Shea Weber is reportedly on his way out of Montreal and one team really wants to acquire him
On Wednesday, during a segment of the Marek Show on Sportsnet, Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman discussed the Arizona Coyotes situation. During that discussion, Shea Weber's name even came up.
This came up when Marek asked Friedman if Clayton Keller could be traded by next Monday. The tipster replied that it would be surprising, because the Coyotes want to raise their average ticket price for next season and the organization has to give a reason (i.e. Keller) for fans to come see them play.
Friedman went on to say that the Yotes are trying to extend Karel Vejmelka, trade Jakob Chychrun and that they would try to trade for Shea Weber's contract to reach the salary cap.
In a recent article, the excellent Marco D'Amico picked up on this news and explained why it would be advantageous for the Coyotes to acquire Weber by March 21.
There is no doubt that the Coyotes want to move some big names and salaries for next season. Jakob Chychrun ($4.6M) and Phil Kessel ($6.8M) will likely not be back next year. Weber's contract ($7.857M) would help Arizona keep its head above water salary-wise. The potential departures would not require any new acquisitions on Bill Armstrong's side.
As D'Amico reminds us, the Coyotes will play next season in a 5,000-seat arena. Added to the fact that the team will not be competitive for several more years, it will be difficult for them to acquire big salaries via the autonomy market. Having Weber's contract now on their payroll would free up some pressure in Arizona.
| POLL | ||
Would you trade Shea Weber to Arizona? | ||
| Yes | 223 | 60.6 % |
| No | 35 | 9.5 % |
| Yes, just if they offer a pick in exchange | 110 | 29.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
