Clayton Keller is the rarest of Coyotes players: one with a significant national profile.
Reporters noted his ascendance to star status last season, analysts acknowledged the strides that he has made to become a complete player and, despite the fact that the Coyotes aren’t interested in trading him, opposing teams’ fan bases keep proposing one-sided deals to acquire him.
When I caught up with Keller at the NHL Awards show in Nashville on June 26, we talked about him being named a finalist for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy which Pittsburgh’s Kris Letang won, and we rehashed the improbable season he crafted that led to his nomination for that award after breaking his right femur in two clean pieces.
“I knew deep down that I could bounce back and have a great year, but doing it’s a whole nother thing,” he said. “I proved it to myself this year and I’m just super happy to be here. So many people in my life made a lot of sacrifices to get me to this point today — teammates, family, friends — and I definitely wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for all of them.
“I’ve never paid too much attention to my profile. I’ve always been a guy that wanted to let my play do the talking. That’s how I was when I was younger, when everyone said I was too small, and then again once the hitting started and everyone said I would slow down. It’s always kind of been my MO and how I’ve been raised, but it’s great to be noticed and be here with the best players in the world. Hopefully, one day, I’ll be back here winning a bigger trophy.”
Like many players, Keller hopes to use the summer wisely in his quest to take his game to a higher level. But what I really wanted to ask Keller about was the narrative that has been hanging over his head since a string of tweets from his father’s account that lambasted the organization after the failed Tempe arena vote, and suggested that his son would not be a part of the franchise next season (Bryan Keller later told me that his account was hacked).
For starters, Clayton made it clear that he has not requested a trade.
“I love Arizona,” he said. “It’s such a great place to live and to play and we have great people in our organization and on our coaching staff. There’s things that make me want to stay. I’ve always been a loyal guy and I don’t believe the grass is always greener somewhere else.
“I do believe in the future of our team and I hope the arena gets sorted out. It doesn’t make sense to me how the arena vote didn’t go through. I really didn’t get it, and not many other people did. I’m just hoping that they can set a plan here sooner than later and have a more competitive team leading up to a new rink.”
Keller and his agent Scott Bartlett met with GM Bill Armstrong in late May, a meeting that Bartlett previewed when he joined the PHNX Coyotes show on May 18.
While Armstrong has no sway over the arena situation, he told the Keller camp that he planned to take a step forward with the roster via trades and free agency. Since that meeting, Armstrong has acquired defenseman Sean Durzi from the LA Kings, and he has signed free agents Jason Zucker, Alex Kerfoot, Nick Bjugstad, Troy Stecher and Travis Dermott.
“It’s clear to me that Bill has made some headway with ownership and them understanding that they have to step up, even to the level of the Zucker signing, and sign some established NHL players,” Bartlett said. “He had 27 goals last year. That’s a good signing. I don’t think that’s blowing up the plan. I think that’s showing that the organization is willing to spend at an AAV (average annual value) that is going to help them bring along the young guys and take a step as an organization. I thought that was a really positive thing.”
What Keller wants people to understand is that his desire for an improved team comes from a place of competitiveness. He is entering the prime of his career. He doesn’t want to spend it in a perpetual rebuild.
“You play this game because you want to win and you want to hold that trophy over your head at the end of the season,” he said. “Everyone in this league has a goal to win and I’m not super young anymore. I guess I’m still young, but I’m turning 25 in July and not being in the playoffs sucks. You don’t want to be watching. You want to be a part of those games. That’s how you really prove to everyone that you’re a good player and you can play in those situations.
“It was really cool what Florida did this year with everyone kind of counting them out. Matthew Tkachuk is obviously a good friend and he’s such an unbelievable player. He’s been like that since we were kids so it’s cool to see him on that stage and that’s where I want to be.”
How soon that might happen is still unknown. The Coyotes have stacked together three drafts in which they selected 18 players in the first three rounds. Some of those players (JJ Moser and Dylan Guenther) will be with the NHL club this season, but the timeline on others such as Logan Cooley is still uncertain.
“As players we have to prove to our GM that our group is ready to take the next step so he can go out and sign guys and go from there,” Keller said. “It all kind of starts with the arena because it’s uncertain right now. Hopefully talks are heading in the right direction with that.
“Last year, we took a small step in the right direction, just playing hard and learning how to win, myself included. But next year will be a real test for us to take another step beyond what we did last year.”
The Coyotes will kick off the preseason with a trip to Australia in September where they will play two exhibition games against the Kings and essentially hold their training camp. Because of rehabilitation all of last summer, Keller hasn’t had a real break since the summer of 2021. He is looking forward to some travel, some golf and a regular training regimen that doesn’t require his mother helping him walk to the refrigerator.
“I’m so excited,” he said, laughing. “When you’re not injured and you’re going to the gym it feels like hard days but I’m just super excited to be in there every single day and to be able to skate and just work on my craft. I’ll take a vacation for a couple of days at some point, but the main goal is to just continue growing and getting better.”
Top photo of Paul Bissonnette interviewing Clayton Keller via Getty Images
