When the Arizona Coyotes pulled defenceman Jakob Chychrun from their lineup on Feb. 11, stating trade related reasons, speculation ran wild over an imminent move.
Twelve days later and Chychrun is still a member of the Coyotes and will not play the remaining three games on Arizona’s schedule leading up to the March 3 trade deadline.
The Los Angeles Kings are still believed to be at the forefront of the Chychrun sweepstakes, but other teams have reportedly re-entered the race, including the Columbus Blue Jackets and St. Louis Blues.
Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong told Craig Morgan of
PHNX Sports he felt a trade was close two weeks ago and admits trade talks remain ongoing.
“One of the reasons we held him out so soon was he played a ton of minutes in his last game (at Chicago),” Armstrong said. “After that, we thought we were so close to a deal that we just had to make a decision. It turned out we were not, and then one day led to the next day and here we are today.”
A move with the Kings, according to multiple sources, was close. Los Angeles remains in the hunt, but it is unclear what type of assets they are willing to part with, as top young stars Quinton Byfield and Brandt Clarke are not up for grabs.
The Coyotes have stood firm on their asking price, which consists of at least one first-round draft pick and either a second first-round pick or a young prospect with equivalent value, another prospect and potentially a fourth asset.
