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Trade Bait: Keith Yandle

Keith Yandle

Keith Yandle #3 of the Phoenix Coyotes during the NHL game against the Chicago Blackhawks at Jobing.com Arena on February 7, 2013 in Glendale, Arizona. The Blackhawks defeated the Coyotes 6-2. (February 6, 2013 - Source: Christian Petersen/Getty Images North America)

The NHL’s trade deadline is Wednesday, April 3. Following is a player that may be moved. For more “Trade Bait,” click here.

At first glance, Keith Yandle doesn’t look like an obvious player to be dealt. Sure the Phoenix Coyotes have lost six straight games and might be sellers on April 3 if they descend any further.

“We’re right at the cliff as far as I’m concerned,” Coyotes Don Maloney recently told Fox Sports. “If we slide much further, all bets are off. We’re going to go out and find assets. This is reality.”

Even still, Yandle is a top-tier offensive defenseman signed through the 2015-16 campaign. You don’t find players like that on the market very often, but by the same token, the Coyotes could command a high price if they decide to sell him now.

The rise of 21-year-old blueliner Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who recently inked a six-year, $33 million extension arguably makes Yandle expendable, but more importantly, he might not be what they need the most right now.

The Coyotes’ offense has been a huge issue lately, as evidenced by the fact that they set a new franchise record for most consecutive games without a goal.

As Sportsnet’s Mark Spector recently speculated, the Coyotes might be open to dealing Yandle for a young forward, similar to the St. Louis-Colorado deal in 2011 that included Erik Johnson, Kevin Shattenkirk, Chris Stewart, Jay McClement, and picks.

Because Yandle wouldn’t be a rental, such a trade might work for a team like the Philadelphia Flyers, who have also been linked to San Jose Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle, or the Edmonton Oilers, but if the Coyotes decide to trade Yandle, there will likely be plenty of suitors.