Keith Yandle's name is in the news on the eve of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, as reports are circulating that the Phoenix Coyotes defenseman could be available in a trade for the right price.
The 25-year-old Yandle, a fourth-round selection of the Coyotes in the 2005 NHL Entry draft, was a key cog for a Coyotes team that won the Pacific Division in 2011-12 and reached the Western Conference Finals before falling in five games to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings. With 11 goals and 32 assists, he was the top scoring blueliner for Phoenix, and the team's fourth-leading scorer overall. Those numbers were down from his 59 points in 2010-11, but it was enough to get Yandle into the NHL All-Star Game for the second consecutive year.
Expense may or may not be part of the issue with Yandle. While it's true that the All-Star defenseman is the Coyotes' highest-paid player with a $5.25 million per year cap hit and Phoenix's financial situation remains up in the air until the team's ownership and lease are fully settled matters, the salary cap floor isn't likely to go anywhere in the new collective bargaining agreement. From a financial standpoint, dealing Yandle could potentially cause more problems for the Coyotes than it solves.
The list of teams that could use a top puck-moving offensive defenseman like Yandle is so long that it would be more efficient to make a list of teams that couldn't use him, but much of the speculation seems to center on the Boston Bruins, Yandle's hometown team. The Bruins have an emerging offensive defenseman due to join the team this fall in 19-year-old Dougie Hamilton, the team's top pick from the 2011 draft, but it certainly couldn't hurt to have Yandle around as the top offensive d-man in his hometown as Hamilton makes the adjustment from junior hockey. Still, without hard confirmation that the Bruins are involved, it remains little more than idle speculation.
According to a tweet from Sportsnet analyst Darren Millard (@darrenmillard), a "Deal is close," but it's not clear with whom. In any event, the news about Yandle makes for one more situation worth monitoring as the NHL Draft approaches Friday night.