The NHL trade deadline has come and gone, with a multitude of players getting shipped around the league.
One team that was expected to make some moves stayed fairly quiet on Monday. The Coyotes had been shopping both defenseman Jakob Chychrun and forward Phil Kessel, however, both players remain members of the Coyotes organization post-deadline.
While keeping hold of Chychrun isn't a huge surprise, the fact that general manager Bill Armstrong did not move Kessel is a bit of a head-scratcher. He is a pending free agent and the Coyotes could have used him in a trade to get some draft capital.
Instead, Kessel remains a part of one of the worst teams in the league and barring some miracle in Arizona, won't be given the chance to win a third Stanley Cup.
MORE: NHL trade deadline tracker: Full list of deals completed before an eventful 2022 deadline
Why the Coyotes decided not to trade Jakob Chychurn
Chychrun was highly sought-after by a number of potential suitors. He's an elite, young defenseman on an extremely team-friendly deal, three more years at $4.6 million.
The fact that he's under team control for another three seasons meant that the Coyotes did not have to rush and get a deal done by Monday. They hold all the cards and should be waiting for a mega offer. Settling for anything less would be a major mistake by Armstrong.
The Coyotes GM confirmed on Monday that while there were discussions with other clubs, the "pieces just weren't there" in order for a deal to come to fruition. There had reportedly been ample parties that had called the Coyotes about Chychrun, including the LA Kings.
The trade rumors around Chychrun will die down for the rest of the hockey season and he'll finish out this year in the desert. But those talks will once again pick up once the season is over and perhaps by the start of next season, Chychrun will be donning a different sweater than the Kachina.
Why the Coyotes decided not to trade Phil Kessel
This is the move that is much more puzzling.
With Kessel's eight-year, $64 million contract expiring this summer, he made for a prime candidate for the Coyotes to trade so that they can gain some value back for a player that is hitting free agency and likely not re-signing with Arizona.
Not only that, but it would have given a respected veteran an opportunity to win a Stanley Cup elsewhere. We saw this same scenario play out with Claude Giroux, Mark Giordano and Marc-Andre Fleury and while Kessel is not as talented as that trio, he surely could have been moved to a playoff-bound team for at the very least, a mid-round pick.
Armstrong stated that Kessel's salary was an issue when it came to negotiating a trade. The 34-year-old winger carries a cap hit of $6.8 million, a hefty price to pay for someone who has not been worth that cost in a couple of years now. But Arizona had ample cap space that they could have retained some of Kessel's salary in a deal.
It's a decision that is not detrimental to the franchise. The return on a Kessel deal would have been light, but a single draft pick is better than nothing. Now, Armstrong will be left watching Kessel walk out of Arizona for free this summer.
