Hampus Lindholm or Jakob Chychrun? Here's what Leafs Nation had to say
The Leafs are in need of a defenseman -- and a good one -- before the trade deadline. Let's just get that out of the way now. The team has shown on a number of occasions that some of the younger players are not yet ready to take on larger roles higher up in the lineup, and people are now starting to question Jake Muzzin's durability in the later stages of his career. Acquiring a high-quality defender could be the difference between a strong postseason and another early exit.
Arizona's Jakob Chychrun remains one of the NHL's most sought-after pieces, and for good reason. The 23-year-old blueliner has shown over the last few seasons just how dangerous he can be on both sides of the puck. This season, however, is a bit of a different story as the Yotes have essentially parted out their roster to stockpile assets for a rebuild.
Last season, Chychrun put up an astonishing 18 goals and 41 points in 56 games for the Coyotes, a 60-point pace over an 82-game span. If that's not a defender that turns your head, I don't know what is.
Chychrun is signed for 3 more seasons after this one at a remarkably team-friendly $4.6M per season. The Leafs are believed to have already kicked tires on what the asking price might be. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if those conversations had continued during the pair of trade talks between Bill Armstrong and Kyle Dubas involving Ilya Lyubushkin and Carter Hutton last month.
Hampus Lindholm, on the other hand, is a veteran blueliner on an expiring contract and, if available, is one of the absolute best at his position. Lindholm carries a $5.205M cap hit this season and will become a UFA at season's end, which means that the asking price will be much lower than it is for Chychrun.
Lindholm has plenty of playoff experience during his time with the Anaheim Ducks, including lengthy runs in both 2015 and 2017, which could be invaluable to a team like the Leafs.
The 28-year-old is among the most reliable two-way defenders in the NHL and has the ability to play in all situations - which could be of great value to a team like the Leafs, who appear to be consistently mixing and matching pairs to find something that they're comfortable with.
While either of these two players would be an exceptional addition for the Leafs, the big difference will be in the asking price. Chychrun is likely to fetch at least 4 pieces in a deal, given the fact that he's young and has term remaining. At least 2, possibly 3 of these pieces will be significant. With Lindholm, the ask will certainly start with a 1st round pick, but he's likely to also bring back a roster player and a prospect.
I had put together a poll on Thursday, asking Leafs Nation whether they'd prefer to give up multiple high-end prospects in a deal for Jakob Chychrun with term remaining or keep all of our high-end prospects and acquire Hampus Lindholm with no term remaining. 130 Leafs fans voted and the results were closer than I had anticipated.
52.3% of Leafs fans who voted on the poll thought that Chychrun was the better option, even though the Buds would have to deal at least a pair of their top prospects in a package to acquire him. 47.7% voted to retain the Buds' top prospects and push for the rental, Lindholm.
So now I'll ask the question here in the poll below: Would you rather the Leafs deal multiple premium assets for Chychrun with 3 years remaining? Or would you prefer to go the rental route with Lindholm and keep the majority of the team's premium assets?
| POLL | ||
4 MARS | 236 ANSWERS Hampus Lindholm or Jakob Chychrun? Here's what Leafs Nation had to say Which defenseman would you rather acquire at the deadline? | ||
| Chychrun, giving up multiple top prospects | 116 | 49.2 % |
| Lindholm, retaining our top prospects | 120 | 50.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
