Report: Coyotes to target Duchene in free agency

The Arizona Coyotes have their eye on one of the summer's top free-agent prizes, as Matt Duchene is the club's "primary focus" heading into the offseason, TSN's Darren Dreger reported on Saturday's edition of "Insider Trading."

Duchene, 28, set a career high with 31 goals and tied a personal best with 70 points this past season, splitting time between the Ottawa Senators and the Columbus Blue Jackets. The center added 10 points in 10 playoff games and played an integral role in Columbus' first-round upset of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Dreger added there's still a possibility Duchene re-signs with Columbus.

Arizona projects to have nearly $14 million in cap space once Marian Hossa's contract is placed on long-term injured reserve, according to CapFriendly, and the team has few pending free agents to retain.

The Coyotes were one of the best defensive teams in 2018-19, ranking sixth in the league in goals against, but they owned the NHL's fifth-worst offense with just 213 goals for over 82 games. Adding a dynamic offensive talent like Duchene would go a long way in helping end the league's second-longest active playoff drought.

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