Maple Leafs have a way to acquire Jakob Chychrun without too much damage

Fans keep waiting to see where defenseman Jakob Chychrun will land. Ahead of the season opener, the blue liner 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.

That did not scare Nick Kypreos from making the bold proposal in the Toronto Star that the Maple Leafs could acquire Chychrun from the Arizona Coyotes without having to to clear Jake Muzzin’s salary from their books or giving up top prospect Matthew Knies in return.

Kypreos reports that the Coyotes informed the Leafs and the Ottawa Senators, who have also been linked to Chychrun, that if a trade cannot be made involving prospects like Knies or the Senators’ Ridly Greig, that the offer could instead be built around two first-round picks. He adds that if a deal can be made with Toronto, the Yotes might ask for Rasmus Sandin, Timothy Liljegren or Topi Niemela.

Kypreos then explains how the Coyotes would need to take on Alex Kerfoot and his $3.5 million cap hit in the trade. Then, Chychrun’s $4.6 million cap hit through 2024-25 would fit well within the Leafs’ payroll and he would bring his powerful shot and ability to log big minutes to Toronto to take some burden off Morgan Rielly.

There is the fear that Chychrun is prone to injuries: 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.

Seeing that Chychrun has been linked to many other teams, including the Edmonton Oilers, New York Islanders and the Senators, Kypreos believes the Maple Leafs need to acquire him sooner rather than later or risk seeing him shipped elsewhere.

Could this convince the Maple Leafs and general manager Kyle Dubas to pull the trigger?