Kyle Dubas May Have Finally Made a Decision on Jakob Chychrun

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Aaron Itovitch
February 8, 2023 (10:01 PM)

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Pierre LeBrun revealed today that there are only three teams that are still seriously interested in acquiring Jakob Chychrun.

After weeks of rumours from insiders and reporters, it appears that Kyle Dubas has finally made his decision regarding the young cap-controlled defender.

LeBrun made it clear; barring a major shift in the market, the only three teams serious about Chychrun are the Edmonton Oilers, LA Kings, and the Boston Bruins.

«It's an interesting sub-plot when it comes to the Edmonton Oilers and the Los Angeles Kings, Pacific Division rivals who played each other in the first round last year: they're calling for a lot of left-handed shot defensemen,» LeBrun said on Insider Trading on Tuesday. «Jakob Chychrun is at the top, both teams have expressed interest, but you can go down the list when it comes to Joel Edmundson, both teams have talked to [the Montreal Canadiens] about, [Vladislav] Gavrikov [of the Columbus Blue Jackets], so that's the fascinating part here if you're Columbus or Montreal or Arizona if you're trying to pit these teams against each other. But believe me, the Kings and Oilers are waiting for these prices to come down, they don't want to let emotions take control."

»Another thing I should mention on Chychrun, who a lot of people in the league believe Los Angeles still makes the most sense [as a landing spot] given their need on the left side, the Boston Bruins are another contender of late that have also inquired with the Coyotes on the young defenseman.»

This means that Kyle Dubas and the Maple Leafs have pulled out of the sweepstakes, with the asking price just being too high.

The asking price for Chychrun is two first round picks, and a good prospect. The Leafs could do this, but it would cost another asset to clear the salary necessary. It just isn't feasible for the Leafs to trade two firsts as well as two other high-value assets for Chychrun.

This is a little disappointing, as it means Dubas is likely going to go after a pure rental at the deadline, but it is probably a smart move. We just have to hope that Chychrun wasn't the missing piece for playoff success!

Source: Hockey Feed