Sabres, Blue Jackets, Sens keeping tabs on Chychrun
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As plenty of names fly off TSN's Trade Bait Board leading up to Friday's deadline, the wait continues to see whether Jakob Chychrun of the Arizona Coyotes will be dealt.
TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reports that teams are hoping for a price drop on the 24-year-old blueliner as the deadline nears. Dreger notes that Buffalo Sabres are staying close, while the Columbus Blue Jackets remain interested and have some collateral to make a deal after their trade Wednesday morning sending Vladislav Gavrikov and Joonas Korpisalo to the Los Angeles Kings for a conditional first-rounder, a third-rounder and Jonathan Quick.
Dreger adds that the red-hot Ottawa Senators are also willing to listen. The Senators are on a roll coming off back-to-back wins over the Detroit Red Wings Monday and Tuesday and now sits five points back of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second wild-card spot and six points back of the New York Islanders for top spot, with four games in hand.
Chychrun has been out of the lineup since Feb. 10 due to "trade-related reasons," missing the last eight games.
In 36 games so far this season, Chychrun has seven goals and 21 assists while averaging 23:16 of ice time a night.
He is in the fourth season of a six-year, $27.6 million deal he signed with Arizona in November of 2018. The contract carries a cap hit of $4.6 million, runs through the 2024-25 season and includes a modified no-trade clause in each of the next two campaigns.
Chychrun has 60 goals and 110 assists for 170 points in seven NHL seasons with the Coyotes after being selected No. 16 overall in the 2016 draft.
Oilers no longer a suitor?
Dreger reported Tuesday night Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong was going back to the drawing board on Chychrun after the Edmonton Oilers acquired blueliner Mattias Ekholm from the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.
Dreger added that Edmonton and Arizona were deep in negotiations on Chychrun as of Tuesday morning before Oilers' general manager Ken Holland cut bait and refocused on Ekholm.
Heading back to Nashville in the deal was defenceman Tyson Barrie, forward Reid Schaefer, a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 fourth-round pick. Edmonton also brought back a 2024 sixth-rounder in the deal.