NHL Trade Buzz: Subban could be moved, won't get contract from Devils

Welcome to the NHL Trade Buzz. The 2022 NHL Trade Deadline on March 21 (3 p.m. ET) is 13 days away.
Here's a look around the League at the latest deadline doings:

New Jersey Devils

P.K. Subban will not be offered a contract by the Devils, general manager Tom Fitzgerald said.
The 32-year-old defenseman is one of four players on the roster who can become an unrestricted free agent after the season, along with forward Jimmy Vesey, defenseman Mason Geertsen and goalie Jon Gillies.
"I sat down with P.K. (on Saturday) and we talked about uncertainty and the deadline and that we're not at a spot where we're looking to extend him at this point,"
Fitzgerald told The Athletic
on Sunday. "He's done a lot for the community here and the organization. But I told him, 'On the last day, somebody may lose a right-shot [defenseman] and may call me and if the move makes sense for the New Jersey Devils and makes sense for you to potentially have a chance to win, I have to do what's best for the organization.'"
The Devils (20-31-5), 24 points from the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference with 26 regular-season games remaining, could be sellers prior to the deadline.
"Is there a hockey trade you could make to not only help your team immediately, but the future?" Fitzgerald told NHL.com in February. "Somebody in the age demographic of where we're at with the core of our team. Is there a hockey trade that makes sense for us more long term, but can help jumpstart us now? We're not settled on 'We're too good up the middle' or 'We've got some quality wingers' or 'We've got some good defensemen coming.'"

Arizona Coyotes

The Coyotes would prefer not to trade defenseman Jakob Chychrun but are open to the possibility, general manager Bill Armstrong said.
"If someone were to offer the right assets, we would be interested in that,"
Armstrong told The Fourth Period
in comments published Monday. "It's something as a GM you always have to consider.
"I have to do my job as a GM and try to make sure that our club moves forward. If there's something that can be returned for assets through a certain player, we have to talk and explore."
The Coyotes (16-35-4), last in the NHL standings, are in a rebuild and are willing to take on contracts to do so. They have eight picks in the first two rounds of the 2022 NHL Draft -- three in the first round, five in the second.
"Absolutely," Armstrong said. "That is our whole plan."
Chychrun, 23, is in the third year of a six-year contract he signed with the Coyotes on Nov. 13, 2018.
The Coyotes have several players who are can become unrestricted free agents after the season, including defenseman Anton Stralman and forwards Phil Kessel, Loui Eriksson, Antoine Roussel, Riley Nash and Alex Galchenyuk.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers are hoping to avoid the upcoming Trade Deadline becoming a distraction.
Philadelphia (17-28-10) is last place in the Metropolitan Division entering their game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, NBCSP, ATTSN-RM, ESPN+, NHL LIVE), and likely to miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
"All you can do is try to be supportive, try to encourage them, get them focused on tonight's game and not think about sort of the big picture. But it's not an easy thing to do, that's for sure," Flyers coach Mike Yeo said Tuesday.
Flyers captain Claude Giroux can become an unrestricted free agent after this season.
"You can tell how much its weighing on him ... someone like 'G,' how long he's been here, how much he has invested in this organization," Yeo said.
Forward Derick Brassard, who has dealt with a hip injury, has been traded four times around the deadline during his 15 NHL seasons.
"I think that probably he's been sort of hardened by some of that stuff that has gone through his career," Yeo said. "I would also say I think his biggest focus right now is just sort of getting back and getting his game going. ... I think that's his biggest priority right now. And then, like everybody, take care of what you can take care of and see what happens." -- Adam Kimelman

New York Islanders

Anders Lee said the Islanders are focused on getting back in the race to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs with the deadline two weeks away.
"I don't think it's any different than any (other) year in the sense that we've been through this kind of thing before," the Islanders captain said Monday. "It is a close group, and you never want to see someone leave the room. It's part of what we have to go through as players and professional hockey players, but we're going to do our best to keep this thing rolling and see it through."
New York (21-24-8) is 19 points behind the Washington Capitals for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference. The Islanders have played four fewer games.
Forwards Cal Clutterbuck and Zach Parise, and defensemen Andy Greene and Zdeno Chara can become unrestricted free agents after this season.
"The rumors are out there all the time," coach Barry Trotz said Saturday. "Guys are smart; they know their contract status, they know the rumors, they can feel it in the room if there's something sometimes happening or their agents are in contact with (general manager) Lou (Lamoriello) or whatever. But I think the one thing Lou is very good at is if he's going to do anything, he usually thinks about the human side and he will go to that player and say, 'What do you think?' or whatever. I think he's really good at that aspect, he understands that aspect. But he also understands the business part too. He's got lots of experience." -- Brian Compton