Keller remains optimistic about Coyotes future despite arena concerns

NASHVILLE -- Clayton Keller believes in the future of the Arizona Coyotes and is committed to being part of it despite a public vote going against a proposed Tempe Sports and Entertainment district last month.

"It's great to be a Coyote," Keller said at the 2023 NHL Awards media day at Bridgestone Arena on Sunday. "I love living there and the team we have, so hopefully everything works out. … I just think it's such a great hockey market. Especially if we do get a (new) arena, I think it's going to be one of the best places to play in the League. I do believe that.

"It's just a matter of getting it done and taking another step as a team and moving in the right direction and going from there."

A finalist for the Masterton Trophy for perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey, which will be presented at the 2023 NHL Awards at Bridgestone Arena on Monday (8 p.m. ET; TNT, SN, TVAS), Keller confirmed that his agents, Brian and Scott Bartlett, met with Coyotes management following the failed vote on May 16 to discuss the team's plans for the future on and off the ice.

That led to speculation that the 24-year-old forward might want out of Arizona, but he said that is not the case.

"At the time, there wasn't a whole lot set in stone," said Keller, who has five seasons remaining on an eight-year contract he signed with Arizona in September 2019. "But I think we'll have a clear understanding hopefully sooner than later on what's to come and what the arena is going to look like and things like that."

Following the failed vote, the Coyotes announced they will continue to play next season at Mullett Arena, a 5,000-seat venue at Arizona State University in Tempe, after moving there from Gila River Arena in Glendale following the 2021-22 season. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said on June 3 that Arizona's ownership group, headed by Alex Meruelo, had already begun looking at other potential homes and was hopeful a resolution can be reached quickly.

"It has to be in the relative near term," Daly said. "It's not as if the team is starting from scratch. The Meruelo ownership group did a lot of due diligence in connection with coming up with their Tempe plan, so they're aware of what their options are, or potential options are in the (East) Valley. They are cultivating through those options currently. There are multiple options."

Keller hopes one of those options will work out for the Coyotes.

"I'd like to think that it's going in the right direction and the NHL and our ownership is going to do everything they can to get it in the right direction and get a plan set in stone here, and kind of move hockey forward in Arizona," Keller said. "It's hard for me to believe we don't have a rink or the other (plan) didn't get passed, to be honest, but it's onto the next plan."

Keller is also optimistic about the Coyotes' future on the ice, with management planning to upgrade the roster after they went 28-40-14 and finished 25 points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference.

Arizona got an early start on its offseason changes by acquiring Sean Durzi in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings for a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft on Saturday. The 24-year-old defenseman had 38 points (nine goals, 29 assists) in 72 games this season.

"He's a great young player and someone that I think is going to help our group a lot, an offensive guy," Keller said. "From what I've watched and seen, he's a smart player and can make a lot of plays with the puck and can score and contribute. So, I think that's a guy we were kind of missing and we need. I'm excited to meet him and he'll hopefully help take us to another level next year."

Keller, who established NHL career highs with 37 goals, 49 assists and a Coyotes' record 86 points in 82 games this season after fracturing his femur last season, is excited to see what moves Arizona will make next.

"Yeah, definitely," he said. "Obviously, I want to be a part of a winning team and a team that's taking strides every single year. Ultimately, I think that's what we're trying to do. Time will tell, but that's a step in the right direction."