NHL Rumors: Jakob Chychrun trade, Brock Boeser, and Claude Giroux singing the Blues?
Anthony Scultore
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The NHL Rumors Mill is firing on all cylinders with news on two of DGH’s Top Trade Bait targets.
Things have been very quiet on the Jakob Chychrun front, and that makes sense considering just how big a trade it will take to land the 23 year-old defenseman.
According to the latest reports, this may go down to the wire with 5 high-profile suitors and 8 teams in total looking to get their hands on him.
NHL Rumors: Jakob Chychrun
“At this point eight teams are seriously in the chase for Jakob Chychrun,” Darren Dreger said on TSN’s Insider Trading. “Now, it’s Florida, it’s L.A., it’s Boston, it’s St. Louis, it’s Carolina, it’s Anaheim among the primary suitors. But again, we’re inside two weeks from the trade deadline. It could come down to March 21.”
The rumored ask by the Coyotes for Chychrun starts with a first round pick, a young player, and a prospect. This season in 45 games, he’s recorded 5 goals and 19 points. Chychrun also has a great contract with 3 years left and a $4.6 million AAV, which is a steal for a top 4 defenseman.
I will say this, the Kings are a perfect fit and probably don’t want to see Chychrun land in Anaheim. However, I would not rule out the Islanders. They were rumored to be interested over the summer and may take this lost season as an opportunity to reshape the blue-line.
Brock Boeser in New Jersey?
The Canucks are shopping, or shall we say gauging the market for several players. Aside from their untouchables of Elias Petterssen, Quinn Hughes, and Thatcher Demko they are seeing what guys like Brock Boeser can fetch.
Additionally, Jeremy Rutherford is talking to his players to assess what many will be looking for in new deals.
Boeser, 25, has 16 goals and 33 points in 51 games this season. He is scheduled to be an RFA with arbitration rights and has been rumored available dating back to last season. The Minnesota native is coming off a deal worth $5.875 against the cap.
Frank Seravalli recently speculated that New Jersey could be a fit. That makes a lot of sense, especially when you note that Vancouver is interested in acquiring pending RFA Pavel Zacha.
Claude Giroux in St. Louis?
Claude Giroux is at the top of our Trade Bait Tracker and he’s likely to remain there until he’s traded or March 21 passes. That’s the last day to make trades in the NHL this season.
The Philly captain is waiting to play his 1000th game as a member of the Flyers before agreeing to be traded. That’s scheduled to take place on March 17.
When it comes to destinations spots, two teams are at the forefront in the Florida Panthers and Colorado Avalanche. However, there is another team gaining major traction– the St. Louis Blues.
“Several sources indicated not to count out St. Louis’s interest when it comes to Claude Giroux, as we’ve mostly been mentioning Colorado and Florida,” Friedman noted in his latest blog.
The Blues are an interesting landing spot, and dare I say a better fit for Giroux than either the Avs or Cats.
