Arizona Coyotes

Phil Kessel Being Shopped After Coyotes Invest in Future Trade Deal

The Arizona Coyotes are now trying to trade Phil Kessel after the team paid out his bonus and took most reasons not to acquire him.

by
NHL Trade Talk
July 4, 2021

The Arizona Coyotes are officially looking to trade consistently productive forward Phil Kessel. And, because they’ve invested heavily in a move that will make him a more attractive player to a number of teams, it would be surprising if the 33-year-old right-winger isn’t dealt.

As per a report by David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, the Coyotes took care of an important piece of business when it comes to Kessel’s contract. On July 1, they paid a $5 million bonus due to the player. That means most of his salary for the final year of his deal is paid out and any team that acquires him only has to pay $1 million in real dollars.

This will make Kessel super attractive for teams that want to add money to their cap, but don’t really want to spend money. After a season with no fans and lost revenue, there could be a few organizations in a situation like that.

But, if the Coyotes are really eager to make a move, there is always the option of retaining some of Kessel’s salary for this coming season. He carries a $6.8 million salary cap hit but the Coyotes can retain up to 50% on any trade, making the consistent 20-goal scorer a $3.4 million player.

Kessel Would Be a Great Add for Many Teams

This past season, Kessel posted 20 goals and 43 points in 56 games. This was a bounce-back campaign from his 2019-20 year where he only scored 14 goals in 70 games. Considering that one season was the only real blip on Kessel’s extensive resume, adding him means adding a player who is going to post 20-plus goals in almost any situation.

Phil Kessell Arizona Coyotes could be trade after bonus paid out

Between the 2008-09 season and 2018-19 season, Kessel has never scored less than 23 goals in a single year. For the most part, he’s a close to 30-goal guy, six times eclipsing that marker. He’s older and he’s slowed a little, but his one season does not require a team commit. That’s a huge plus.

What teams will be interested? That could become much clearer as clubs start to lose players in free agency and via trade before the NHL Expansion Draft. If good players are plucked away by the Kraken, Kessel could make for a nice plug-in option to replace the lost production.

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