Several teams felt Coyotes' asking price for Chychrun was too steep

Former Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun. Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Several teams felt Coyotes' asking price for Jakob Chychrun was too steep

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 3/1/23

With less than 48 hours until Friday's NHL trade deadline, the Arizona Coyotes finally pulled the trigger on a trade of Jakob Chychrun, dealing the young defenseman to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for three draft picks.

While Chychrun received plenty of interest in the trade market, several teams, including the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals, felt the Coyotes' asking price was far too high, per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period.

Speaking with those around the league, Canes & Caps did not need any retention from AZ in a Chychrun deal, but both felt the price was still too high. When they pivoted, and others (like LA) pulled out of the race, Sens swooped in after balking a few times at the original price.
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) March 1, 2023

According to Pagnotta, even the Senators bailed from negotiations "a few times" over Arizona's demands before renewing talks this week.

The Coyotes held firm on not retaining any of Chychrun's salary beyond this season, eventually leading the Hurricanes to trade for Arizona's Shayne Gostisbehere and the Capitals to deal for Toronto Maple Leafs' Rasmus Sandin.

Ultimately, the Senators netted Chychrun for perhaps less than the Coyotes initially requested, sending conditional first (2023) and second-round picks (2024) along with a 2026 second-rounder to the Coyotes.

They also retain the remaining two years of Chychrun's six-year, $27.6M contract, which will pay him $4.4M in 2023-24 and $6M in 2024-25.

Regardless of the price, Senators general manager Pierre Dorion seemed pleased by the team's significant acquisition.

"A defenseman we've coveted, Jakob is big and plays imposing," Dorion said via the team's communications department. "He possesses a quality skill set; he defends hard and is highly skilled. He uses his heavy shot with accuracy and is effective at creating offense as a threat at the offensive blue line."

The 24-year-old, already in his seventh NHL season, is on pace for a career year in points. Through 36 games, Chychrun has registered seven goals and 21 assists for 28 points, 13 shy of his career-best of 41 points set in 2020-21.

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