Coyotes star Jakob Chychrun knows trade is a possibility this offseason

The morning after a stirring and emotional come-from-behind win in the regular season and Gila River Arena finale, the Coyotes turned their eyes and minds to the offseason and the future on Saturday.

Players met with coaches and General Manager Bill Armstrong for exit interviews, then said their goodbyes to each other for the offseason and Gila River Arena for good. Some players won't return. Others could be re-signed, still others have injury rehab to finish up and one player, Jakob Chychrun, sounded like he'd be open to a trade. 

The 24-year-old Chychrun had a breakout season in 2020-2021, leading all NHL defensemen in goals with 18. He totaled seven goals and 14 assists in 47 games this season and has dealt with an ankle injury since mid-March. His name came up a lot before the NHL trade deadline, but Armstrong didn't get a good enough offer from interested clubs to swing a deal.

Chychrun was also injured at the deadline and never came back to play this season.

Armstrong said publicly before the deadline that the offseason could be where a trade is possible. The offseason has arrived.

"I'm signed for three more years. So we'll see, I mean, the trajectory of, you know, where the team's going. And a lot of that stuff is important to me," Chychrun said. "I want to be in a position where I'm getting ready to play a week from now, you know, not packing up and leaving the boys. So that's really the biggest thing for me, is just having that competitive drive in me and burning desire to win a Stanley Cup."

At the trade deadline, Chychrun got to the point of ignoring his phone, with rumors of where he might go flying around. 

"I deleted Twitter for a while, like, I'd never done that. I tried to just turn my brain off, and just focus on what I could control and that seemed to help me a bit," Chychrun said. "And if I learned anything about it, that's probably where it is. Stay off the phone."

Chychrun made clear that he enjoys playing in Arizona and with his teammates. And being traded is out of his control. 

"I think that's something that we're going to look to explore and see where that goes," Armstrong said Saturday. "I'd be a lying GM if I said that I didn't talk to other GMs and try to explore, you know, try to move the club forward, make it better. So I think we'll look at all of our options and that's one of them."

Chychrun finished his sixth NHL season and recalled rookie advice from former Coyotes goaltender Mike Smith, about how players only have so many chances to be on winning clubs. 

"I've been here my whole career, I absolutely love it here. And it seems like every time we get to a point where it looks like we're going to be getting there, it (the team) just gets torn down again, " Chychrun said, referring to the Coyotes' rebuild under Armstrong. "So that was kind of tough on me a bit this year. Just naturally, as a human being and a competitive person, I want to win so bad."

Keller plans to skate soon

Coyotes All-Star forward Clayton Keller, who suffered a season-ending leg injury in a game on March 30 and needed surgery, said he could resume skating in three weeks.

Keller put up 28 goals and 35 assists in 67 games, and had an eight-game point streak this season. His 28 goals were a single season career high. 

"Yeah, I think I'm ahead of schedule for sure," Keller said. "So that's definitely intriguing. I'm going to get on the ice as soon as I can and get in the gym as well. So it's definitely motivating and exciting."

Kessel's streak somewhere else?

Coyotes fans might very well have seen the last of forward Phil Kessel, who was among the first players to hold his exit interviews Saturday. Kessel, 34, can become a free agent this offseason after three seasons in Arizona. 

Kessel's 44 assists led the Coyotes this season, and his 52 points were third-most on the team. He played in all 82 games to run his consecutive NHL games played streak to 982, and as Keith Yandle's streak now ended earlier this season, Kessel is in position to take over the record with eight consecutive games played early next season. 

A well-liked teammate, he'd wanted to be traded to a playoff contender at the deadline but no deal was made, and Kessel also became a first-time father this season. 

"Try to play as long as I can. You know, I feel good," Kessel said.

The key to continuing his streak even with a bump or bruise? 

"I don't know, I don't do much. It's always been the same thing I've been doing. For me, I just always want to play. I like to play the games, and I don't want to be sitting out," Kessel said. 

Get in touch with Jose Romero at Jose.Romero@gannett.com. Find him on Twitter at @RomeroJoseM.