When your star player tells you he wants stability, you should probably listen. The big issue for the Arizona Coyotes is where do they even begin?
Meeting with the Bigwigs
According to Sportsnet Insider Elliotte Friedman, 25-year-old
Clayton Keller has met with Coyotes' management amid rumours of a trade request after the team's proposal for a new arena was rejected by voters in Tempe. Friedman states there's no official trade request yet, but Keller wants some assurances if he's to return.
"
Clayton Keller had a meeting yesterday with the Coyotes... Now I want to make this very clear, there is no trade request here, but I think what Keller did say is that he wants direction, and reasonably quickly, on the future of the franchise on and off the ice"
Huge Task
Arizona is as far away from having direction right now as any team in professional sports. Their current arena, the 5,000 seat Mullett Arena, is viewed as a joke by many. The Tempe proposal has been rejected. A new home is a must before the team can even start thinking about the product on the ice. Arizona has made the playoffs once since 2013. That was the COVID bubble playoffs in 2020 where the team won a play-in, but lost in the first round.
Keller was the Coyotes' top scorer last season with 86 points, 28 points more than Nick Schmultz, who was second with 58. Keller just completed year three of an eight-year deal with Arizona at a cap hit of $7.15 million per season. There are many team's around the league who would jump at the chance to take that contract on. Arizona needs to get moving.
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