Trade Deadline Profile: Jakob Chychrun is the top asset at the 2021-22 NHL trade deadline
Amid a wasteland of depth rentals and the void left by veterans who have been (unwisely) taken off the market, there isn't much high-end talent to get excited about moving at the deadline. But one name has stuck around from the start, a young, talented player with term and the promise of a massive return: Arizona Coyotes defenceman Jakob Chychrun.
Chychrun flew under the radar for a few seasons, registering as the best part of former general manager John Chayka's tenure in the desert but not getting a huge amount of buzz either. That changed last season when he grabbed Oliver Ekman-Larsson's job as the Coyotes' No. 1 defenceman and earned some Norris Trophy votes as well.
With the Coyotes committed to a scorched-earth rebuild, Chychrun's name has become a fixture of trade talks because of his high pedigree and extremely team-friendly contract (three years after this one at $4.6-million per season). If Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong feels he can maximize his rebuild by moving the 23-year-old, it sounds like he will. However, it's worth noting that he suffered a lower-body injury Sunday in a loss to the Boston Bruins and is considered day-to-day, which could complicate a trade.
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