Keith Yandle commits to Coyotes for 5 years, $26.25 million

The unknown future of the Phoenix Coyotes didn't play into Keith Yandle's decision to re-sign with the team as his agent Jerome Buckley pointed out last week while negotiations were still on-going.

While some free agents may be scared off in signing a long-term deal in Phoenix given that they may not be there in a year's time, Yandle showed his commitment to the organization and took a nice pay raise at the same time.

After signing a five-year, $26.25 million deal Tuesday, Yandle's cap hit is just $300,000 more than Michal Roszival's $5 million. That's Glen Sather for you.

From the Coyotes:

Phoenix Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney announced today that the Coyotes have signed All-Star defenseman�Keith Yandle to a five-year contract. As per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"Keith is an elite player and one of the game's best young defenseman," said Maloney. "He is an important part of our future and we are thrilled to sign him to a long-term contract."

Last season the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Yandle finished second on the Coyotes in scoring and ranked third among all NHL defensemen with 11-48-59 in 82 games. Yandle represented the Coyotes at the NHL All-Star Game in Raleigh, N.C. He was also named the NHL's Second Star of the Month in January when he registered 3-14-17 in 14 games. He had a plus-9 rating in the month helping lead the Coyotes to an 8-4-2 record. Yandle finished the month of January with a nine-game point streak, recording 2-12-14 in that stretch.

In addition, Yandle led the Coyotes in average time on ice (24:22) and tied for the team lead in power-play points (26). His 24 power-play assists ranked sixth best in the NHL among defensemen and his 26 power-play points were eighth best. He also finished second on the team in penalty minutes (68), third in plus/minus (+12) and third in shots (199).

In five NHL seasons, the 24-year-old native of Boston, Mass., has recorded 32-112-144 and 172 penalty minutes in 283 NHL games.

Yandle was originally drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes in the fourth round (105th overall) in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

The�deal was broken by Ryan Whitney of the Edmonton Oilers of all people. He and Yandle are currently working out together in their home state of Massachusetts.

The 24-year-old Yandle is coming off a career season that saw him net 11 goals and 59 points, good for third among all NHL defensemen.

According to Andy Strickland of True Hockey, Yandle's deal breaks down over the five years as $4.75 million, $5M, $5.25M, $5.5M, $5.75M and does not feature a no-trade clause.

Yandle was a restricted free agent after making $1.3 million this past season. Despite the fan obsession with offer sheets, there seemed to be no interest in a club attempting to sign Yandle to one, but the trade rumors that Coyotes GM Don Maloney called "pure, utter fantasy" during the season continued as July 1 approached. With the Coyotes working on a budget set by the NHL, Maloney could only offer so much to Yandle, but in the end it's far from an overpayment.

Considering the current market of throwing bags of money at players, it's a fair deal for a young up-and-coming defenseman who's seen his production rise every year since entering the NHL. More importantly, Yandle being locked up for five years gives Maloney a player to build around as the Coyotes go through a transition phase with numerous new faces entering the fray over the past year.

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