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.
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 | ||
![Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Auston Matthews (34) looks on against Team Finland in the second period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/531249.webp "Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Auston Matthews (34) looks on against Team Finland in the second period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images")
![Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Auston Matthews (34) looks on against Team Finland in the first period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/531292.webp "Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Auston Matthews (34) looks on against Team Finland in the first period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images")
