A sea of COVID-19-related postponements of NHL games in December made room for an extended holiday break, which allowed NHL players to withdraw from the 2022 Olympics, leaving room for the 2021-22 season to be resumed in January in the midst of ongoing daily deferrals. The pandemic can definitely suck the joy and intrigue out of sports, right? Sheesh.
But maybe teams finally feel safe looking forward to the season’s stretching. They are starting to take stock of their places in the standings, and the rumor mill is starting to rumble again. Last week gave us our first trade in the calendar year 2022, when the Chicago Blackhawks sold low on the fallen left wing, Alex Nylander, and sent him to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a one-on-one exchange for center Sam Lafferty. Speculation about potentially available big name assets has also begun.
Really, when it comes to defender Jakob Chychrun, the buzz began a few months ago when the Arizona Coyotes came into the position along with Chychrun’s game. The idea that he should be available would have seemed ridiculous even in September 2021. Last season, he led all NHL defenders by 18 goals in an abbreviated program and finished 10thth in the Norris Trophy poll. He had thrown himself over Canada’s Olympic list in 2022. He was 23 years old and signed on to a criminally low AAV of $ 4.6 million for another four seasons. He was practically the last asset anyone would expect to see on the trading block.
But GM Bill Armstrong has been rude in his ruthlessness by tearing down the mess that was left in front of him in Arizona in his quest for a true square rebuild. He swapped defender Oliver Ekman-Larsson, right wing Conor Garland and goalkeeper Darcy Kuemper last summer, then moved center Christian Dvorak to futures just before the season started, removing any doubt that Arizona did not intend to compete in 2021-22 . The “everything has to go” approach has secured the Coyotes up to eight selects in the first two rounds of the 2022 draft, depending on which conditions are activated. Now it seems that even Chychrun could be moved as part of the reconstruction. He is too young to have movement restrictions on his contract yet. They first strike in 2023-24.
The return of Chychrun, despite his struggles this season, was supposed to be astronomical given his enviable mix of size, strength, skating and scoring. The TSN Insider panel recently described the required package as “Jack Eichel as.” So we’re looking at a combination that includes first-round picks, top prospects and influential NHL players.
Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek recently named the Anaheim Ducks, St. Louis. Louis Blues and Los Angeles Kings as suitors to see and have confirmed that at least 10 teams are already on the Chychrun. What are the most logical options for making pitches for him? I have designated five, listed alphabetically and added five more as a bonus.
ANAHEIM CHANGES
We knew the Pacific Division would be open in 2021-22. Few of us considered Anaheim to be one of the teams that jockeyed for the crown. The Ducks have surprised in 2021-22, largely thanks to the incredible breakout season from right winger Troy Terry, not to mention center Trevor Zegras’ expected rise. If this team gets to the playoffs, goalkeeper John Gibson is just as capable of stealing a series as any netminder. Adding another tent piece could suddenly make this team dangerous.
Throw a nightmare start to 2021-22, and Chychrun was a difference at both ends of the ice less than a year ago, creating attacks, limiting conflicting attacks, and excelling with the penalty kill. He would obviously be a blessing to the Ducks, but his long-term value makes him particularly appealing to them, as top-four defenders Hampus Lindholm and Josh Manson are UFAs in the summer of 2022.
The price would be high to get the Chychrun, of course. If you’re Armstrong, your question is likely to start with defender Jamie Drysdale and / or 2022 center Mason McTavish in the first round. The Ducks, who have not named their long-term GM replacement for Bob Murray, are not “swapping top prospects away” deep inside their rebuild yet and would therefore have to tread carefully if they go on the Chychrun hunt.
BOSTON BROWN
Tuukka Rask signed a PTO with AHL Providence last week. When a Bruins team that already puts in Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark, who both sit at 0.918 savings percentages, still wants to bring their longtime veteran starter back into the fight, it sends the message that this franchise still believes it can do it on the field. Stanley Cup. The Bruins are in fourth place in the Atlantic Division, but have played fewer games than their competitors and still have a percentage of 0.613 points.
They have lost too many assets from the left side of their D-corps in recent seasons, from Torey Krug to Zdeno Chara. Adding Chychrun to a top four that already includes Charlie McAvoy would massively transform Boston’s identity and in a way “rewind” the team’s battle window by bringing in a 23-year-old who was selected two picks after McAvoy in the 2016 draft’s first . round. In terms of hockey, Chychrun would be a dream fit for Boston, but would GM Don Sweeney have enough assets to tempt Armstrong? The Bruins’ prospect, which includes right-winger Fabian Lysell and center Johnny Beecher, is missing an expected superstar who cannot be missed, and most of their young NHL players have so far not lived up to expectations. To come up with a serious offer for Chychrun, might the Bruins have to sacrifice Swayman or defensive defender Brandon Carlo?
DETROIT RED WINGS
Yzerman said after the 2020-21 season that he was willing to make big trades at this stage of Detroit’s rebuilding – only if he accumulated young, controllable assets. He was referring to his Jakub Vrana acquisition at the time, and later in the low season he stole goalkeeper Alex Nedeljkovic from the Carolina Hurricanes. Given his age and the four years remaining of his contract, Chychrun theoretically meets Yzerman’s criteria. Adding him to a D-Corps already on the upswing thanks to Moritz Seider would accelerate a rebuild that has made significant progress so far this season, keeping the Wings on the periphery of the playoffs. Chychrun would also be a Detroit-friendly face, after cutting his teeth as a teenager, playing AAA for Little Caesars and major junior with OHL’s Sarnia Sting.
Of course, when one converter trades with another, the return can be difficult to calculate. Arizona wants prospects and / or future assets, but there is no way Detroit will part with the first few first-round picks from the Yzerman era, Seider and Lucas Raymond, not to mention Detroit’s promising 2021 first-timers, defender Simon Edvinsson and goalkeeper Sebastian Cossa. Would the Coyotes bid on one of next year’s first-round picks plus a low sale on some prospects from the former Wings regime, such as Filip Zadina or Joe Veleno?
FLORIDA PANTHERS
From a business standpoint alone, Chychrun would be an exciting addition for the Panthers. A Florida-born NHLer who played for Florida Jr. Panthers as children? How fat would that be? From a hockey standpoint, he is the kind of piece that would put the Panthers, who are already a high-end Stanley Cup challenger, over the top. Their existing D-corps includes Aaron Ekblad and Mackenzie Weegar, two of the very best in the game, but they are both right-wing and they play together. The Panthers need a robust leftist to work in their top four. Imagine Chychrun playing with Ekblad and Weegar reuniting with Gustav Forsling. The Panthers are also willing to be aggressive in their pursuit of a Cup. (For more on GM Bill Zito’s philosophy behind his trade-heavy approach so far with the Panthers, see my interview with him later this week).
The Panthers would have to send some money the Arizona way to make the deal work from a cap perspective, but the Coyotes have already shown that they are fine with taking on pay to ease deals. The Panthers also have some exciting young assets that could appeal to Arizona, from right wing Owen Tippett to left wing Grigori Denisenko. The question is whether Armstrong would dig himself down and ask for center Anton Lundell.
ST. LOUIS BLUES
Keep an eye on the Armstrong connection, from Doug to Bill. Bill spent a decade and a half in the Blues organization, where he rose from scout to director of amateur scouting to assistant GM, and he has a long-standing relationship with Blues GM Doug. It could give St. Louis a leg immediately in the negotiations. Chychrun could help the Blues win in the present, which is important as right wing David Perron is a UFA from 2022 and center Ryan O’Reilly and right wing Vladimir Tarasenko are UFAs in 2023.
Chychrun would also bring long-term stability to a D-Corps that has not successfully delivered an NHL player in top form for years. The Coyotes could speculate that Scott Perunovich flourished up to one. Would they also insist that St. Louis kicks in one of Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou? The most fascinating element of a Blues-Coyotes trade is that Bill Armstrong would acquire assets that he played a major role in scouting while he was with the Blues.
Other Chychrun suitors to see:
Edmonton Oilers: The desperation to win now is there and Oil has some high-end ‘D’ prospects.
Los Angeles Kings: Perhaps no team other than the Ottawa Senators has a deeper group of promising perspectives to use in trades.
New York Islanders: They have been linked with Chychrun, but he would fit more as a long-term asset than a winner-now-piece for a team that might miss the playoffs in 2021-22.
Ottawa Senators: If they are frustrated at not being further along in their reconstruction, Chychrun would distort them and they have an embarrassment about young assets to offer to Arizona.
Toronto Maple Leafs: They are all-in and therefore appear alongside many major trading targets, but their prospect pool is not as robust as it was a few years ago.
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