Tkachuk Returns to Coyotes With Promise of Future Deal

Keith Tkachuk returned to the Phoenix Coyotes on Tuesday without the renegotiated contract he wanted but with a promise from management that a new long-term pact deal will be discussed after the season.

The Coyote captain was suspended last week for refusing to play during the preseason without a renegotiated contract. He’ll play this season under terms of his existing five-year, $17.2-million contract that pays him $2.8 million this season.

“If I sat out, who knows how long it would have been? It wouldn’t have been good for myself or the team,” said Tkachuk, who led the NHL with 52 goals last season and will start at left wing in Phoenix’s opener tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks.

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Jan Bulis, a 19-year-old center from the Czech Republic, signed a multiyear contract with the Washington Capitals. Financial terms were not disclosed. . . . Kelly Chase, a fan favorite in St. Louis for his blue-collar style of play, was traded back to the Blues from the Toronto Maple Leafs for future considerations. The 29-year-old right wing played in St. Louis from 1989 through 1994.