Could Coyotes Trade Jakob Chychrun on Draft Night?
The NHL’s off-season is beginning to ignite as the 2022 Draft nears.
After conducting two consecutive virtual drafts due to COVID-19 restrictions, the league’s annual draft will be held in Montreal, Quebec on Thursday and Friday. It’ll be an in-person event for the first time since 2019.
Based on early reports, hockey fans probably need to prepare themselves ahead of what’s expected to be a very entertaining next few days.
At the moment, the rumour mill is being flooded with potential trades that could take place before the draft concludes, including Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun. One franchise that’s reportedly interested in his services is the Columbus Blue Jackets, according to Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch.
Hedger doesn’t necessarily link Chychrun to the Blue Jackets in his report, however, he does suggest the team would be willing to part with its 12th overall selection to acquire the 24-year-old blueliner.
Columbus also holds the sixth overall pick in this month’s draft as part of the return in last summer’s Seth Jones trade. It’s unclear if the front office would be willing to include two first-round selections in any trade proposals to Arizona.
The Coyotes, however, have previously held a very steep asking price in any trade discussions involving Chychrun. And understandably so. The former 16th overall pick from 2016 is easily their biggest trade chip.
In 337 career NHL games, the 6’2” defenceman has scored 53 goals and 142 points while averaging 20:50 minutes of ice-time per night. He’s also registered 498 blocks, 442 hits and 117 takeaways.
Adding to his value, Chychrun is currently in the midst of a very team-friendly contract, which carries a $4.6 million cap hit per season through 2024-25. He’ll be eligible to enter unrestricted free agency during the 2025 off-season.
Prior to sustaining a season-ending ankle injury, which limited him to just 47 contests, the Coyotes reportedly fielded numerous offers on Chychrun leading up to last season’s trade deadline. In the end, however, nothing ever materialized into a trade.
But perhaps this time will be different. Multiple reports suggested Columbus was interested in acquiring defenseman Ryan McDonagh before the Nashville Predators landed him earlier this week. The club may remain aggressive in an effort to improve its blueline.
As currently constructed, the Blue Jackets’ defense is headlined by Zach Werenski, Jake Bean, Vladislav Gavrikov and Andrew Peeke. Youngster Adam Boqvist also emerged as a key piece in 2021-22, although he’s currently a restricted free agent.
The Blue Jackets have missed the playoffs in each of the last two seasons and haven’t advanced beyond the opening round since 2019. But if they acquire Chychrun, their postseason odds would undoubtedly improve significantly.
If Arizona were to acquire a package that included a first-round pick, that would provide them with a mind-blowing four first-rounders in 2022. They also own four second-rounders, as well.
It certainly seems this might finally be the year when Chychrun is granted his wish and receives a first-class ticket out of the desert.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Pens Through My Lens. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.