NHL Rumors: Arizona Coyotes Surprising Teams During Trade Talks

The Arizona Coyotes are open for business, however that doesn't necessarily mean it's a fire sale. The team has informed all interested clubs that they are willing to take on more/bad contracts for the future, a wrinkle that could help them finalize some trades.

The Coyotes have used this strategy in the past and it's certainly worked for their advantage so we'll see if teams will sweeten their trade offers to be able to include a bad contract or two. TSN's Chris Johnston had this to say on the Coyotes deadline strategy:

The Coyotes have let it be known that they're willing to take on contracts or money in exchange for future assets, just as we saw them do with a few transactions over the summer

According to CapFriendly Arizona has roughly $7 million in cap space this season and have a number of pending free agents they will be moving before the March 21 deadline. The 'Yotes currently have eight selections in the first two rounds of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft and that's likely going to increase significantly with players like Phil Kessel and Jakob Chychrun both being involved in trade talks. Each player should fetch at least one draft pick in one of the first two rounds.

Arizona isn't shy to take on contracts as we've seen with the likes of Shayne Gostisbehere, Antoine Roussel, Andrew Ladd, Loui Eriksson and others. Sounds like they are sticking with their strategy and hope they can build a consistent winner through the entry draft. Now about playing home games in a university rink.......

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