Keith Yandle is about as talented, capable and dependable as possession-pushing NHL defensemen come. It's surprising then to hear his name bandied about so frequently in trade talks, but as the Arizona Coyotes playoff hopes fall farther and farther in the rearview mirror, the likelihood of his leaving the desert seems more and more likely.
TSN Insider Elliotte Friedman, appearing on a Friday afternoon episode of Edmonton's 630 CHED, as transcribed by NicholsOnHockey.com, said that Yandle appears to be on the move out of Arizona.
"I do think it's more likely than not he goes. The one thing you know is it's been different in years past, where you've had him under contract for a while," Friedman said. "Now you're a year and a half to unrestricted free agency."
Yandle will be close to 30 by the time he reaches the end of his current deal. As a point-producing defenseman, he'll command top dollar - something the traditionally thrifty (see; bankrupt) Coyotes probably don't want to have to concern themselves with.
Enter the Colorado Avalanche, a similarly feckless team seeking just what the Coyotes seem to be selling.
With Arizona GM Don Maloney desperate to replenish his cupboard of talented young offensive players - beyond Mikkel Boedker and Max Domi - and a team like the Avalanche avidly seeking an injection of skill on the blueline, could a deal sending Yandle to Colorado be made between the two sides?
"But I do think - I mean, there's been a lot of talk about him going to Colorado for Ryan O'Reilly. I think that's an interesting deal. It's tough to pinpoint exactly how much there is to that. But that rumor has kind of been out there for a few days," Friedman said.
O'Reilly's name has been circulating for some time now. He's a talented, gritty two-way center who does all the little things necessary for NHL clubs to reach and succeed in the postseason.
He, like the entire Avs team, has been falling well below expectations this season.
For a Colorado team near the bottom of the league in both GAA and SA, moving such a talented offensive piece for a serious increase of skill on the back end would be a difficult, but entirely necessary, deal to make.
