NHL trade grades: Capitals add defenseman Jakob Chychrun

Greg Wyshynski, ESPNJul 1, 2024, 03:00 PM ET

CloseGreg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.

Defenseman Jakob Chychrun has seen his name in the trade rumor mill frequently in recent seasons, and he was on the move again on Monday. The Ottawa Senators traded Chychrun to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Nick Jensen and a 2026 third-round pick.

Which GM did better in the swap? Here are our grades for both teams.

The Capitals continue to have an aggressive, intriguing offseason with their acquisition of Chychrun. He brings an offensive acumen and a booming shot to the blue line, becoming arguably the second best scoring option on defense behind John Carlson. He had 41 points in 82 games last season with the Senators, including 14 goals. He had 16 of those points on the power play.

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Senators fans called out his defensive play, and Chychrun’s minus-30 didn’t do much to offer a counter-argument. But his defensive metrics were much better than the eye test might have indicated, especially relative to his Senators teammates.

His stock has dropped from those days when the Arizona Coyotes were demanding multiple first-round picks for him. That’s fine. The 26-year-old has a chance to rebuild that rep in Washington, a team that has bolstered its offense in the offseason and already had Alex Ovechkin chasing Wayne Gretzky’s goals record up front.

The only knock on this deal is that that Chychrun can bolt after next season.

The toughest thing for Senators fans here: Seeing the return after hearing what the alleged asking price was for Chychrun. The Ottawa Sun reported that the Senators were seeking “a first- and second-round pick or a high-end prospect.” Ottawa didn’t get any of that here.

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Source link : https://www.espn.com/nhl/insider/story/_/id/40475146/nhl-trade-grade-2024-jakob-chychrun-capitals-senators-nick-jensen-draft-pick

Author : Greg Wyshynski

Publish date : 2024-07-01 20:08:55

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