Half of the teams in NHL are currently over the salary cap and into long-term injured reserve with less than two months remaining before the March 21 trade deadline.

TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston reports, however, that those teams could potentially find a willing trade partner in their quest to clear space in the Arizona Coyotes.

"Sixteen teams as we talk right now are in long-term injured reserve and capped out. And so those teams might want to get busy before March 21, they’re finding a helpful hand from the Arizona Coyotes," Johnston said on Insider Trading Tuesday. "The Coyotes have let it be known that they’re willing to take on contracts or money in exchange for future assets, just as we saw them do with a few transactions over the summer. And they’re still going to look at some things. They want to know how long that contract is if they are bringing on a player, what type of player it is.

"But the Coyotes are certainly eyeing a chance to be an important go-between at this deadline where so many teams are capped out."

According to CapFriendly, the Coyotes currently have just over $7 million in cap space with no players on LTIR.

The Coyotes took on the contracts of Andrew Ladd, Shayne Gostisbehere, Loui Eriksson, and Anton Stralman this summer, piling up draft picks in the process. 

Arizona currently sits second last in the league standings, which would give the franchise a 12.1 per cent chance of selecting first overall in this year's draft. The Coyotes also own two additional first-round picks and a total of five second-round picks in the 2022 draft.