Three Coyotes players Bruins could target at NHL trade deadline

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The Arizona Coyotes are expected to be among the busiest sellers before the March 21 NHL trade deadline.

They have a bunch of players able to hit free agency this summer, and based on various reports and rumors, many of them could be had for that right price. Arizona is in full rebuild mode stockpiling draft picks and prospects. The Coyotes could have three first-rounders and five (!) second-rounders in the upcoming draft.

Arizona is making its only trip to Boston of the season Saturday night. It will give Bruins general manager Don Sweeney a great chance to get a first-hand look at some of the players he might target before the trade deadline.

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Which players on the Coyotes roster should the Bruins consider pursuing before the March 21 trade deadline? Here's a list of five.

Phil Kessel

Position: RW

Contract: UFA in 2022

A reunion in Boston for Kessel? It would definitely make for a good story. 

Kessel is about to his free agency and there's no reason for the Coyotes to keep him beyond the trade deadline given his value to a contender like the Bruins that needs scoring depth at right wing. The Coyotes reportedly had been offering Kessel for a third-round pick while retaining half his salary and found no takers -- which is a little surprising, quite frankly.

Kessel's days of being a dynamic 30-goal scorer are gone, but he's still a good offensive player who would bolster Boston's second or third lines. He has scored just six goals in 57 games (after tallying seven in 56 games last season), but this drop in production has a lot to do with the lack of talent around him and less with any steep decline in his talent.

Kessel's playoff resume, which includes 81 points (including 31 goals) in 96 career games, is quite impressive. He was a key figure on two Pittsburgh Penguins Stanley Cup teams in 2015-16 and 2016-17. Kessel likely would be a rental for the Bruins, and if he's willing to come back to Boston -- he has a no-trade clause -- then it's worth pursuing him. Right wing is among the primary areas of need for the Bruins, even after Craig Smith's recent resurgence.

Lawson Crouse

Position: Left wing

Contract: RFA in 2022

Crouse, at least from a stylistic perspective, would be a good fit in Boston because he plays a heavy, power-forward type of game that Bruins fans adore. He's listed at 6-foot-4 and 224 pounds, and drew comparisons to former Bruin Milan Lucic entering the 2015 NHL Draft. Crouse has scored 15 goals in 56 games, matching his career high set in 2019-20 in 10 more games. His 27 points overall also represent a new career high.

Crouse would be an upgrade, especially offensively, over Trent Frederic and Nick Foligno at left wing on the third or fourth lines. He's also just 24 years old, so if the Bruins acquired him and it proved to be a good fit, re-signing him in the summer would make sense.

Jakob Chychrun

Position: D

Contract: UFA in 2025

We've written a lot about Chychrun over the last couple months. He's still the top defenseman rumored to be available. He's a legit top-four guy, logs over 20 minutes per game versus quality competition, plays both special teams units, drives puck possession and scoring chances at a solid rate, etc. Chychrun also is signed for three more seasons at a salary cap hit of $4.6 million. It's a huge bargain for a player of his caliber.

Report: Bruins among teams 'seriously in the chase' for Jakob Chychrun

The only issue here is cost. A report from TSN back in January described the asking price as "Jack Eichel-like", meaning a first-round pick, a top prospect, another draft pick and a decent NHL player. It's hard to imagine the Coyotes have lowered their demands, especially when there's no rush to move Chychrun given the fact he's signed through 2025.

You could argue the Bruins' top need right now is a top-four defenseman for the left side of the blue line. Chychrun checks both of those boxes and he's just 23 years old. If the Bruins really want to make a splash and go all-in for a Stanley Cup run, trading for a player like Chychrun would be the move.

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