Arizona Coyotes Moving On Without Phil Kessel

The Arizona Coyotes are prepared to move on without Phil Kessel. The team has informed the veteran sniper he is not in their plans this season and will work with him to facilitate a trade to a contender.

Kessel is in the final season of his contract. While it may be $6.8 million cap hit the Coyotes have on their books for the American Olympian, Kessel is only making $1 million cash. This could entice some more teams to get involved in the trade talks. 

The Coyotes forward holds no-trade protection, he has submitted a list of eight teams and it seems he wants to win another Stanley Cup before this is all said and done. TSN's Darren Dreger had this to say about the situation in the desert:

Kessel is in the final year of his contract with the Arizona Coyotes. We also know that (general manager) Bill Armstrong and the Coyotes have defined the direction that they're going in, and that will not include Phil Kessel. He wants a fresh start, he wants to earn a new contract somewhere in the National Hockey League. He's got some no-trade protection, he wants to go to a competitive, if not a contending team, if you will. He's got the big cap hit, but the salary is only $1 million. So if you have an injury, or team that's struggling offensively, he could be a fit later in the season

The 34-year-old can still get it done. Last season was a down year for Kessel and he still managed 43 points in 56 games. It won't be long before a trade goes down as there's going to be a few teams that realize after the preseason they need more offense.

Photo credit:   David Berding-USA TODAY Sports