Have the Leafs zeroed in on Jakob Chychrun?
With the trade deadline approaching, the auditions have officially started. You know the defensemen playing their off-sides, wingers taking shifts at center or playing on their off wings to gauge the interest of teams around the NHL.
Most notably, the Arizona Coyotes continue to showcase star defenseman Jakob Chychrun, this time on his off-side, as per the Coyotes' official lineup card on Friday against the Vegas Golden Knights.
According to Kevin Papetti, an analyst for Maple Leaf Hot Stove, if the audition on Chychrun's off-side is successful tonight, look for the Leafs to make a run at him as the deadline approaches.
Chychrun, 23, is having a bit of a down year this year with 2 goals and 11 assists in 41 games, but, as Kevin noted above, Dubas should almost certainly take a run at Chychrun, who is signed for four more years at a cap-hit of 4.6 million, if he likes what he sees from Chychrun on the right side. With Muzzin on LTIR, Toronto has enough cap space to acquire him comfortably. If the Leafs can acquire the 23-year-old, he undoubtedly makes the team better. Isn't that what it's all about?
Dubas has already shown that he has a good professional relationship with Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong. This past week, the pair of GM's have come together on two separate deals; one that helped the Leafs out in a big way (Lyubushkin) and the other that helped the Yotes out in a big way (Hutton).
Opinion: I like how Chychrun would fit over other names on the market. Not just because of his age, but the Leafs having some control beyond this season with the term of his contract. I don't know if the window is open to acquiring Chychrun, but if it is, how you would pass that up if you're Kyle Dubas?
