Sarah McLellan

azcentral sports

PHILADELPHIA – When his skate blade pierces the ice and he begins to chase a puck, Coyotes winger Mikkel Boedker clears his mind to focus only on playing a game.

“Right now, that’s about the happiest place in the world,” he said.

But it’s Boedker’s profession as a hockey player that has caused so much ambiguity in his life once he exits the rink.

The NHL trade deadline is Monday at 1 p.m. Arizona time, and, as an impending unrestricted free agent whom the Coyotes have yet to re-sign, it seems inevitable the 26-year-old will be moved.

“It’s difficult, definitely,” Boedker said. “Uncertainty in life is hard. It doesn’t matter what it is or when it is. So uncertainty is really hard. I think that part’s been difficult but then again, it’s a job and you gotta do it to the best of your capabilities.”

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After agreeing on a one-year, $3.75 million contract last offseason, the Coyotes and Boedker were eligible to sign a new deal Jan. 1. Talks were on the team’s agenda, and before the All-Star break, General Manager Don Maloney said they were “working on things,” but nothing has materialized.

Earlier this week, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported the Coyotes “backed off a previously tabled offer to extend Boedker.”

Boedker said he wasn’t sure if this was true or not, but a source confirmed the report.

A six-year contract was discussed, the source said, but Boedker’s camp wasn’t seeking $6 million per year as had been speculated.

Maloney did not respond to inquiries for comment on the approaching deadline.

If the Coyotes plan to trade Boedker, it’s likely he’ll have suitors – especially after winger Andrew Ladd was flipped from the Jets to the Blackhawks on Thursday.

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The Bruins’ Loui Eriksson is another top-six winger, but it looks like Boston may still have interest in keeping him.

Ladd was probably the most-coveted forward of the rental possibilities, and he – along with defenseman Jay Harrison and winger Matt Fraser – brought Winnipeg a prospect center Marko Dano, a 2016 first-round draft pick and a conditional pick.

Last season, the Coyotes were able to snag up-and-coming defenseman Klas Dahlbeck and a first-round draft pick when they sent center Antoine Vermette to the Blackhawks.

“I’ve been in a similar situation,” Vermette said. “Not exactly the same, but it’s not easy. As much as you say, ‘I don’t want to think about it,’ it’s human nature. It’s a strange position to be in.”

Boedker ranks fifth on the Coyotes in goals (13) and third in points (38). He’s scored only once in his past 26 games, a span in which he’s chipped in nine assists. His best season to date was 2013-14 when he posted career-highs in goals (19), assists (32) and points (51).

“He’s in a tough situation,” defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson said. “He’s really professional and tries to focus on what he has to do on the ice. … Obviously, he hasn’t been putting up a lot of points here lately. It’s frustrating for him, but he works hard every day and I know everybody appreciates that.”

The Coyotes took Boedker eighth overall in the 2008 draft, and he’s been a member of the organization ever since. In 444 regular-season games, he’s contributed 80 goals and racked up 212 points with one of his more memorable performances coming in the 2012 playoffs when he scored overtime winners in Games 3 and 4 against the Blackhawks in Round 1.

“I know there’s a chance he’s going to get traded,” Ekman-Larsson said. “I’ve been living with the guy for five years now. It’s kind of weird to know he might get traded, but I try to stay focused on what I try to do and I know that’s part of the game, too. It’s weird.”

Boedker said he doesn’t have an expectation of what will transpire before the deadline, and he wouldn’t share what he wanted to happen.

But he understands a resolution is likely arriving soon.

“Obviously, it’s the only place I’ve known, so I care a lot about the place,” Boedker said. “I care a lot about the people, and obviously it’s people you’ve grown to like and love and really care about and that’s one thing that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

“Arizona people are good people, especially the people around the rink are really, really good people. That’s something I won’t forget whether I’m there or not. It’s something that’s going to stay with me for the rest of my life. It’s been great. It is great. I shouldn’t say, ‘It’s been great.’ It is great.”

Reach the reporter at sarah.mclellan@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8276. Follow her at twitter.com/azc_mclellan.

Saturday's game

Coyotes at Flyers

When: 11 a.m.

Where: Wells Fargo Center.

TV/radio: None/KMVP-FM (98.7).

Coyotes update: The Coyotes held an optional practice at the University of Pennsylvania Friday, and the players who didn’t participate – mostly veterans and goalie Louis Domingue – are fine to play, coach Dave Tippett said. Center Boyd Gordon (upper-body injury) and goalie Mike Smith (core muscle injury) were on the ice. Tippett said Gordon is at least another week away from a possible return while Smith continues to progress but "there's still some time" to go.

Flyers update: With 65 points, the Flyers are still in contention for a wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference but they’ve been up-and-down lately. They’ve won three of their past seven games, a span in which they’ve given up 19 goals and scored 19 goals. In 10 games against the Pacific Division this season, Philadelphia is 1-6-3. Captain Claude Giroux leads the team in points with 49 but is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Winger Wayne Simmonds has a team-best 21 goals. Winger Jakub Voracek (lower-body injury) will not play Saturday, snapping his ironman streak at 286 games.