Jakob Chychrun traded by Arizona Coyotes to Ottawa Senators

The Arizona Coyotes have traded defenseman Jakob Chychrun to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a 2023 conditional first-round pick, 2024 conditional second-round pick and an additional 2026 second-round pick.

Conditions: The ’23 1st-round pick is top-5 protected. If met, pick becomes ’24 1st-round unprotected. Additionally, should #Sens reach ’23 ECF, the 2nd-round pick becomes ’24 1st-round top 10-protected. If that condition is met, the pick becomes ’25 1st-round unprotected. 2/2

— Sens Communications (@Media_Sens) March 1, 2023

The deal comes down after a long road of Chychrun being involved in trade rumors and talks. Before the season, Chychrun told the media he had asked the team for a trade and was hoping Arizona would trade him to a contender.

Chychrun brought in that heavy return and no shortage of interest as a skilled 24-year-old defenseman on a cost-controlled contract of $4.6 million a year that runs through the 2024-25 season.

The departure of Chychrun is the latest under the tenure of general manager Bill Armstrong to net the Coyotes a return of draft capital in exchange for a valuable player on the ice, leaving Arizona with only a few long-term pieces currently on the NHL roster as the rebuild continues.

Lawson Crouse, Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, Karel Vejmelka and the recently acquired Shea Weber are the only players under contract beyond next season. Weber was a recent addition on injured reserve, a piece that will help Arizona stay above the salary cap floor and brought back a fifth-round pick from the Las Vegas Knights.

In the middle of last season, Armstrong admittingly had talks of trading Chychrun at the deadline but did not receive the right deal as the defenseman dealt with a few injuries.

Chychrun had not made an appearance on the ice since Feb. 10, missing six straight games for “trade-related reasons.”

“We had some meetings about it and said, ‘Hey, listen, as we’re going through the process, this is the last chip of a rebuild and we are going to get maximum value for you,'” Armstrong told Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta on Feb. 21.

“It’s important for us to get this right. He has been great about it. He upped his game, he’s played well, been a great teammate, unbelievable, very professional. He’s made this very easy on us.”

Chychrun signed a six-year, $27 million contract before the 2019-20 season and carries a $4.6 million cap hit this season.

He has played in 373 games over his career, recording 60 goals and 110 assists for 170 points.

His best statistical season with the Coyotes came during the 2020-21 campaign when he played 56 games yet set career highs in both goals (18) and assists (23) for 41 points. This was his first and only NHL All-Star Game appearance.

This year, Chychrun has seven goals and 21 assists in 36 games.

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