The Boston Bruins are not only holding on while some of their top players are injured, they’re thriving. With Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk out to begin the season, the expectation was that the team would struggle defensively. There were hard-fought battles in training camp, but it seems like the Bruins have more than enough defencemen. This may not stop them from looking to add and stay contenders for longer if they threw their name in the hat for Jakob Chychrun.
Who is in Play in Potential Chychrun Trade?
Many fans seem to think Grzelcyk should be moved, but Brandon Carlo may also be a bigger named defenceman who could be traded as well. The Bruins or any team don’t have the cap space to hold so many top-four defencemen, and if Chychrun were to make his way to Boston, a larger contract would have to be moved out to make room. Not only that, but room on the roster is required as well.
The good thing about Chychrun is he can play both sides of the ice and run a power play. When healthy, he could also be the most productive defender in the offensive zone as well. Many forget he scored 18 goals in 56 games for the Arizona Coyotes in 2020-21.
Chychrun earns $4.6 million AAV for the next three seasons. Since McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm aren’t going anywhere, every other defenceman on the Bruins should be in play. But the next two biggest names are Grzelcyk and Carlo. Grzelcyk makes $3.388 million AAV for this season and next while Carlo is under contract for longer until 2027 at $4.1 million AAV. Keep in mind, the Bruins would need much more than just one of these two defencemen to pull off a deal. The equivalent of two first-round picks is what they’re looking for in a return.
Why This Would Entice the Coyotes?
The Coyotes can’t go along being a bottom-feeder forever. They have been gathering talent that will hopefully all start producing around the same time. But a team like this can’t only rely on their young players, they need some experience as well. Carlo may catch the eye of the Coyotes more so than Grzelcyk since right shot defencemen are harder to come by and he is under contract for longer.
The Bruins should only entertain a potential Chychrun trade once he’s healthy. They may be able to get a little better deal if they strike a deal early, but they can’t afford to lose any more man-games from their back-end. You never know when that is going to start to really impact the on-ice production of the team.
