The Arizona Coyotes caused consternation by not only making Jacob Chichran a healthy scratch on Saturday, but admitting that they doing so for “trade-related reasons”.
Does this mean that Jacob Chichran’s deal will fall through as early as Saturday night? Maybe. It’s also possible that this is an opportunity to reignite the betting war a little more before pulling the trigger and still avoid having everything fall apart due to injury in a pointless game for the Coyotes.
PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan doesn’t necessarily think the trade is imminent, but he concedes it could happen before the Coyotes’ next game on Monday.
Morgan lists the Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings and Toronto Maple Leafs among teams interested in a possible Chichran deal.
This list covers some of the top contenders for the 2022-23 season who would be interested in trading Chichran. Surprisingly, you can expand the case beyond the more obvious contenders. Yes, it’s been a disappointing season for the Ottawa Senators, but a defenseman like Chichran can be seen as one of the final pieces of the puzzle. You can apply the same logic to the Buffalo Sabres, who are rapidly climbing the ranks and thus see their window of opportunity coincide with the best years of the 24-year-old defenseman.
The team trading Chychrun will not agree to a “lease”. The large and fast-growing liner brings in a modest $4.6 million in the 2024-2025 season. Of course, three playoff appearances with Chichran with such an affordable cap would be best enjoyed by the team at the top, but you can see why his contract expands the circle of possible fans.
Of course, the Coyotes are aware of this supposed value. Within a few months, reporters such as Pierre Lebrun of The Athletic marked that Arizona was hoping for a trade in the form of two first-round picks and a prospective Chichran acquisition.
The decision to make Chichran a healthy scratch, is that a signal that the Coyotes are getting closer to a trade deal that would fit these bills? Maybe they’ve softened their approach, or maybe it’s somewhere in between?
This situation should be fascinating to watch, down to the actual value of Chichran himself. You can picture yourself as an outstanding defender capable of scoring 18 goals and 41 points in just 56 games in 2020-21, not to mention a solid record (seven goals, 28 points in 36 games) this season.
More from Sportzshala Sports
Source: sports.yahoo.com
