Arizona Coyotes: The Coyotes Should Trade Mikkel Boedker
Despite a resurgent year in the desert, the Arizona Coyotes are not without their issues. Chief among them is the contract of Mikkel Boedker and whether or not the Coyotes can re-sign him or should deal him at the trade deadline.
The Arizona Coyotes have lost their grip on a playoff position in the month of February. If they don’t act soon, they will lose their grip on Mikkel Boedker.
Boedker’s contract expires at the end of the season and it is rumored that he is looking for $6M per year on his next contract.
That’s a big ask for a forward who has never eclipsed 20 goals in his eight NHL seasons.
It doesn’t help that he seems to have rebuffed every advance the Yotes front office has made since January. Craig Morgan reported earlier today that the Arizona Coyotes offered more than $5M per year with considerable term only to be told no.
Is the $6M per year asking price Boedker’s polite way of saying he wants out of the desert?
Assuming that general manager Don Maloney and the Arizona Coyotes ownership are unwilling or unable to meet that $6M per year number, the team is left with two very disparate options.
Should the Coyotes allow Boedker to play it out in the desert and hope he helps the team secure a playoff berth…or trade him at the deadline?
The answer to that question is a simple one. He needs to be traded to recoup more assets for the future.
The allure of the playoffs is strong and the prospect of the Arizona Coyotes making the dance without Mikkel Boedker seems faint, but it’s worth noting Boeds’ production has slowed down tremendously since the calendar turned to 2016.
Even if the Yotes make the playoffs they will likely face the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round. Yikes.
Boedker himself has just one goal since December 27th and to say he’s in a slump is an insult to slumps. Mikkel Boedker is in a full on drought. He has contributed 9 assists in that same time frame, however he’s also a minus-18 on the ice. It’s unclear that he will actually help anything down the stretch with free agency hanging over his head.
Now, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention that Boedker has spent an unhealthy amount of time attached to Antoine Vermette and that has not helped his numbers. Vermette is struggling in his return to the desert and in some ways he’s acting as a bit of a submarine to every linemate he takes the ice with.
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In this manner a trade benefits all involved. Boeds has never lived up to his potential since being drafted 8th overall in 2008, but the list of centers he’s played with is less than storied. If he makes the move to a team like Chicago and gets to line up beside Jonathan Toews every night, one would assume his production will rise.
The Blackhawks, to name one team, have the cap space to accomodate Boedker’s current $3.75M cap hit, but do they have the interest or willingness to part with the assets Maloney would require? The other team that was mentioned by Pierre LeBrun was Pittsburgh.
That remains to be seen.
Don Maloney has been able to work some deadline magic in the past, including two very good deals last year involving Keith Yandle and Antoine Vermette that brought important assets to the Arizona Coyotes. I have faith that if he believes he must trade Mikkel Boedker that he will find and secure the best deal possible.
Next: Coyotes Player Grades; Domi On Fire, Boedker Slumping
The question remains how do Maloney and the Arizona Coyotes’ front office feel about the team’s playoff situation and Boedker’s contract? Can they stomach him walking for nothing in pursuit of an early playoff exit?
I would argue no.
If Boedker isn’t willing to sign the deal on the table, the Yotes should wish him luck in the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs with whichever team he is dealt to.