Arizona Coyotes still interested in Tyler Bozak, according to Darren Dreger

Rumors have connected the Arizona Coyotes to Tyler Bozak since before the NHL Draft. Evidently that interest has not died down:

Mentioned this on TSN 1050. Coyotes remain interested in Tyler Bozak.

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) July 1, 2015

The reported asking price for Bozak back at the Draft was a 2nd round pick. Thus far, there's no information about whether that asking price has changed, and what direction it may have changed in.

So is Bozak worth making a trade? He had seven goals and sixteen assists at 5v5 play last year, and 23 goals, 26 assists overall. So while Bozak did quite a bit of damage last season, a lot of it came with the man advantage.

There are of course downsides to Bozak. He posted a 45.8% SAT For at 5v5 last year, which was actually his best figure since 2011-12. He's not a possession driver, which is something that Arizona has seriously lacked for years.

Ultimately the issues with Bozak stem from his usage. He played first line center minutes in Toronto despite really not being a first line center. The problem here is that Bozak would be playing first line center minutes with the Coyotes too. Is it really worth spending $13.5 million in actual salary for the next three years to trade for a guy who is ill suited for the role the Coyotes need him to play?

It would seem to be a better option for the Coyotes to try and get a one or two year deal with a free agent center. It doesn't necessarily solve their problems, but if Bozak is not going to solve their problem either, they might as well not hamper their budgetary situation by acquiring a pricey center.