PITTSBURGH – Winger Mikkel Boedker packed a full suitcase and slipped a few extra suits into a garment bag when he departed Arizona more than a week ago to accompany the Coyotes on a five-game road trip.
“I’m happy that I did,” he said.
After a gap persisted in contract talks between Boedker and the Coyotes, it seemed almost a given the team would move out the soon-to-be free agent with even Boedker bracing for a departure.
And that’s exactly what transpired Monday before the NHL trade deadline expired with the Coyotes sending Boedker to the Avalanche in exchange for veteran winger Alex Tanguay and prospects Conner Bleackley and Kyle Wood.