The Arizona Coyotes are interested in Chicago Blackhawks forward Bryan Bickell‘s services, according to TSN hockey insider Darren Dreger.
Bickell, who is set to make $4 million in each of the next two seasons, seems to be on the outs in Chicago after a lackluster 2014-15 season. With the team needing to shed cap space to stay under the $71.4 million figure announced Tuesday, Bickell is an obvious casualty.
The total value of his four-year contract is $16 million, a deal he earned with his strong postseason in 2013, putting up nine goals and 17 points in 23 games.
However, he has been unable to achieve the same levels of production since then, particularly in the regular season, when coach Joel Quenneville occasionally made him a healthy scratch, stating that he “needed more” from Bickell. In the regular season, Bickell tallied 14 goals and 28 points as a top-six forward, recording 113 shots. His 2015 postseason was also disappointing, with only five assists in 18 games. He missed five of six Stanley Cup Final games while suffering from vertigo.
Bickell has 65 goals and 133 points in 359 career regular season games, and 20 goals and 39 points in 75 playoff games.
The Coyotes have the lowest cap hit in the league at $34.194 million, while the Hawks rank sixth-highest in the league at $64.045 million. The Hawks are among teams trying to fit underneath the $71.4 million salary cap ceiling for next season, the Coyotes are trying to reach the lower limit of $52.8 million.
Arizona may be willing to take some or all of Bickell’s deal to reach that minimum. Hawks general manager Stan Bowman would likely require prospects and/or draft picks in return, though shedding salary is the real prize.
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