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Jakob Chychrun

Trade Deadline Notes: Chychrun, Myers, Zaitsev, L’Heureux

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One of the top players on the market for this trade deadline season is Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun. His trade saga has been in headlines for quite some time now, and a deal could finally be materializing for the former top prospect. We covered how the league-leading Boston Bruins were rumored to have interest in Chychrun, and now another team with interest has been revealed. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period cites “multiple well-placed sources” who say that “the Kings and Arizona Coyotes have taken things up a notch or two and have been in consistent dialogue over a potential trade.”

The Kings could use a left-handed blueliner like Chychrun, and have the sort of prospects and draft picks to interest the Coyotes. While 2020 second-overall pick Quinton Byfield is probably too much of an ask, the Kings do have the seventh-ranked prospect system according to The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler. (subscription link) The Coyotes have reportedly set a high asking price for Chychrun, but whether it’s 2019 fifth-overall pick Alex Turcotte, Harvard star Alex Laferriere, or others the Kings have the capital to meet it.

Now, for some other notes regarding the trade deadline:

  • Pagnotta also reports that the Vancouver Canucks “have been engaged in trade talks with the Toronto Maple Leafs” regarding veteran defenseman Tyler Myers. While it might be quite the challenge to find a way to make the cap hit fit into the Maple Leafs’ current structure, Pagnotta did note that Toronto is not part of Myers’ no-trade protection, eliminating that potential barrier to a deal. While most (including PHR) have concluded that the Maple Leafs’ biggest needs for the deadline lie up front, it seems GM Kyle Dubas could be targeting help for his back end as well.
  • Another defenseman that could be on the move according to Pagnotta is Ottawa Senators blueliner Nikita Zaitsev. The Senators are reportedly “actively trying to move” Zaitsev, who played in 23 NHL games this season. According to the report, the price in order to incentivize a team to take on Zaitsev’s deal could be a second-round pick.
  • Nashville Predators 2021 first-round pick Zachary L’Heureux was indefinitely suspended by the QMJHL today. The Nashville Post’s Michael Gallagher reports that the incident in question saw L’Heureux allegedly poke a 16-year-old fan with his stick after his game against the Gatineau Olympiques. While these developments have no direct impact on the Predators’ chase of a playoff spot this season, what it could impact is their deadline possibilities. L’Heureux is one of the Predators’ top-ranked prospects and would have been one of their more valuable assets to be able to surrender in exchange for an impact NHL-er. With this indefinite suspension, it now seems highly unlikely that L’Heureux would figure in any deadline deal, meaning the team’s possibilities for who to acquire could change.

Trade Rumors: Kane, Chychrun, Oilers/Kings

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Teams around the league could soon get more clarity on the future of Chicago Blackhawks superstar Patrick Kane. On today’s edition of TSN’s Insider Trading, Pierre LeBrun relayed a quote from Kane’s agent, Pat Brisson, that a decision on whether he’ll waive his no-movement clause is coming “relatively soon.”

As LeBrun says, Kane completely controls his destiny, even if he waives his no-move clause, and he’ll be able to dictate the teams to which he’s willing to accept a trade. If Kane opts for a trade, Brisson says those teams will be notified at least “seven to 10 days” ahead of the March 3 deadline. There does exist a timeline in which Kane rejects a trade and opts to stay put, reconsidering his future in Chicago this summer. Despite just having nine goals in 45 games this season, Kane would still carry a great deal of value at the deadline, although it may not result in a first-round pick at this point.

  • The Boston Bruins could get even scarier. LeBrun also reported on Insider Trading that the team has recently inquired about Jakob Chychrun, which could give them easily the most formidable defense in the league. Even if the Bruins opt to part with Brandon Carlo in any potential Chychrun deal, as his name has begun to enter trade speculation, it would still leave Boston with a top-four defense group of Chychrun, Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm, and Matt Grzelcyk. With Chychrun locked into a dirt-cheap, sub-$5MM cap hit for multiple seasons, it could pay dividends for years to come if the Bruins can manage to stay competitive.
  • LeBrun also mentioned that the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings seem to be competing for the same trade deadline additions, mainly left-shot defensemen. The two Pacific Division rivals have both been linked to Chychrun, Joel Edmundson, and Vladislav Gavrikov. A potential bidding war for those trade targets would certainly make fans of the Coyotes, Canadiens, and Blue Jackets smile, as the playoff rivals from last season aim to upgrade their group of defensemen.

Snapshots: Islanders, Tanev, Guzda

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The New York Islanders have now lost six in a row, scoring just 11 goals in the process. A group that was once expected to be serious buyers at the trade deadline have nearly fallen out of the playoff race entirely, making it a much different situation as February approaches.

When discussing the team’s deadline plans (as best as he can figure, with Lou Lamoriello at the helm), Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet noted on today’s 32 Thoughts podcast that there was real interest in Jakob Chychrun at one point. Apparently, the Islanders balked at the asking price, something that Friedman understands, given their current position.

  • With Chris Tanev already ruled out through the All-Star break, the Calgary Flames have moved him to injured reserve. Brett Ritchie has been activated to fill his spot, and is expected to be in the lineup tonight when the team takes on the Seattle Kraken. Ritchie last played on New Year’s Eve, leaving the game after just six shifts.
  • The Florida Panthers will go with Alex Lyon in net again tonight, and are set to have Mack Guzda as the backup after recalling him this morning. To make room, Grigori Denisenko was returned to the minor leagues. Lyon has allowed 17 goals in four games so far, including seven on 49 shots Tuesday night.

Latest On The Edmonton Oilers

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The Edmonton Oilers have been one of the most-watched stories in the league this season. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl continue to put up generational scoring numbers. Still, old issues have reared their ugly heads, and the team remains on the fringes of the playoffs as the calendar turns to 2023.

Edmonton has two big dates circled on their calendar over the next weeks: the return of elite power forward Evander Kane to the lineup and the NHL Trade Deadline on March 3.

In terms of making trades, the Oilers are “working the phones” well before the deadline, writes Pierre LeBrun in a piece for The Athletic. LeBrun says Edmonton has been connected to Arizona’s Jakob Chychrun, as well as Montreal’s Joel Edmundson, and about “every selling team you can think of with a defenseman potentially up for grabs.”

With the team’s swath of promising young defensemen, it does seem that adding just one bigger name into the mix could offer Edmonton the ability to optimize their pairings and solidify defensive issues that have plagued them for years.

However, they can’t expect to keep pucks out of the net without goaltending, which is still somewhat of a concern. Jack Campbell still hasn’t been able to figure things out in Edmonton, now completely losing the starting job to Stuart Skinner just months after signing a five-year, $25MM contract. Skinner himself has been passable at worst and lifesaving at best, maintaining a .914 save percentage through 25 starts.

Kane’s return from a horrifying wrist injury could shore up another issue – depth scoring. Edmonton’s fourth-ranked offense in the NHL comes courtesy of McDavid, Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Zach Hyman, who have scored 95 of their 147 goals (a staggering 65%). No other Oilers forward has more than five goals – which is Kane, who’s played in just 14 games.

His return is likely coming this month, meaning his activation (and salary cap implications) remains untouched by any potential deadline trade.

PuckPedia outlined potential scenarios for the cap-strapped Oilers today, which would allow Kane to come off long-term injured reserve. It would be a tricky scenario, requiring them to place defenseman Ryan Murray on LTIR, assigning Devin Shore and Vincent Desharnais to the minors, and sending one more player down who makes more than $1.125MM against the cap. This would likely be Mattias Janmark, who has nine points in 28 games and failed to make the team out of training camp.

Snapshots: Schenn, Chychrun, Muzzin

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Few players currently active in the NHL have had as stunning career revivals as Luke Schenn has had in recent years. Just a few seasons ago the 2008 fifth-overall pick would be known to most as a Toronto Maple Leafs draft disappointment who ultimately settled in as a bottom-of-the-lineup depth defenseman. Then Schenn signed a contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning, won two Stanley Cups, and went to Vancouver where he has become a steady rock on an otherwise volatile defense. Now, his agent is singing Schenn’s praises on social media as a potential trade deadline acquisition for a contending team.

According to Schenn, though, a trade isn’t his first choice for how to proceed on his expiring contract. Per The Athletic’s Harman Dayal, Schenn “wants to re-sign with the Canucks” and has said that his top priority “is to be part of a winning team” in Vancouver. (subscription link) Can the Canucks devote some of their limited financial flexibility to Schenn, who for all his virtues remains a 33-year-old physical defenseman? Schenn’s side of the equation seems settled, so the open question is whether Schenn’s interest in signing an extension is shared by his team.

Now, for some other notes from across the NHL:

  • The Jakob Chychrun situation in Arizona remains unsettled, as the team has still not found a suitable trade deal for their star defenseman. Per PHNX’s Craig Morgan, they’re not going to budge on their asking price any time soon. According to Morgan, that price is two first-round picks and a second-rounder or a “good prospect,” and teams such as the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers, Boston Bruins, and Florida Panthers, among others, are “still believed to be in the mix.”
  • The Toronto Star’s Kevin McGran penned a closer look at the Maple Leafs’ situation with defenseman Jake Muzzin, examining not only whether he can return from the neck injury that sidelined him, but whether he should. Based on the comments of the health experts McGran interviewed, it seems Muzzin is facing the choice of whether to potentially risk his long-term personal health in order to get back on the ice.

Latest On Jakob Chychrun

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It’s been seven games now since Jakob Chychrun returned for the Arizona Coyotes, and if interested teams wanted to see proof that he can still be an impact player, he’s done everything they need. The 24-year-old defenseman is averaging 22:25 in ice time on the year and has three goals and six points in those seven games. Granted, six of the seven contests have been losses, but that likely has to do more with his teammates than his individual performance.

Last night on TSN’s Insider Trading, Darren Dreger updated the situation:

I still think there is aprehension among clubs with the most interest to pay the price that Bill Armstrong and the Coyotes are looking for. But I also think there is a group of teams that are getting to the point they realize they may have to. 

Armstrong has maintained a high price for Chychrun going back to last season, despite the defenseman’s public admission that he wants to be traded to a contender. That’s because he isn’t just a rental. Chychrun is signed through the 2024-25 season at a reasonable $4.6MM cap hit, though the actual salary owed will continue to increase. While that might sound like a lot, it puts him 65th among active defensemen in the league, tied with Jamie Oleksiak of the Seattle Kraken and just ahead of players like Shayne Gostisbehere, Tyson Barrie, and Nikita Zaitsev.

Several teams around the league are dealing with significant injuries to their defense corps, and others have just seen their players struggle. The Edmonton Oilers, for instance, have been looking for a top-end defenseman as Dreger suggests in the same piece, referencing Evan Bouchard’s recent benching. Biding his time appears to have worked perfectly for Armstrong, who can now just wait until a team is desperate enough to meet his high asking price.

The Coyotes, meanwhile, are losing even with Chychrun in the lineup, and are doing just fine in their pursuit of the first-overall pick. There’s no rush on their end, even if he does have a no-trade clause that comes into effect next summer. At this point, it’s hard to see the young defenseman blocking a trade anywhere as long as it gets him closer to another playoff appearance.

Snapshots: Hornqvist, Columbus, Colorado

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When Anthony Duclair is eventually ready to return from his Achilles injury, the Florida Panthers are going to need to make some moves. The team is using up nearly all of his $3MM in long-term injured reserve flexibility even with a roster of 20 players, meaning that much will need to come off the books to activate him.

While the easy answer might be to trade Patric Hornqvist, who is playing fourth-line minutes on an expiring $5.3MM cap hit, it might not happen. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet discussed the situation on the 32 Thoughts podcast, and noted that even if there wasn’t a “guarantee” handed over that Hornqvist wouldn’t be traded, to get him to Florida in the first place that kind of agreement was made. While there isn’t anything technically stopping general manager Bill Zito from going back on his word, Friedman doesn’t expect it.

  • Also on the podcast, Friedman and co-host Jeff Marek also brought up the Columbus Blue Jackets as the latest team connected to Jakob Chychrun. While the Blue Jackets aren’t going anywhere this year, they have plenty of young assets that could be of interest to the Arizona Coyotes and expect to be better next season when not dealing with a huge number of injuries. Chychrun looked quite good in his latest game for the Coyotes, recording an assist, eight shots on goal, and a +3 rating in a win over the Carolina Hurricanes.
  • Now that the Colorado Avalanche don’t need to play today, they’ve returned Sampo Ranta and Anton Blidh back to the AHL. The depth forwards could be back up as early as tomorrow, when the team welcomes the Dallas Stars in.

Latest On Trade Market For Defensemen

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Mentioning the market for defense in the NHL immediately brings to mind at least two things: Jakob Chychrun and the Ottawa Senators, both as they are separately, and the rumors connecting the defenseman to Canada’s capitol. With Chychrun having been on IR to finish last season and now to start this season, the rumors surrounding the 24-year-old had been a bit quieter than usual, but expected to tick up with his return on Monday.

Tonight on Hockey Night in Canada’s 32 Thoughts segment, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman seemed to confirm this inevitability, expecting talks on Chychrun to begin heating up once the defenseman returns. Another interesting note from Friedman on the Coyotes and their defensemen is the possibility of a trade involving Conor Timmins. A second-round pick in 2017, Timmins’ prospect status has never really been in question, at least for his on-ice performance. Instead, injuries have derailed the 24-year-old’s career. Now on a conditioning stint in the AHL, Timmins appears to be fully healthy and soon to be ready for NHL action, causing Friedman to wonder if Arizona might pursue a trade market for Timmins as well.

A newer name added to the defensemen speculation is San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson. Once thought to be unmovable, Karlsson is off to an incredible start, on pace to set several career-bests already, scoring 11 goals along with 17 assists in just 19 games on the season. With four years left at an $11.5MM cap hit after this season, Karlsson will be incredibly difficult for the Sharks to move even with his historic production, but it just may make doing so possible for the rebuilding San Jose squad. According to Friedman, this also from 32 Thoughts, the Sharks haven’t gotten that far yet in any Karlsson talks. As Friedman says, the belief is that Karlsson has not yet been asked to move his no-movement clause, at least not for any specific team.

Friedman adds that he believes the Sharks are currently trying to determine what other teams are willing to do in regards to the rest of the contract. Of course the Sharks and their potential trade partner will have to work out how much, if any, San Jose retains on the remaining contract and what assets they could get back for Karlsson, which would hinge on how much the Sharks would retain.

One team looking for defense that many want to see on the shortlist to acquire Karlsson would be the Ottawa Senators. Their search for a defenseman in the early part of this season has been well documented and Chychrun has been the number one name associated with them. As reported by Friedman on 32 Thoughts earlier, it is believed Ottawa did try to work on a deal that would have sent Nikita Zaitsev to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Tyler Myers, but the deal did not get far enough for Myers, who has a modified no-trade clause, to be asked for permission. Other pieces would have presumably had to be involved to make the deal work for both sides, but that sort of swap would have benefitted Vancouver to the tune of $1.5MM in cap savings while giving Ottawa the defenseman they’ve been looking for and allowing them to get out from under the Zaitsev contract.

Snapshots: Soderholm, Maple Leafs, Chychrun

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One of the ongoing debates in the hockey world is when the NHL will start to broaden coaching searches outside of North America. The league has only really had two European head coaches in its history, and every summer there is talk about how someone like Rickard Gronborg could be an interesting candidate.

Well, take at least one name off the list for the time being, as Toni Soderholm has signed a contract to coach SC Bern in the Swiss National League until 2024. The 44-year-old Finn had been the head coach of the German national team for the last several years but used an out clause to terminate the deal and join Bern. Like most of the candidates that are brought up in this discussion, Soderholm has ties to North American hockey already, having played and even captained UMass.

  • While the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrate their win over the Pittsburgh Penguins last night, the rest of the hockey world seems to be focused on finding them a new defenseman. Another piece came out today, this time from Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, detailing several candidates to replace Jake Muzzin. One name that is listed is Vladislav Gavrikov of the Columbus Blue Jackets, a name that has also been brought up by The Fourth Period in relation to the Maple Leafs. Toronto has some additional cap flexibility due to the injury to Jake Muzzin, which is keeping him out indefinitely and could end his career.
  • One of the names that is always brought up for defense-needy teams is Jakob Chychrun, and today he officially rejoined the Arizona Coyotes for practice. Speaking with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong once again implied that he will not drop the asking price for Chychrun, which – according to LeBrun – is a package including two first-round picks.

Jakob Chychrun, Nick Schmaltz Set To Return Next Week

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The Arizona Coyotes are about to get some reinforcements after an already impressive stretch of play, at least compared to expectations. Defenseman Jakob Chychrun and forward Nick Schmaltz are set to return to the lineup next Monday when the Coyotes take on the Nashville Predators, according to general manager Bill Armstrong, who spoke with PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan.

As previously reported, though, it seems like Chychrun won’t play more than a handful of games as a Coyote this year. Trade speculation around him has been constant for around a year, and as of the last notable update almost a month ago, the Coyotes’ asking price for the young defender remains on the high side. He’s missed the first month of the season with an ankle injury that kept him out of the end of last season, as well as a separate wrist injury sustained late last month. The 24-year-old is coming off a down season but had 41 points in just 56 games during the 2020-21 campaign. The 16th overall pick in 2016 is a legitimate top-four defenseman regardless, and players like him don’t come around on the trade market often.

Schmaltz, who had a resurgent campaign last year with 59 points in 63 games, left the team’s season opener in the first period. He’s been out since with an upper-body injury.

In an anticipatory transaction, the Coyotes today also sent down forward Laurent Dauphin to the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. The minor-league veteran played just one game with the Coyotes this year, but has eight points in eight games with Tucson.

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