NHL Rumors: Blue Jackets want Jakob Chychrun, Rangers and Caps in on J.T. Miller, and more
Anthony Scultore
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Jakob Chychrun is listed near the top of our latest Trade Bait Tracker and is making some noise. With the draft just a day away, the NHL Rumors are coming in hot and rapidly.
The Arizona Coyotes defenseman has been in the middle of trade buzz dating back to last season. Several teams were reportedly interested in trading for him until a lower-body injury close to the trade deadline in March nixed his chances.
NHL Rumors: Blue Jackets want Jakob Chychrun
According to a report from Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch, the Blue Jackets are ready to trade the #12 pick of the draft for a young player. That player appears to be Jakob Chychrun, which was also backed by TSN’s Darren Dreger.
“It’s a great opportunity for us at six and 12, and we’re keeping an open mind,” Kekalainen said. “We’ll look at every opportunity there may be to make a pick or, probably not to move up, but maybe to move down to gain more assets or trade a pick – one or the other, but more likely the 12th – for a young player that can help us right now and also in the future.”
The Columbus Dispatch
Chychrun, 24, recorded 21 points in 47 games. He currently has 3 years left on his deal with an AAV of $4.6M.
Other teams we believe are looking to make big moves at the draft include the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, and Chicago Blackhawks.
NHL Rumors: Rangers and Capitals in on J.T. Miller
Elliotte Friedman was on the Donnie & Dhali Show speaking about where things are at with J.T. Miller.
“I think the they move him at some point. We will see where this goes over the 24 to 48 hours. It’s in Vancouver’s court,” he said. “I think a couple of teams that we look at are Washington and the Rangers. I also assume there’s more out there that we don’t see.”
Miller, 29, was the Canucks leading scorer with 99 points in 80 games this past season. He has one year left on his current deal which comes at a very affordable $5.25M cap hit. Even though they would like to keep him, Vancouver won’t be able to accommodate his next contract which is speculated to be between 5-7 years and an AAV around $8.5M.
“Until the Rangers solve their [second line] center problem and Washington figures out how long they will need someone to replace [Nicklas] Backstrom, those are the names that we’re all focusing on,” Friedman concluded.
The Rangers have also been attached to Jets centers Mark Scheifele and Pierre-Luc Dubois in recent days. Calgary’s Sean Monahan and possibly Detroit’s Dylan Larkin are reportedly in their radar.
For the Capitals, they may opt to address Backstrom’s LTIR due to hip surgery via free agency. Nazem Kadri could be their top target.
Colin White interest
On Tuesday, the Ottawa Senators placed forward Colin White on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a buyout. Due to him being under 26, this will be a 1/3 buyout which saves the team $3.875M of his current $4.75M cap hit for the next two seasons. They will get a $5.375M savings in year three of the buyout.
Since the news broke, over a dozen teams are rumored to have expressed interest in signing the pending UFA.
Ottawa selected White in the first-round of the 2015 Draft at 21st overall. In his 224 game career he’s totaled 98 points.
