The Ottawa Senators remain a disappointment this season and could look to really shake things up at the trade deadline and the offseason. With where the team is in the standings and if Jakob Chychrun doesn’t want to re-sign and continue losing, the Senators need to seriously look into moving him before next season. If there is no interest shown in a new contract fairly soon, this should come at the trade deadline when teams may be more desperate for a defenseman and get him for multiple playoff runs.
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported that two fringe playoff teams this season, the St. Louis Blue and Detroit Red Wing, have been linked to Chychrun. While one, the Red Wings, sit in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, the Blues have been playing much better as of late and just snuck into the final wildcard spot in the Western Conference before the All-Star break.
Who Has the Better Change at Chychrun?
Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings have been in the better spot in the standings all season and have gotten better play overall by their team. The East is better and will be more difficult to make the playoffs, but Detroit is looking like they will be in the race until the very end. While I expect them to be in a wildcard spot if they do make the playoffs this season, they are only getting better and next year should be even better.
While the Red Wings’ defense is full as is, there is room to move pieces around and send one back to make a deal work. This team is on the rise and there is a good chance that Chychrun wants to play for a team that can win and compete. He hasn’t yet in his career. I could see Jeff Petry, Olli Maata, or Ben Chiarot as the player going the other way if a deal goes down and Chychrun would fit in nicely age-wise as well.
St. Louis Blues
The Blues seem to be stuck with their top-four defenseman until at least the summer of 2025 unless they can convince one to waive his no-trade clause. The team had tried with Torey Krug with the Philadelphia Flyers, but that didn’t pan out. Could he be convinced that Ottawa is a better place to go? If so, the Blues could very well help themselves greatly with an upgrade like Chychrun for this season, next season, and potentially further if they could re-sign him.
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This won’t work unless one of the defenseman can be moved though, but it makes complete sense if the Blues can trade one. The team did a big transition last season and many pegged them as being a team hanging right around where they are. If they finish just outside of a playoff spot, that is the worst place to be. So as it seems like they are committed to winning more than selling and losing, they will definitely need new blood on the back-end that could also run the power play like Chychrun. The West is weaker around the playoff bubble and the Blues have a good chance at sneaking in.
