Chychrun's return could spur trade market for Coyotes

Jakob Chychrun will make his season debut for the Arizona Coyotes next week, which could spur action on the trade market.

Trade rumours have long circled around the 24-year-old defenceman, but TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston reports interested teams want to see Chychrun on the ice again before making a deal with Arizona.

"It's been a year of talking about it but it's been seven-plus months since he's played a game," Johnston said on Insider Trading. "That's about to change on Monday night in Nashville when Arizona plays there. It's going to be one of those situations where we start monitoring the scouts list wherever the Coyotes are playing because Chychrun is someone who a lot of teams that have been in discussions with Arizona have said they want to see play.

"He's had ankle and wrist injuries. He's had surgeries. He's had some stops and starts as he looks to get going, but he's finally going to start playing and there's some hope that that could finally break the ice and lead towards a trade."

Chychrun revealed in September that the Coyotes first approached him about a possible trade to a contender before last season and he took them up on the offer of potentially being moved to a contender.

“Throughout the start of last season, I had a lot of reflection time and some really, really emotional, hard reflections with my loved ones and family," he said "We ultimately decided to take them up on that offer and try to get moved on to a better situation.”

The 24-year-old had seven goals and 21 points in 47 games last season, his sixth with the Coyotes. He is in the fourth year of his six-year, $27.6 million contract with an average annual value of $4.6 million.

Taken 16th overall by the Coyotes at the 2016 NHL Draft, Chychrun had a career season with Arizona in 2020-21, scoring 18 goals and tallying 41 points in 56 games. In 337 career NHL games, he has 53 goals and 142 points.

Kings holding up trade market?

While Chychrun's return could spur trade action, TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reports the Los Angeles Kings have no immediate plans to move any of their right-shot defenceman. 

"Another team that clubs have been looking at, clubs that have injuries along the blue line, is the Los Angeles Kings, who of course have started the season strong and are so loaded on the right side - four of their six in their top six are right handers, although Sean Durzi can play both sides and that's what he's been doing," LeBrun said. "Nineteen-year-old Brian Clark, a righty, is right now in the AHL on a conditioning stint, and there's some talk internally: does it make sense for him, if he wants, to go play for Team Canada at the World Juniors?

"Of course, Jordan Spence, who played 24 games with the Kings last year, he played well, and he's stuck in the AHL, so teams are sitting there saying 'When is L.A. going to be open for business with their D?' Right now, Rob Blake, the general manager, wants to keep his depth as long as possible and he's not ready to wheel and deal just yet with those right-handed defencemen."

The Kings currently sit second in the Pacific Division with 23 points through 19 games this season.