Big center unlikely to receive extension before the season.

Teams in need of a big center may only have to look to the desert to find one.

According to Craig Morgan of Arizonasports.com, it seems unlikely that the Arizona Coyotes and center Martin Hanzal agree to terms on an extensio before the start of the 2016-17 season. Before the Coyotes fired general manager Don Maloney in April, he said he would have liked to sign Hanzal to a contract extension before the season began. However the team is under a new regime under new GM John Chayka and he appears willing to keep his options open.

“If there was something that made sense, we would probably take a closer look at that because Marty’s been a good player for us,” Chayka said Thursday. “But maybe it’s not a bad thing to get into the season and see how things play out.”

Hanzal, 29, is entering the final year of a five-year, $15.5 million deal that will pay him $3.5 million this season with a cap hit of $3.1 million. Discussions between Chayka and Hanzal's camp did occur, but have been moved to the backburner at the moment.

The Coyotes aren't expected to make the playoffs this season and re more focused on prospects Dylan Strome, Christian Dvorak, Ryan MacInnis, Laurent Dauphin and Tyler Gaudet, who are all looking to make the opening night roster.

While the Coyotes are thin at the position with only Hanzal, and Brad Richardson under contract at center, they could feasibly trade Hanzal for another veteran center who could coach these prospects in their rookie seasons.

 Hanzal is listed at 6'6/ 226 lbs and many teams are in need of a centerman with size and strength, especially in the Eastern Conference. The Czech native set career highs with 28 assists and 41 points last season, making his value high at the moment.

The Yotes' may elect to wait until this year's trade deadline to deal Hanzal away, but if a team were to offer up a deal for him, do not be surprised to see them trade him away.

[pub]