Arizona Coyotes get Demands from Young Star if he's to Remain with Team
Well, it's not a trade demand. Not yet, anyway. However, Clayton Keller, the best player the Arizona Coyotes have right now, has met with management, and he wants something if he's to remain with the team that seems to be a chaos right now.
What he Wants?
According to Sportsnet Insider Elliotte Friedman, Keller told the Coyotes bluntly that he wants to know the direction the team is headed in all aspects if they want to keep him around.
"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."
Tall Order
"Reasonably quickly" could be tough. Right now, the Coyotes are playing in a 5000 seat arena after being booted from one in Glendale for an unpaid tax bill. The team also lost a public vote on building a new arena in Tempe. There aren't many pro teams who are more directionless than the Coyotes right now.
To top it all off, the team has missed the playoffs in every season since 2013, except 2020 when they won a play-in round and then lost in the first, and it really shows no signs of improving over the next two to three years unless a miracle comes out of the draft.
Keller, who just completed year three of an eight year deal, could be waiting a while for direction. In the meantime, there are plenty of teams that would love to take on his cap hit of $7.15 million. Keller had 86 points this season.
POLL |
MAI 19 | 96 ANSWERS Arizona Coyotes get Demands from Young Star if he's to Remain with Team Will the Coyotes keep Keller or trade him? |
Keep him | 22 | 22.9 % |
Trade him | 61 | 63.5 % |
Not sure | 13 | 13.5 % |
List of polls |
|
29 minutes ago | By Austin Kelly Matthew Knies' Injury Fate Revealed for the Toronto Maple Leafs |
|
3 hours ago | By Chris Gerics Auston Matthews Calls Out Maple Leafs Fans After Humiliating Loss to the Blue Jackets |
|
10 hours ago | By Chris Gerics Craig Berube Calls Out Toronto Maple Leafs Goaltender After Another Poor Showing |
|
14 hours ago | By Chris Gerics Bad News for the Toronto Maple Leafs as Matthew Knies Exits Game with Apparent Injury vs. the Blue Jackets |
|
15 hours ago | By Chris Gerics Auston Matthews Penalized After Unusual Incident with Blue Jackets Goalie's Stick |
|
16 hours ago | By Chris Gerics Toronto Maple Leafs Ideal Potential Trade Target at Centre Revealed |
|
18 hours ago | By Chris Gerics Two Boston Bruins Named Top Trade Targets for the Toronto Maple Leafs |
|
20 hours ago | By Chris Gerics Blockbuster 1-for-1 Trade Proposal Emerges Between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins |
Previously on HockeyPatrol