Deadline for Jakob Chychrun trade emerges and contenders get fixed!

For months now, fans have focused on Arizona Coyotes’ defenseman Jakob Chychrun and his next destination. He repeated how he wants out, but the fact remains that GM Bill Armstrong is asking a lot in return for the blue liner, reportedly seeking at least one first-round pick plus a top prospect or a good young NHL player.

But now, it’s been reported that the clock is ticking. Adam Proteau of the Hockey News is adamant that the Coyotes must trade Chychrun now “while his trade value remains high.” He points to the Ottawa Senators, Edmonton Oilers and Minnesota Wild as the top three potential landing spots, convinced these teams need a fix for their early-season defensive struggles.

The Senators have been mentioned many times in trade chatter and seem like the easy destination seeing that they have almost enough cap space ($4.1 million) to take on Chychrun’s $4.6 million annual salary-cap hit and are loaded with young players and a stockpile of prospects and draft picks.

The Oilers are however a destination that comes up a lot for Chychrun and it is no secret that GM Ken Holland needs to bolster his back end to be a top contender.

Proteau adds the Wild to the mix since he believes GM Bill Guerin could step up to meet the Coyotes’ asking price. It all depends what happens with pending unrestricted free agent Matt Dumba…

It’s been said in recent weeks that Coyotes keep informing everybody that they’re willing to be patient, though they could agree with Proteau that the time is now to move Chychrun. What if he returns and sucks? Or gets injured again? Chychrun had an ankle injury at the end of last season and he had wrist surgery over the off-season this summer and has yet to return. Proteau believes his value hasn’t changed since last season when he posted seven goals and 21 points in 47 games. The Coyotes know his value will never be higher than it is right now, seeing that his questionable performance was more linked to the team’s struggles than his talent.

It all depends if Arizona softens the asking price and if the defenseman can prove he can stay healthy. With some contenders stuck with a tight salary cap, like Edmonton and Minnesota, that deadline might be passed on and Chychrun might not get traded anytime soon in the end.

What’s your take?