site in Scottsdale on Tribal land could become available. A 48-acre plot was just sold to Arizona Boardwalk for expansion. On a local podcast called “Locked on Coyotes”, the arena site was discussed. Elliotte Friedman of sportsnet.ca mentioned both the Keller situation and the arena vote on his 32 Thoughts podcast starting at the 38:54 mark.

<OF COURSE, THERE’S ALSO THIS> making it sound not too great for a possible Scottsdale arena site. The story may clear up soon, but the silence from ownership is deafening... can you blame players like Keller wanting to leave the madness?