5 Offseason Trade Landing Spots for Senators Defenseman Jakob Chychrun
It seems like an annual occurrence for Jakob Chychrun to be mentioned in trade rumors, and the 2023-24 season was no different.
Despite the speculation, the Senators decided to hold onto him at the trade deadline, but they could explore the possibility of trading him this offseason.
The 25-year-old is entering the final year of his contract, there is some doubt as to whether or not the Senators can (or will) re-sign him, they have a surplus of left-shot defensemen with Thomas Chabot and Jake Sanderson and they are still a team in transition that needs some change after another disappointing season.
All of that makes Chychrun a natural trade candidate this summer.
So, let's take an updated look at where he could make sense this offseason.
Detroit Red Wings
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I've been pushing the Red Wings as a potential Chychrun landing spot since he first surfaced in trade speculation, and nothing about that is going to change this offseason.
He fits into the current age group of their core, he is a good player at a position of need, and his contract fits within the Red Wings' salary-cap structure.
Detroit is one of the worst defensive teams in hockey, which might sabotage one of the NHL's best offenses and keep the team out of the playoffs.
If the Red Wings' playoff drought extends to an eighth consecutive season, there is going to be immense pressure on general manager Steve Yzerman for next season.
He has to fix his defense if that is going to happen.
As of Monday, the Red Wings have the fourth-worst expected goals share in the NHL during 5-on-5 play (ahead of only Chicago, San Jose and St. Louis) are 25th in expected goals against per 60 minutes (2.68 per 60 minutes).
That is the performance of a lottery team. Not a playoff team.
Moritz Seider is taking on every big minute and every big shift, and he's having to do pretty much everything on the Red Wings' defense. He is an outstanding player, but he desperately needs somebody to take some of the pressure off of him.
Chychrun his a big body (6'2", 220 lbs), can move the puck and is a productive player who should be able to make an impact on any roster. He also has a team friendly contract for one more season at only $4.6 million.
The Red Wings should be all over this if the Senators put him on the market. Their defense can't be ignored any longer.
Toronto Maple Leafs
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No matter what happens with the Toronto Maple Leafs the rest of the way, there is going to be some need to change things up on their defense.
It has been a weak link all season, and they also have a huge need for bodies there as they only have three defensemen under contract for next season.
T.J. Brodie, Joel Edmundson, Ilya Lyubushkin, Mark Giordano, Jake Muzzin and John Klingberg (the latter three are all on LTIR at the moment) are all unrestricted free agents, while Timothy Liljegren and Simon Benoit are restricted free agents.
Not all of them will be back, and there is a good argument to be made that none of them should be (at least as far as the potential UFA players are concerned).
That alone makes defense a major need in the offseason, and that doesn't even get into the possibility of the Maple Leafs failing in the playoffs again and looking to make changes just based on that.
The big obstacle with a deal for Chychrun would be getting two long-term rivals to make an actual hockey trade with one another.
Most of the trades made between Toronto and Ottawa in recent years have been salary-dump moves.
That would not be the case here. Chychrun is still a good player and carries an extraordinarily team friendly contract. A team in need of a defenseman is not likely to find a better player on the free-agent market for a cheaper price against the salary cap.
There would probably be an extensive divisional tax that Toronto would have to pay to get Ottawa to to trade him. The Senators are not going to be interested in doing the Maple Leafs any favors unless they are getting highly compensated for it.
Nashville Predators
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The Nashville Predators have been one of the most fascinating teams in the NHL this season, and it's hard to get a grasp on what their short-term outlook is and where management sees them in the coming seasons.
They missed the playoffs a year ago and looked like a team that had settled into a perpetual state of mediocrity. A rebuild looked to be required.
However, new general manager Barry Trotz went into the offseason and added a couple of veteran players on long-term deals (Ryan O'Reilly, Gustav Nyquist), and the Predators are suddenly a playoff team and getting ready to enter as one of the hottest clubs in the NHL.
Sometimes, you just cannot predict this sport.
Given that the Predators have reemerged as a playoff team and still have one more year of starting goalie Juuse Saros, it might make some sense to make a big move this offseason to give themselves a better shot in the Western Conference.
They are likely to lose Tyson Barrie and Alexandre Carrier as free agents this offseason, and they won't have much in the way of impact players on defense after Roman Josi. Ryan McDonagh is a shell of his former self, and there is not much offense coming from anybody outside of the Swiss player.
Nashville is loaded with salary-cap space and draft picks, owning nine draft picks in the first four rounds of the 2024 class and two first-round picks in 2025.
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Carolina Hurricanes
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The Carolina Hurricanes are in a similar situation as the Maple Leafs when it comes to their defense. A contending team that is going to have a huge need this offseason due to most of its players at the position being on expiring contracts.
Brady Skjei, Brett Pesce, Tony DeAngelo and Jalen Chatfield are all set to be unrestricted free agents, and it's hard to imagine all of them returning.
Typically, the Hurricanes don't like to deal with rentals or players on one-year deals, but they do love a bargain and Chychrun is one of the best in the NHL given his age, production, talent and salary-cap number.
He would be an outstanding fit in the way the Hurricanes like to play, and it might be an environment that may help him reach his potential and have a true breakout year offensively.
Carolina is also set to have more than $30 million in salary-cap space this offseason.
While restricted free agents Martin Necas and Seth Jarvis will eat up a lot of that when they sign their new deals, it should still leave the Hurricanes with enough cap space to pursue somebody like Chychrun on defense if needed.
The Hurricanes do have a couple of outstanding defense prospects coming through the pipeline in Alexander Nikishin and Scott Morrow, but they may not be ready to make an impact in 2024-25.
Getting Chychrun, even on just a one-year contract without an extension, could help them buy some time until their next wave of prospects is ready.
Dallas Stars
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The Dallas Stars have one of the best teams in hockey and should be set up for long-term success with their core.
Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston, Miro Heiskanen, Thomas Harley, Logan Stankoven and Jake Oettinger are all either in their prime years or just entering them, and they are all under team control for multiple years.
Dallas had a huge need for a second-pairing defenseman going into the trade deadline, and it addressed that by adding Chris Tanev in a trade with the Calgary Flames.
While that was a great move for the short term, the 34-year-old is an unrestricted free agent after this season and probably only a rental.
That is going to leave a potentially big hole on the Stars' defense going into next season and needs to be addressed.
With Ryan Suter continuing to slow down and Nils Lundkvist not really taking a big step forward, it might make a lot of sense to go after Chychrun.
Salary-cap space could be an issue, especially as the Stars have to figure out how to either re-sign or replace Joe Pavelski, Matt Duchene and Craig Smith at forward, but Chychrun is affordable and could still fit into their salary-cap structure.
Data in this article via Natural Stat Trick and CapFriendly
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