After Jakob Chychrun made it very clear that he wants a trade away from the Arizona Coyotes and into a contending organization, many believed he would quickly be dealt. That still hasn’t happened, and part of it is because of the injury he’s currently recovering from.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet recently wrote that “teams want to see him go out and be immediately impactful” before they make an offer. Unfortunately, that sounds like it might still be down the road.
Jenna Ortiz of AZ Central reports that Chychrun has suffered a setback in his recovery and is still listed as “week-to-week” by general manager Bill Armstrong. What that means for his trade value isn’t clear but it would be difficult for any team to know what they are getting if they went after him today.
The Coyotes, of course, are trying to maximize the value of their asset but also don’t really have to rush a move. Chychrun is signed through the 2024-25 season at a reasonable $4.6MM cap hit, meaning there is plenty of time to wait for the right offer. Sure, his value to an acquiring team would be highest the quicker they receive him, but there will still be interested parties down the road, even if it takes him another month to get back on the ice.
It would be much more detrimental for Arizona if he were to rush back and suffer a more long-term injury – plus it’s clear that Chychrun doesn’t really want to play for the team anymore. Taking it slower to make sure everything is healed seems like the best solution, even if it does take some fun out of the hot stove discussion.