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The Coyotes are now a team to watch on the ice, boasting an impressive corps of young players, including Dylan Strome, Max Domi and Anthony Duclair.

Much of that talent, however, has come from helping absorb the bad contracts of other teams.

Duclair, who scored 20 goals and 24 assists as a rookie last season, came to the Coyotes via a trade that saw Keith Yandle go to the New York Rangers. The twist on that 2015 trade deadline deal was that the Coyotes retained half of Yandle’s salary to keep the Rangers under the salary cap.

The Coyotes also received additional 2016 first- and second-round draft picks from the Rangers in that deal. At the 2016 draft, they parlayed those selections in a trade with Detroit — moving up to take Chychrun, who could end up being a sleeper selection.

Now here comes Crouse, who was drafted 11th overall by Florida in 2015. He scored 23 goals and 39 assists in only 49 games with Kingston in the OHL last season and has the potential to be an imposing NHL power forward.

New Panthers general manager Tom Rowe deemed him expendable, having secured a young forward group including Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Vincent Trocheck and Nick Bjugstad to long-term contracts.

Being able to unload Bolland as part of the trade is a huge bonus, giving the Panthers more salary cap room to add a free agent or two before the season starts.

The Panthers and Coyotes are playing within the rules and they’re hardly the first teams to use the salary cap system to wash each other’s backs. In February, 2015, the Toronto Maple Leafs dumped David Clarkson’s contract on the Columbus Blue Jackets, receiving the injured Nathan Horton in return.

It’s all part of the business and there will be more of the same as sharp general managers continue to search for intriguing solutions to their problems.

At the same time, we’re guessing it’s not exactly what Gary Bettman had in mind when he talked about competitive balance after the current CBA was signed.

kwarren@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/Citizenkwarren