LA Kings: Trade Pieces Needed to Acquire Jakob Chychrun

The Los Angeles Kings are the front-runner to land Jakob Chychrun before the 2023 Trade Deadline, but according to multiple sources, a Chychrun trade is not close. The Kings have made it very clear to the entire league that Quinton Byfield and Brandt Clarke will not be included in any trade package, per Elliotte Friedman. This could make things a bit more difficult for the teams to complete a deal both are comfortable with.

If the Kings are not going to include Byfield or Clarke in any trade to upgrade, and rightfully so, then what will the trade package for Chychrun look like? This is what we are going to dive into below.

Top Prospect on the Move

If not Byfield and Clarke, then who could be the main piece among the Kings’ strong prospect group? I’m leaning towards their next highest drafted player that isn’t listed as untradeable, Alex Turcotte. Drafted fifth overall in 2019, he has played just 12 NHL games to this point and just four this season. He was really limited in his playing time as well, averaging fewer than seven minutes per game this season. He has no points in his 12 NHL games, but is a great option to move.

There’s a little concern for the Kings considering where they took Turcotte in the 2019 draft and how he has the fifth-most games played in the NHL among players they drafted in that draft. Tobias Bjornfot (22nd overall) has 112 games, Arthur Kaliyev (33rd overall) has 117 games, Samuel Fagemo (50th overall) has 13 games, and Jordan Spence (95th overall) has 27 games. Kaliyev seems like their prize from that draft.

Young NHL Player That Could Be Included

So assuming the Coyotes like Turcotte enough, now we’re on to which young NHL player would also be included. I would think it is between Kaliyev and Rasmus Kupari. The Kings drafted Kupari in the first round in 2018, one year prior to Kaliyev, but has played fewer NHL games and has been less productive. He is still young, can be a solid NHL player, and is able to play any forward position which adds value to him. He has nine goals and 23 points in 103 NHL games.

Related: 3 Kings Who May Need to Be Traded to Add Patrick Kane

I mentioned Kaliyev was the Kings’ prize from the 2019 draft and has quickly acclimated to pro. In the NHL, he has scored 25 goals and 48 points in 117 games. He is also known to have an excellent shot and plays on the power play because of it. Both players find themselves on the fourth line this season for the Kings and Kaliyev has been twice as productive offensively than Kupari. Kaliyev will be a tough one to pull from the Kings.

Potential Trade Offer for Chychrun

On top of those two pieces, a first round pick is likely to be moved along with a player to free up a roster spot and cap space. This candidate will seemingly be Sean Walker. The Kings are trying to move him and the Coyotes would be down a defenceman, so the logical solution is to include him in a deal. He has one more year remaining on his deal with a cap hit of $2.65 million AAV which isn’t too bad but a necessary move to stay cap compliant. The Kings still lead the list of teams in on Chychrun, but it’s also a possibility that no Byfield or Clarke in the deal makes the Coyotes consider offers from other teams more seriously as well. Hopefully we are close to a deal.

So assuming the Coyotes and Kings strike a deal, the pieces heading back to Arizona would include Turcotte, Kupari, Walker, and a first rounder. What do you think of the deal?