Trading Keith Yandle Signals New Era for Arizona Coyotes

In landing Keith Yandle the New York Rangers instantly improved their chances of returning to the Stanley Cup Final and winning their first Cup since 1994. The former Arizona Coyotes defenseman will kick start New York’s middling power play and make the Blueshirts an even more dangerous team to go up against. Having said that, it’s not like the Coyotes gave away the former All-Star for nothing as the haul they brought in will help their massive rebuild in the form of John Moore, Anthony Duclair and a 2016 first-round pick.

For starters, Moore is a nice depth player that, at age 24, may improve and become a little more polished offensively as time goes on. He’ll fit seamlessly into the Coyotes’ blue line. But the real haul in this trade is the draft pick and the teenaged Duclair, who will be absolutely integral as the Coyotes rebuild gets kick started. The first-round pick will give the Coyotes four over the next two drafts, which will allow them to add even more depth to an already impressive youth movement.

Duclair played 18 games with the Rangers this season before being returned to junior hockey with Team Canada and eventually the Quebec Remparts, and while there were some growing pains, he did not look out of place. Duclair will only get better, and with his Team Canada teammate Max Domi already a very impressive prospect in the organization, there is the chance for something really special in the desert in the next few years.

I fully expect the Coyotes to end up with another high-end forward in this year’s draft, with the likelihood of landing Canadian super-phenom Connor McDavid or American college star Jack Eichel very high. While there are no guarantees with young players, I wouldn’t bet against such a stacked nucleus of young talent. By the time this group is ready, other Western powerhouses will be on the decline, meaning the future in Arizona has never been brighter, regardless of how murky the present is.