Arizona Coyotes – Anthony Duclair
The Arizona Coyotes are the dumping ground for dead contracts. At last year’s draft, they picked up Pavel Datsyuk’s contract from Detroit after Datsyuk announced he’d be returning to the KHL. All it cost Detroit was the 16th pick in the 2017 draft, and they got picks back in return!
So, what’s stopping the Rangers from dumping Girardi, Staal, or Klein in Arizona, adding on a first round draft pick, and only asking for Anthony Duclair in return? Not very much, but a couple of things.
First, Girardi or Staal would have to have a roster spot in Arizona. As embarrassing as it is, they may not be able to crack the roster out of the preseason. GM Jacob Chayka wants to use his kids and the Coyotes are stacked with prospect power. There’s no spot for old and dead weight on the Coyotes blue line.
If Girardi or Staal have a roster spot, the Coyotes would have to be willing to actually take them on. Chayka took the contract of Datsyuk because Datsyuk retired. Even so, Datsyuk is one of the greats of the game and could find a spot on any team. However, Girardi and Staal are not greats of the game.
Klein to Arizona could be somewhat reasonable. The Rangers would have to send addition sweets for Duclair, and it may not even be worth that. Duclair has struggled recently. In 58 games last season, Duclair only scored five goals and added 10 assists. This was a giant step back from his 2015-2016 campaign where he posted 20 goals and 24 assists. Still, Duclair is young and has time to bounce back.
If the Rangers were wise, they would use Arizona as a dumping ground for Girardi or Staal. However, the possibility of reuniting the team with Anthony Duclair makes the Coyotes legitimate trade partners of interest.