The Arizona Coyotes made one of their biggest acquisitions in franchise history last week when they landed three-time All-Star Phil Kessel in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Arizona hasn't finished higher than 28th in average attendance since the 2006-07 season, but that could change this upcoming campaign.

"The buzz has been pretty significant," Coyotes president and CEO Ahron Cohen said, according to The Arizona Republic's Richard Morin. "A lot of interest on social media, text messages from people in the community reaching out. There is an excitement and rejuvenation with this franchise. People can see the trajectory we're on."

"It's still very new," Cohen said. "But we've seen an uptick in recent days. Our weekender package is significantly up compared to last year. I think there's a lot of people in the marketplace that have historically been hockey fans or Coyotes fans that are seeing this commitment now and are excited to jump on board and participate."

Kessel has been one of the league's most consistent point-producers since he arrived in the league with the Boston Bruins in 2006, as he's hit the 30-goal mark six times and has 823 points in 996 career games.

The Wisconsin native's 261 goals this decade rank ninth among all players and his 82-point campaign in 2018-19 would have marked the highest single-season total by any Coyotes player since the franchise's move to Phoenix in 1996-97.

"Obviously, Phil is an elite player," Coyotes general manager John Chayka said. "Personally I can't (recall) the last time we've had a player of this caliber who has had this production and this resume on this team. I think it's exciting for our fans and it's exciting for our players."

Kessel brings both production and championship pedigree, as he captured back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017.

"This is a signal to the market that we're bringing in a marquee player and doing what we can to improve the team and win hockey games. I think the casual fan out there, maybe a person who is not even a hockey fan right now, can see this and take notice."

The Coyotes haven't made the playoffs in seven years - the second-longest drought in the league - and have won just two postseason series in franchise history.

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With free agency underway, here's a roundup of all the best players still available. The biggest names are off the board, but some potentially helpful talent remains up for grabs.

Left wing

• Marcus Johansson
• Micheal Ferland
• Thomas Vanek
• Patrick Marleau
• Pat Maroon
• Jamie McGinn
• Magnus Paajarvi
• Pontus Aberg
• Oscar Lindberg
• Chris Kunitz
• Garrett Wilson
• Gabriel Bourque

Center

• Joe Thornton
• Ryan Dzingel
• Derick Brassard
• Nick Cousins
• Brian Boyle
• Brian Gibbons
• Matt Cullen
• Riley Sheahan
• Marcus Kruger
• Ryan Spooner
• Eric Fehr
• Philip Varone
• Micheal Haley

Right wing

• Justin Williams
• Jason Pominville
• Josh Archibald
• Troy Brouwer
• Sven Andrighetto
• Drew Stafford
• Tobias Rieder
• Ty Rattie
• Mario Kempe
• Dmitrij Jaskin
• Stefan Noesen
• Devante Smith-Pelly
• Tomas Hyka
• Corban Knight

Defensemen

• Jake Gardiner
• Niklas Kronwall
• Ben Chiarot
• Ben Hutton
• Dan Girardi
• Deryk Engelland
• Andrew MacDonald
• Michael Del Zotto
• Ben Lovejoy
• Marc Methot
• Adam McQuaid
• Bogdan Kiselevich
• Igor Yakovlev
• Joe Morrow
• Chris Wideman
• Dion Phaneuf
• Fredrik Claesson
• Anthony Bitetto
• Alex Petrovic
• Dalton Prout
• David Schlemko
• Chris Butler
• Luca Sbisa

Goalie

• Cam Ward
• Michal Neuvirth
• Chad Johnson
• Antti Niemi
• Peter Budaj
• Al Montoya
• Anthony Stolarz
• Mike McKenna
• Edward Pasquale

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired defenseman Tyson Barrie, forward Alex Kerfoot, and a 2020 sixth-round pick from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for forward Nazem Kadri, defenseman Calle Rosen, and Toronto’s third-round selection in 2020, the team announced Monday.

Colorado will retain 50 percent of Barrie’s $5.5-million cap hit as part of the transaction.

Barrie, 27, is an elite skater and a valuable right-hand shot on the blue line. He recorded a career-high 59 points with Colorado last season.

Kerfoot, signed by the Avalanche ahead of the 2017-18 campaign, has tallied 85 points in 157 pro contests. The 24-year-old center is a restricted free agent and in need of a new deal.

Kadri, who has played all nine seasons of his career with Toronto, saw his production drop last season after being pushed down the Leafs' depth chart following the addition of John Tavares, but still contributed 44 points in 73 games. The 28-year-old has three years remaining on his current contract with an annual cap hit of $4.5 million.

Rosen spent the majority of last season with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL and recorded 46 points in 54 games.

The Maple Leafs currently have $11 million in projected cap space, according to CapFriendly, but still need to sign Kerfoot and defenseman Cody Ceci, who was acquired in a trade with the Ottawa Senators. Restricted free agent Mitch Marner is also in need of a new deal.

It's been a busy day for Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic, who also inked forwards Colin Wilson, Joonas Donskoi, and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare to new contracts.

The Avalanche have $27.1 million in projected cap space but Mikko Rantanen, J.T. Compher, defenseman Nikita Zadorov, and newly acquired forward Andre Burakovsky are all restricted free agents in need of new deals.

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The New York Islanders and Vezina Trophy finalist Robin Lehner parted ways on Monday, and the netminder says the decision wasn't up to him.

"It not working out in Long Island had nothing to do with me," Lehner said on Monday, according to Newsday's Andrew Gross. "I never walked away from anything."

Following a career-best season, Lehner was looking for a long-term commitment from the Islanders. But the Swede says the team moved on from him before he was able to continue negations.

"We came down to shorter term, and it was a little bit off in money, and it was kind of an ultimatum put in front of me," Lehner said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times' Andrew Pope. "I took a couple of days to think about it, and when I came back and wanted to make something work, they already went for another goalie."

The Islanders inked veteran goalie Semyon Varlamov to a four-year contract, and Lehner landed a one-year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks.

The 27-year-old posted a 2.13 goals against average and a .930 save percentage over 46 games with the Islanders last season, the best statistical year of his career.

With the one-year deal, Lehner is now betting on himself to repeat that success.

"I don’t see it as a gamble at all. It’s only a gamble if you don’t believe you’re going to be able to perform. I know what I can do, I’ve proven what I can do," Lehner said, according to The Athletic's Mark Lazerus.

Lehner joins Corey Crawford in the Blackhawks' crease, and it's likely the pair will split time next season.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs will reportedly send forward Connor Brown and defenseman Nikita Zaitsev to the Ottawa Senators on Monday in exchange for defenseman Cody Ceci, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.

At least six pieces (players and draft picks) are included in the deal, but those are the key players involved, McKenzie adds. Zaitsev has a $3 million bonus that is scheduled to be paid out Monday by the Maple Leafs before the deal is completed.

Zaitsev has reportedly waived his no trade clause in order to make the trade possible, according to TSN's Darren Dreger. The 27-year-old requested a trade from the team in May.

The Russian rearguard has five years remaining on his current contract with an average annual value of $4.5 million.

Ceci, who is a restricted free agent and is in need of a new deal, enjoyed a career season with the Senators, posting 26 points in 74 games.

Brown hasn't been able to replicate the offensive production he saw in his 20-goal rookie campaign, but he did contribute 29 points in 82 games in a depth role for the Leafs last season. His current deal has one year remaining with a team-friendly cap hit of $2.1 million.

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Free-agent forward Matt Duchene is reportedly set to join the Nashville Predators on a contract carrying an average annual value of $8 million, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.

The deal would make Duchene the team's highest-paid player along with center Ryan Johansen.

The 28-year-old was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets last February and played a key role in helping the franchise win its first-ever playoff series, contributing 10 points in 10 playoff games.

Duchene scored a career-high 31 goals and tied a career-best mark with 70 points last season between the Ottawa Senators and the Blue Jackets.

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One of the most coveted available free agents could be off the table.

Forward Joe Pavelski is reportedly poised to sign a three-year deal with the Dallas Stars, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.

More to come.

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Free-agent netminder Mike Smith will sign with the Edmonton Oilers once free agency opens Monday, while Cam Talbot will be joining the Calgary Flames, according to TSN's Frank Seravalli.

Smith spent the last two seasons with the Flames and helped the team capture the top seed in the Western Conference in 2018-19 while splitting crease time with netminder David Rittich.

The 37-year-old posted a 48-38-8 record with a 2.68 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage during his tenure with the Flames.

Talbot was traded from the Oilers to the Philadelphia Flyers last February and posted a 3.70 goals-against average in four appearances with the team.

The 31-year-old spent three seasons as the Oilers' starter. With Jon Gillies currently the only Flames netminder under contract, Talbot could find new life in Calgary. He'll likely battle it out for the starting role with Rittich if the restricted free agent re-signs with the Flames.

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Andrew Shaw is heading back to Chicago.

The Montreal Canadiens have traded Shaw and a 2021 seventh-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks for a second-round pick and a seventh-round pick in 2020, as well as a third-round selection in 2021, the teams announced Sunday.

The Canadiens didn't retain any salary in the deal, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun. Shaw has three years remaining on his current contract with an annual cap hit of $3.9 million.

Shaw was selected by the Blackhawks in the fifth round of the 2011 NHL Draft and spent the first five years of his career in Chicago, capturing a pair of Stanley Cups in 2013 and 2015.

The 27-year-old recorded 19 goals and a career-high 47 points in his third season with the Canadiens last year.

The Blackhawks bolstered their blue line earlier this month after picking up defenseman Calvin De Haan from the Carolina Hurricanes and Olli Maatta from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Chicago now has $8 million in projected cap space with eight forwards currently under contract.

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Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford and Phil Kessel are telling two different stories regarding the forward's alleged trade demands leading up to his departure from the team.

Kessel was traded to the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday, and Rutherford claims the three-time All-Star asked to be moved on several occasions, according to The Athletic's Sean Gentille.

When asked about Rutherford's comments, Kessel offered a different account.

"I'm not sure that's exactly what happened. Jim came to me one time and said... I'll never be a Penguin again,'" Kessel said, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Jonathan Bombulie. "I think he's mistaken a little bit there. But I don't want to get involved in that. I'm not here to tell what really happened and the real truth, but whatever Jim wants to say."

Kessel had been featured in trade rumors multiple times throughout his tenure in Pittsburgh, but it's unclear if the winger ever requested to be dealt.

The Wisconsin native had an eight-team trade list and reportedly nixed a deal to the Minnesota Wild last month.

Kessel never missed a game with the Penguins, contributing 303 points in 323 games.

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