It's unfortunate as anything that the Coyotes are so publicly struggling with their ownership situation. It's having an affect on their ability to sign free agents, and now may result in their highest profile player being shipped out of town.
Heading into the offseason, the two biggest concerns were free agents Ilya Bryzgalov and Keith Yandle. One of those problems was sorted out when the Coyotes shipped Bryz to Philadelphia, but they had really hoped to get Yandle re-signed.
Yandle broke out in 2010-11, ranking near the top of the defenseman rankings, with 59 points. As a restricted free agent, the Coyotes have the right to match any offer, but with a thin free agent market out there, especially on the blue line, many had expected a team to overpay Yandle on an offer sheet and take advantage of the Coyotes' financial woes.
Several teams would, or already have, surely show interest in Yandle, who is just 24 years of age. New Jersey is a team that has been rumored to be interested in trading for the defenseman, but there are still teams out there with cap space that could simply sign Yandle to an offer sheet.
You would think the Coyotes would be more interested in holding on to what is now their franchise player, but it's not exactly their fault. With limited money to work with, and all those ownership questions, a large deal is difficult for them to pull off.
Either way, we should know in the coming days what the fate of Keith Yandle could be, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see him in a new sweater at this point in '11-'12.