Rumor: Phil Kessel wants out of Arizona.

Kessel once again on the move?

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 2 years ago
Rumor: Phil Kessel wants out of Arizona.

In spite of his obvious offensive talent, veteran forward Phil Kessel has never really managed to find a long term home in the National Hockey League with any one franchise. Kessel has bounced from team to team in trades, at times at his own request, and it would now appear that he may once again be destined for a trade.

In a recent article Arizona Coyotes insider Craig Morgan revealed that the unique personality that is Phil Kessel has reportedly requested a trade from the Coyotes. The news comes as relatively little surprise to those that have followed Kessel's career, and even less so if you have been paying any attention to the kind of offseason the Coyotes have had under the leadership of newly appointed general manager Bill Armstrong.

The Coyotes have begun a systematic tear down of their current roster, shipping out big names like that of defenseman Oliver Ekman Larsson, and taking on bad contracts from around the league in an effort to restock their depleted pool of draft picks. This isn't to say that the direction of the Coyotes doesn't make a ton of sense for where the organization is currently at, but it also becomes easier to see why an aging talent like Kessel would prefer to play elsewhere come next season.

There's also the matter of Kessel's relationship with now former Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet. Many believe Kessel only agreed to a trade to Arizona because Tocchet was the man behind the bench at the time, and with Tocchet now gone his motivations for being with this organization may have left with him.

Unfortunately for Kessel however it sounds like he may have to wait some time if he hopes to be traded. In spite of the fact that he is coming off another solid season with 20 goals and 23 assists for 43 total points in just 56 games with the Coyotes last season and in spite of the fact that he has only one year remaining on his deal at a cap hit of $6.8 million, there does not appear to be much interest for the 33 year old winger from around the NHL. Morgan believes the Coyotes are content to wait until this season's trade deadline, where Kessel will no doubt draw considerably more interest from rival NHL teams.

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