Kristen ShiltonESPN NHL reporter2 Minute Read
The long-awaited Jakob Chychrun commerce has lastly come round.
The Arizona Coyotes moved their high defenseman to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday, in change for a conditional first-round draft choose in 2023, a conditional second-round choice in 2024 (from the Washington Capitals), and a second-round choose in 2026.
The first-round selection is top-five protected within the deal. If these parameters are met, it turns into an unprotected first-rounder in 2024. If Ottawa reaches the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, the second-round selection turns into a first-rounder in 2024 that is top-10 protected. If that situation is met, the choose strikes to an unprotected first-round selection in 2025.
The Senators grabbed Chychrun for lower than what Arizona was initially asking. The Coyotes had needed a high prospect in return for Chychrun, however as different defensemen had been plucked off the board — and with the commerce deadline looming at 3 p.m. Friday — Arizona and Ottawa reignited earlier negotiations to get a deal executed.
Now Ottawa has an elite veteran to enhance its secure of younger defensive items. Chychrun — who has two years remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $4.6 million — joins Thomas Chabot, Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub on a Senators’ blueline that has been hit onerous by accidents this season however, when wholesome, has glorious potential.
The similar goes for the Senators as an entire. Ottawa has gained three straight and 10 of its previous 14. They’re at present 5 factors out of an Eastern Conference wild-card spot with 22 regular-season video games to go. General supervisor Pierre Dorion is rewarding his group by buying a real difference-maker in Chychrun to assist them make a postseason push over the subsequent six weeks.
Chychrun’s abilities embody that uncommon mixture of environment friendly protection with helpful offense on the again line. Even on a Coyotes staff that always struggles to attain targets, Chychrun, simply one of the marketable defensemen on this yr’s market, historically finally ends up with enough numbers for an elite defenseman.
This season, regardless of accidents and a scarcity of skilled depth within the Coyotes’ defensive corps, Chychrun, 24, had seven targets and 28 factors by Feb. 11, the day he was scratched for buying and selling functions. Chychrun beforehand hit double-digits in targets twice with Arizona, together with his profession excessive of 18 in 2020-21.
A 2016 first-round choice by Arizona, Chychrun is likely one of the few Florida natives to star within the NHL. Chychrun was raised in Boca Raton, Florida, and his father, former NHL defenseman Jeff Chychrun, is a studio analyst for the Florida Panthers.
With the Coyotes in rebuild mode, Chychrun’s identify had been talked about prominently in commerce rumors for 2 years. He is underneath contract for an additional two years, however subsequent season a modified no-trade clause was set to kick in. That put extra strain on Arizona to deal Chychrun now, to any staff of their selecting, than to face restricted choices sooner or later.
