Before the start of the 2021-22 season, General Manager Bill Armstrong blew up the Arizona Coyotes, shipping out anyone who could fetch a second-round pick. Big pieces like Conor Garland and Christian Dvorak were shipped out for picks as the team prepared for a deep rebuild.
Clayton Keller wasn’t one of the players shipped out. He had finished the prior season with just 14 goals and 21 assists in 56 games, not nearly good enough for a player making over $7 million per year. But a rebuilding team offered plenty of opportunities for a player looking to show what he could do, and Keller responded with the best season of his career before it was cut short by injury.