Clayton Keller has been the centerpiece of the Arizona Coyotes for many years. He’s now facing what may be the most scrutiny this organization has ever been in. With speculation of the Coyotes’ probable relocation to Salt Lake City, players are forced to block out all of the noise and just play hockey, but it’s not easy. Keller opened up about all of this for the first time on Friday. 20240412_MorningSkate_Keller_FTP “Throughout this whole time, there hasn’t been a lot of discussion on what’s going on I guess, so we just kind of take it day-by-day,” Keller said. “We’ve heard some things here and there and none of them are really true, so we kind of learn from that and like I said learn day-by-day.” The news that Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith was interested in an NHL franchise came late in January. The Coyotes went on a 14-game losing streak following this development, which doesn't seem like a coincidence now. “It was definitely in our heads,” Keller said. “You can say it’s not a distraction sometimes, but obviously families, people keep texting, keeping it in your head…” Keller has played 517 games for the Coyotes where he has 166 goals, 249 assists and 415 points. The 25-year-old forward has also stepped up as a leader over time. Through the course of his tenure in Arizona, Keller has experienced a lot of tough times regarding problems with the ownership group and numerous different relocation rumors. All of it has helped him learn, which he is using to help guide his teammates during these difficult times. “Like I said, I’ve tried to help the other guys and the guys that have been here for a while, Lawson Crouse, Nick Schmaltz,” Keller said. “Whether it’s different owners or moving from Glendale to Tempe, or things like that, I think you just try to focus on hockey. I still have an amazing job and love what I do, so I’m thankful for that.” Keller has really been through it all as he continues to put up big numbers while being forced to deal with all of this constant outside noise.
