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Mike Smith, subject of trade speculation, has ‘extremely high’ value for Coyotes

Arizona Coyotes v Buffalo Sabres

BUFFALO, NY - MARCH 2: Mike Smith #41 of the Arizona Coyotes during the game against the Buffalo Sabres at the KeyBank Center on March 2, 2017 in Buffalo, New York. Sabres beat the Coyotes 6-3. (Photo by Kevin Hoffman/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***Mike Smith"n"n

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Arizona Coyotes goalie Mike Smith has been the subject of trade speculation in recent days, following a report that teams had been asking about him.

Smith, 35, is coming off a pretty good season in Arizona, especially considering he was among the busier goalies in the league. He does have a no-trade clause in his contract, which has a cap hit of $5.666 million and two more years remaining on it.

The Dallas Stars and Carolina Hurricanes have already upgraded their goaltending this offseason, and Smith may be another option for clubs looking to do the same in net heading into next season.

Coyotes general manager John Chayka recently responded to the trade speculation, per Arizona Sports. He spoke highly of Smith, but seemed open to the idea of a possible trade -- provided the return is to his liking.

“If it’s being viewed as me making Mike available and starting a bidding war, that’s not the case,” said Chayka. “We’re taking calls on players every year. I don’t think anyone is untradeable but like we talked about last year with Oliver Ekman-Larsson, he’s up as high on that list as anyone.

“There’s a value to our team that Mike has, being an All-Star and our rock. His value is extremely high but if someone wants to pay an even higher value for him, that’s the industry.”

With the expansion draft approaching, it’s anticipated the hockey world is about to be in for a very busy stretch in terms of player transactions between teams. If necessary, Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final would take place on June 14. The league did announce last week that there will be a trade-waiver freeze from June 16-22, which is another twist to the plot.

“There is a deadline in place for a reason,” Chayka said. “There are a lot of conversations right now. Hopefully, I’ll find out in the next seven days so I can execute for a week.”

Related: Mike Smith, happy in Arizona, has not considered waiving his no-trade clause