All stats courtesy of hockeyreference.com.
The Arizona Coyotes announced today, September 4th, that they have signed forward Clayton Keller to an eight-year extension worth $57.2 million ($7.15 million AAV). Keller appeared in all 82 games for the Coyotes this season, in which he produced 14 goals and 33 assists. Drafted seventh overall of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by the Coyotes, Keller has appeared in 167 career NHL games, over which he has recorded 37 goals and 77 assists. The 21-year-old right wing has only played for the Coyotes organization over his slightly over two season NHL and professional career after turning pro following his freshman season at Boston University in 2016-17.
My Reaction: I’m not really sure how I feel about this deal. It seems like an overpayment now, but it could end up looking like a major steal in a few years if/when he fully breaks out and as the cap ceiling continues to increase. He took a major step back this season in terms of point production this past season, with 47 points in 82 games, but he managed to put up 65 points in his rookie season (also in 82 games) in 2017-18 on a bad Arizona team. So, hopefully, he just had a sophomore slump last season and how he played as a rookie is what he is actually like as a player. If that happens, this deal could easily end up looking like a steal, especially since the cap will keep going up as I previously mentioned. He’s a dynamic player and was a star for the USNTDP, as he’s a phenomenal skater with soft hands, a great shot, and an incredibly accurate passing ability. He’s also a decent two-way player with good situational awareness and a high hockey IQ. The Coyotes were smart to extend him now instead of waiting until next summer, as he could very easily and likely will rebound from last year and become a scoring threat that the Coyotes so desperately need (even though they added Phil Kessel this summer). As of right now when considering what we’ve seen from Keller, especially last season, this deal looks like a massive overpayment, but I don’t think that it’s going to stay that way for too long.
Hockey Addict 