The NHL trade deadline is months away but Stanley Cup contenders and playoff hopefuls are keeping a close eye on defenseman Jakob Chychrun as the Arizona Coyotes sit near the bottom of the NHL standings.
It’s been another rough season for hockey fans in Arizona. After combining to win 49 games over the past two season, the Coyotes roll into the middle of December with an 8-13 record. Much closer to the race for the No. 1 pick than a playoff spot, Arizona is weighing its options in advance of the NHL trade deadline on March 3.
- Jakob Chychrun contract: $4.6 million cap hit, under contract through 2024-’25 season
While several big names have been floated in NHL trade rumors, talks around hockey are slow this early in the season. However, trade discussions are expected to ramp up around Christmas and Chychrun is the biggest name reportedly being floated around the NHL.
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Chychrun, the 16th overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, is off to another productive start despite the poor environment around him. Entering the weekend, the 6-foot-2 defenseman was on pace for his first double-digit goal season since 2020-’21 and he held a +6 plus/minus despite playing for a team with a -25 goal differential. However, Arizona is setting its demands quite high in order to even consider a trade.
- Jakob Chychrun stats (2022): 14 blocks, 14 hits, +6, 22:18 average time on ice
According to Emily Kaplan of ESPN, the Coyotes have set an asking price higher than what the Anaheim Ducks landed ahead of the 2022 NHL trade deadline for Hampus Landholm. In that blockbuster deal, Anaheim received the Boston Bruins’ 2022 first-round pick, second-round picks in 2023 and 2024 along with John Moore and Urho Vaakanainen.
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NHL teams interested in Jakob Chychrun
While it’s a significant cost for a team to pay for Chychrun, it seems there are at least a few contenders interested. Kaplan wrote that the Los Angeles Kings are reportedly in the mix for a deal and the NHL insider also passed along the Toronto Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames as teams to monitor in the weeks ahead.
“The Los Angeles Kings are believed to be in the mix for Chychrun. At the same time, they are trying to clear a log jam on the right side of their defense. The Maple Leafs are looking to add and the priority is defense given how banged up their blue line is. The Calgary Flames could aggressively add, and always keep an eye on the Tampa Bay Lightning for making a sneaky splash.”
ESPN’s Emily Kapan on NHL teams interested in Jakob Chychrun
Los Angeles owns each of its top picks in both the 2023 and 2024 NHL Draft. It also could include the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2023 third-round pick, acquired in the Jeff Carter trade.
As for Toronto, its assets are more limited. The Maple Leafs traded their second-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft for Mark Giordano and Colin Blackwell. Arizona also already owns the rights to Toronto’s third-round pick in 2023.
Considering Chychrun is under contract through the 2024-’25 season with a cap hit of $4.6 million over the next three years, packaging a first-round pick with other assets is worth the gamble. However, teams are likely going to wait until later in the season to see if Arizona’s price drops.
Based on the state of the Coyotes’ franchise and how far away they are from becoming a serious contender, it would be surprising if Chychrun isn’t on a new team after the NHL trade deadline.