Time and time again, during Don Sweeney’s tenure as the Boston Bruins general manager, he has swung for the fences looking to add that one marquee player who will push his team over the edge in pursuit of a Stanley Cup championship. Ahead of this year’s trade deadline, the NHL-leading Bruins remain linked to several big-name trade targets, including the most sought-after defenceman on the market, Jakob Chychrun. While the potential addition of Chychrun sounds excellent, it may be better for Sweeney to proceed with caution when entertaining the idea of acquiring the Arizona Coyotes’ defender.
Chychrun’s Injury Woes
While playing in a market such as Arizona, many Bruins fans may not know much about the 24-year-old defenceman from Boca Raton, Florida. Drafted 16th overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, Chychrun is now playing in his seventh season with the Coyotes. Through those seven seasons, only one time has he played in every game of the season as he has battled through his share of injuries to this point in his career. Nevertheless, he set career highs during the 2020-21 COVID-19 shortened season, appearing in all 56 games and compiling 41 points with 18 goals and 23 assists. That promising season put him on the map as one of the up-and-coming elite-level blueliners in the NHL. However, Chychrun could not replicate the same offensive output last season, with seven goals and 14 assists for 21 points in 47 games.
Following his rookie season, where he posted an impressive seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points in 67 games as an 18-year-old, Chychrun suffered a setback ahead of his sophomore season. During offseason training, he sustained a knee injury requiring surgery, limiting him to 50 games in the 2017-18 season. That marked the second major surgery of his young career, as he had undergone a significant shoulder surgery before being selected by the Coyotes in the 2016 Entry Draft.
During the 2018 offseason, Chychrun again went under the knife, having surgery to repair a torn ACL. The second knee surgery in as many years prevented him from making his season debut until mid-November of that season. He missed more time later in the season due to lingering pain in relation to the off-season knee surgery. In total, the injury-plagued defenceman appeared in 53 games scoring five goals and adding 15 assists for 20 points.
He remained relatively healthy while playing in all but three of the Coyotes’ games before the 2019-20 season ended early due to the pandemic. In 67 games, he scored 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points. Following his career year, where he played in each of the Coyotes’ 56 games, injuries caught back up to him in 2020-21. A lower-body injury sustained in December 2020 kept him out of the lineup for 32 games before returning only to be shut down for the remainder of the season in mid-March.
That brings us to this season, where Chychrun has again missed time, appearing in 35 of the Coyotes’ 51 games. However, despite the injury woes, he is producing offensively at a higher rate than his career year, averaging 0.77 points per game with seven goals and 20 assists for 27 points. He also boasts a plus/minus rating of plus-6 on a cellar-dwelling Arizona team.
While many Bruins fans quickly criticize right-handed defenceman Brandon Carlo for his injury woes, Chychrun is even more high-risk when comparing the two. Carlo also made his NHL debut in the 2016-17 season and has appeared in 450 career games compared to Chychrun’s 372. While many speculate the Bruins need a “tougher” defenceman, the argument could fall on deaf ears as Carlo has piled up 705 hits and 578 blocks while Chychrun has 485 hits and 553 blocks to his name. He is also more prone to turning the puck over, with 267 giveaways and 130 takeaways, compared to the Bruins’ 6-foot-6 defenceman’s 203 giveaways and 178 takeaways.
Coyotes Seeking Fortune In Return
Another downside to Sweeney potentially acquiring Chychrun is the sky-high price the Coyotes are asking for in any trade involving him. It is reported that general manager Bill Armstrong is seeking two first-round draft picks in exchange for Chychrun’s services. At the same time, he is signed through the 2024-25 season at a team-friendly cap hit of $4.6 million.
Related: Bruins Should Target Toews Ahead of Trade Deadline
The Bruins’ GM is no stranger to dealing away draft picks to boost his club’s chances of winning the ultimate prize; however, spending so much of the future for a blueliner with as many injury concerns as Chychrun may be a mistake. If Sweeney and the Bruins decide they are willing to part with that much of their future for one player, they should pick up their phones and contact Steve Yzerman about Dylan Larkin’s services. The Detroit Red Wings are at a stalemate regarding contract negotiations with their captain, as Yzerman reportedly will not budge on what he feels is fair value for his young center. While putting all their eggs in one basket to acquire Larkin, the Bruins would address the concerns of their future center depth, provided they could extend him.
Stay tuned as we wait to see what kind of trade deadline magic Sweeney can pull from his sleeves in the coming weeks.
