Arizona Coyotes Trade Rumors Intensify As Deadline Approaches

With the NHL trade deadline set for March 3rd, just 47 days from, the Arizona Coyotes trade rumors are intensifying.

It seems of late that the team is aligning itself well for the Connor Bedard sweepstakes. They have dropped eight nine straight games, which helps the trade rumors become even more prevalent.

Arizona Coyotes Who Could be Traded

Ok, we all know (unless you’ve been under a rock lately) that Jakob Chychrun has been in trade rumors for a really long time. Besides the usual list of teams rumored to be interested in him, a couple more have been added recently. According to thefourthperiod.com, the St. Louis Blues have joined the list of teams coveting Chychrun. Then, according to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, the Minnesota Wild have had talks with the Yotes about Chychrun also. It may depend on the Wild being able to trade Matt Dumba and receiving a return they can use to acquire Chychrun. Sounds complicated, but it has possibilities.

The Others Who Could be Gone

The list continues with another defenseman named Shayne Gostisbehere. He has been linked to the Vegas Golden Knights, Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Islanders, and Calgary Flames. Gee, could it be that he has really turned his game around since joining the Arizona club?

He has tallied 23 goals and 56 assists in 124 games with the Coyotes. Gostisbehere logs over 22 minutes of ice time and has five power play goals, with seven assists. He is the ideal offensive defenseman some playoff-bound teams could be looking for. His $4.5 million contract expires after this season. Some team will figure out how to acquire him.

The point then becomes without Chychrun, who surely will be traded, how bad will the blueline be without both Chychrun AND Gostisbehere?

The List Continues

Nick Ritchie is another player who could be dealt. Per Michael DeRosa of nhltraderumors.me, the Lightning could try to add Richie to their roster. Ritchie is another player whose contract expires at the conclusion of this season. He has a $2.5 million cap hit, so the Lightning would need the Yotes to retain some salary. But, as we know Bill Armstrong is all-in on gaining more draft picks and/or prospects for assets he possesses.

One that is really not a true rumor (unless something changes soon) is Nick Schmaltz to the Carolina Hurricanes. This is more speculative than fact at this point. But, as we have stated, Armstrong will be listening to all prospective deals for merit to increase his team’s future. This one originated from DeRosa again, and while Schmaltz seems to help the Carolina team, he also has value going forward for the Coyotes rebuild. Seriously doubt he will be gone.

Finally, there is another that is sketchy at best. And, that is trading Karel Vejmelka. While his reasonable $2.725 million deal through 2024-25 can be attractive to teams, unless Armstrong is presented a trade he can’t resist, he will not be going anywhere. His numbers are pretty good for a team deep in the standings. He has an 11-15-4 record with a 3.38 goals-against-average and a .902 save percentage.

Trading him doesn’t make any sense since the Yotes are pretty thin on goalies. Ivan Prosvetov seems not quite ready for prime-time in the NHL, so keeping “Veggie” will be vital.

In The End, This Team Will Look Different Next Season

Even if some of the above rumored trades don’t happen, the team will have a completely different look next season. They do have a bright side with some young prospects starting to show promise. Players like Dylan Guenther, Logan Cooley, Jack McBain, Matias Maccelli, and J.J. Moser are the future of this team. Then, with all the draft picks that Armstrong has banked, losing some of the players rumored to be gone won’t be as difficult. Armstrong knows what he is doing. He’s tough and has shown it by how he’s handling the Chychrun trade return demands. He doesn’t need to trade him, and teams will be calling him to make a deal.

What could really put this team back on a path to respectability is if they can draft Connor Bedard or another top player later this year. With a new arena a distinct possibility, the Coyotes are definitely heading in the right direction.

Can you spell… P L A Y O F F S ? Keep the faith fans, it can happen at about the time the new arena is open. Excitement is coming to Arizona!