The Arizona Coyotes are in a mess financially and will undoubtedly be looking to shed salary to stay in compliance with the NHL’s flat salary cap. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the salary cap isn’t moving from it’s current $81.5 million it was in 2019-20. The Yotes currently have $1 million in salary cap space this offseason and somehow want to re-sign former New Jersey Devils star Taylor Hall.
The Coyotes were also hit hard as punishment for violating the league’s scouting combine policy, stripping away a 2020 2nd-round pick and 2021 1st-round pick. Contract talks with Hall are reportedly good, but that’s been said before. He will not come cheap, and even if he doesn’t re-sign with Arizona, they will have no choice but to trade some assets to stay under the salary cap and recoup some assets they lost.
The Devils and Coyotes are no strangers in making headline moves with one another, as the aforementioned Hall was the centerpiece of a trade back in December. The Coyotes have some attractive pieces that could entice the Devils into engaging trade discussions with them. In an earlier column on Pucks and Pitchforks we advised against trading for defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson because of his albatross of a contract and declining play. We all are aware that the Devils need massive reinforcements on the back end, and the one name that stands out on Arizona is Jakub Chychrun. He is their best defenseman, on a good contract and is only 22 years age, so that seems far fetched that Arizona would deal him. Here are some assets the Devils should look into trading for.