In his latest
32 Thoughts piece published yesterday, respected hockey insider Elliotte Friedman broke news that the Arizona Coyotes could be shopping defenseman Jakob Chychrun.
From Freidman’s article:
“Arizona GM Bill Armstrong refused to comment when asked, but it now sounds like the Coyotes are gauging the market on Jakob Chychrun. I’ve heard the ask is massive, but that doesn’t mean opponents are running away. He’s signed for three more years at a very reasonable $4.6 million AAV and is a terrific player. This is one to watch.”
I’m a big fan of Chychrun’s game and feel he’s one of the league’s underrated blue liners. This is about as “double-edged sword” as it gets for Arizona. At only 23, Chychrun is plenty young and talented to stick through the rebuild and continue to be a very important piece for this franchise going forward.
Unfortunately for Coyotes fans, it’s those exact qualities (youth and talent) that make him so desirable for other teams, and also what would send a nice package the other way to Arizona if a trade is done.
So what do you do if you’re GM Bill Armstrong? This is a legit crossroads you’re at.
If the asking price really is “massive” and it’s not turning teams away, then as hard as it might be, I think you listen to offers and seriously consider moving him.
Chychrun is the biggest piece of this team that would bring the biggest return in a trade - a return, that if negotiated right, could speed up the Yotes’ rebuild considerably.
Should be interesting to see where this one goes…
Rangers Beat Yotes
Despite tightening up their play and delivering a better effort for the majority of the game, the Coyotes fell to the New York Rangers last night after allowing both the tying and game winning goals to come from NYR with under six minutes left in the third.
It was nice to see them keep pace with a strong Rags team and it should serve as a bit of a confidence booster. But that full-60 effort really needs to be ironed out - especially when you’re leading the majority of the game.
The Roussel - Galchenyuk - Eriksson line was the best line for AZ. Combining a grind-it-out mindset with added skill, seemed to keep New York off balance whenever the trio was on the ice.
The Coyotes really need to work on clearing/supporting the blue paint. I know they were on the PK, but that game-winning goal seemed frustratingly preventable if Crouse ties his man up sooner - or prevents him from getting the side track altogether.
Tomorrow might be a tricky one with a talented young group of Ducks and the recent news of COVID hitting Arizona’s locker room.
Isn’t It About Time…
…that Scott Wedgewood update his pads to a Coyotes theme? This is what I kept thinking last night during the game. I know he was claimed off waivers and it’s probably been a whirlwind since, but let’s see a new setup, man.
This thought was made especially more after seeing Kinkaid’s homage to Richter…did those ever look good last night!
Well, speak of the (ex)devil:
Hopefully he opts for a better mask design than he had with New Jersey.
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Bye for now, Yotes fans.
Matt Ross
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