On Saturday evening, the Arizona Coyotes tweeted lineup notes, informing the hockey community that defenseman Jakob Chychrun is a healthy scratch for their game against the St. Louis Blues for “trade-related reasons.” Although there are no indications of an impending deal, the hockey world eagerly awaited the news to drop.
Chychrun’s name has been in the rumor mill, for those unfamiliar with the situation, since the start of the decade. As a star defenseman looking for opportunities, he’s spent his entire seven-year career with the Coyotes and only played in the playoffs once, during the 2019-20 season.
Despite all the content regarding potential trades, Chychrun has yet to leave Arizona and has two years left on his current deal. However, today’s announcement comes at a curious time on the schedule, as one of the teams pursuing him just lost for the fourth time in five games.
Let’s look at three potential trade fits for the star defenseman.
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Jakob Chychrun saves the day for Boston Bruins
When anyone looks at the makeup of the 2022-23 Boston Bruins, there are very few holes in the lineup, which explains why they are the league’s best team. However, recently they have been going through some adversity, losing four of their last five games, leaving a few experts and fans to wonder if the Bruins are legitimate contenders for the Stanley Cup.
Although the team already boosts top-scoring forwards and the best goalie in the league, there are questions on whether the defensive corps is built for a lengthy playoff run. Conversely, if Chychrun joined the team, he would become the team’s third-highest-scoring defenseman behind Hampus Lindholm (33) and Charlie McAvoy (32) with 28 points. Additionally, he has 114 shots on goal, three more than Lindholm (111), the only Bruins’ defender with 100 on the year, which would create more opportunities for a team that could really use a spark right now.
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Is Chychrun the answer for LA Kings?
Last year the Los Angeles Kings were upset in the first round in seven games by the upstart Edmonton Oilers. Although the Kings’ roster only continues to get older, with names like Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, and Jonathan Quick from their championship years in 2012 and 2014, a new wave of talent led by Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala is carrying the offense.
Initially, the Kings had an outside chance of winning the Pacific Division in 2022-23. However, at the start of February, the team remains only a few points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for the top spot. Adding another talented defenseman to the mix only boosts their chance of catching the Golden Knights and holding off the Edmonton Oilers and Seattle Kraken for better playoff seeding. Right now, Doughty (26:11 minutes a game) and Michael Anderson (21:50) play a lot, so Chychrun (23:11) would give the Kings’ coaching staff a chance to distribute the minutes more evenly, avoiding exhaustion down the stretch.
Do Edmonton Oilers have enough ammo for Chychrun?
By now, everyone is aware of the spectacular season Oilers’ captain Connor McDavid is having, on pace to become the first player to net 150 points since the mid-1990s. Furthermore, the Oilers are an offense-first team led by McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and when these guys don’t get the points, opponents take advantage of their weakness on the back end, and the team implodes.
Although the Oilers have been linked to Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks) to boost their offense, the team has struggled to get into the defenseman market to find assistance. Realistically, their biggest problem is cap space, with many questionable deals on the books, so finding an ideal trade partner has been difficult.
Additionally, for Edmonton to acquire Chychrun, there will have to be a few players departing and some salary retention on Arizona’s end, so the Oilers better sweeten the deal with prospects and picks. Even though the club remains a long shot to pull off a blockbuster deal for a star defenseman, never say never when you have the world’s best player in your lineup.
So far, the Coyotes have not announced any further information regarding Chychrun’s status, leaving many waiting by the phones for new news to break. Although several other teams are interested, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, surprises in the trade market happen all the time (for example, Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders), so be prepared for the unexpected next time Chychrun’s name is in the news.
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