With center Evgeny Kuznetsov requesting a trade from the Washington Capitals, the Arizona Coyotes should take advantage and look into his availability.
The NHL offseason may be at a drypoint but that doesn't mean there aren’t more moves that could be made.
It was officially reported earlier this month that center Evgeny Kuznetsov requested a trade from the Washington Capitals.
While the Arizona Coyotes have not been linked to Kuznetsov, they are a team that makes sense for his services.
The 31-year-old center had 12 goals, 43 assists and 55 points this past season for Washington. Over his ten-year stint with the Capitals, Kuznetsov has been a key part of the team’s success scoring 165 goals to go along with 386 assists and 551 points.
The Coyotes have been taking steps to be more competitive come next season acquiring players like Sean Durzi, Jason Zucker and Alexander Kerfoot. Trading for Kuznetsov would certainly follow that trend as his presence would help boost Arizona immediately.
Having at least three quality centers has become essential in the NHL today. The Coyotes could use another top-six center. Barrett Hayton currently serves as the team’s top player down the middle but they lack another bonafide top-six center and Kuznetsov can fit that role perfectly.
Arizona has a couple of young center prospects that should join the team in a matter of one or two seasons including Conor Geekie and Logan Cooley. Kuznetsov could serve as a short term solution for the Coyotes until those prospects are ready to make the jump into the NHL.
The Coyotes would also benefit from more veteran leadership and grit to help their young core. Kuznetsov is a Stanley Cup champion and has multiple years of playoff experience which he can use to mentor some of Arizona’s younger players including Clayton Keller, Matias Maccelli and Hayton.
The future for Kuznetsov is unknown but the Coyotes are a team that should look into his availability.