As quiet a summer as it has been for the Phoenix Coyotes, there has been a bit of noise coming out of the desert in recent weeks.
Most of that noise can be attributed to 22-year-old center Kyle Turris, who looks to be closer to moving out of Phoenix than signing a new contract to remain with the franchise.
Turris is the last remaining restricted free agent, after the team signed Mikkel Boedker last month, and he is one of the few holdouts left from this summer. As those signings have trickled in, Turris and Drew Doughty remain the two young notables without contracts.
However, there is one big difference between the two. While both of their demands are higher than either should be expecting, Doughty has performed in his two full seasons in the NHL. He was slowed a bit by injury last year, but the season prior he put up 50-plus points and was a finalist for the Norris Trophy.
What exactly has Turris done in his two actual years with the Coyotes? Not much.
The argument can be made that Turris was rushed to the NHL, but in 128 games over the past two seasons combined, Turris has notched a measly 45 points. That includes the 25 he posted last year, in which we saw him serve as both a healthy scratch and get sent down to former Coyotes AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage.
With the outrageous demands of Turris, who is asking the Coyotes for well over $4 million a season, could the club seek to trade him. Even in an inflated market like we've seen this summer, and the fact that the Coyotes are thin at center, doesn't make his demands logical at all.
It's very likely that Phoenix could seek to trade Turris. There are several teams that could be interested in acquiring him, including the Calgary Flames, who the Coyotes have already done business with this summer, when they traded Lee Stempniak to the Flames in exchange for Daymond Langkow.
Of course, if Turris comes down those demands the Coyotes could reach some sort of accord with the 22-year-old. That would certainly be favorable with them, since center is a glaring weakness on this team. But of Turris isn't going to back off his demands, and command money that he has yet to even come near earning, it might be time for the two sides to part ways.