Clayton Keller has been waiting for the Arizona Coyotes to be a serious playoff contender since he entered the league in 2017-18 season.
Yes, the Coyotes made the playoffs in 2020 in the COVID year where 24 teams made the show instead of 16. Besides that anomaly, the Yotes have been a brutal team for years.
Keller is coming off a breakout year where he put up 86 points (37g, 49a) in 82 games for an awful Arizona Coyotes team. His no-trade clause does not kick in until the 2024-25 season and his current Coyotes salary cap hit is $7.15 million for the next 5 years.
Clayton Keller trade coming this offseason?
NHL trade rumors are starting to make the rounds that Clayton Keller would like out of Arizona. With the Coyotes unable to secure a new home rink, the team is not spending any money, does Keller want to spend his prime years on a losing hockey team?
Elliotte Friedman was on The Jeff Marek Show and stated that Keller met with Coyotes management to find out the direction the team is going.
Friedman went on to say in his radio hit that Keller has not requested a trade, but he could be moved in the summer.
One team that will have interest in a Keller trade is the Washington Capitals. They are looking to rebuild the team on the fly and Keller would be a perfect fit with him being only 24 to go along with his scoring and playmaking ability.
The Capitals would have to clear salary cap space to make a trade of this magnitude. They would also have to give up their #8 overall draft pick at the 2023 NHL entry draft to go along with a top prospect.
The Capitals will not be the only team interested in Keller if he is indeed on the trade market. It could end up being a massive bidding war from a plethora of teams this offseason.
What are NHL fans saying about a potential Clayton Keller trade?
I have a weird feeling he will be a New York Ranger, they’ve been trying for years. I can see something around Alexis Lafreniere for Keller as the base.
If there’s any smoke behind this, the Detroit Red Wings have to make a call. Got plenty of draft capital to pull it off.
Clayton Keller and Arizona Coyotes 1st round pick for Auston Matthews. It will happen!
