Chychrun could be key piece for Senators to move to rejig roster puzzle

Putting together an NHL roster has always been a bit of a puzzle, involving 20 or more pieces.

Should be easy, right? Doesn’t your family do a 5,000-piece puzzle at the cottage?

But that smaller NHL puzzle is constrained by a salary cap, meaning that general managers and capologists have to not only assemble workable pieces but do it within a strict financial framework.

A new GM like Steve Staios of the Ottawa Senators inherited predecessor Pierre Dorion’s puzzle, and has spent the better part of eight months examining the pieces and imagining his own finished product.

That is not going to happen overnight, but look for Staios to put his first stamp on this Senators roster in the days leading up to the June 28 draft and on into July free agency.

Will Linus Ullmark of the Boston Bruins be acquired by Ottawa to become its badly needed starting goaltender? With Jacob Markstrom moving to New Jersey from Calgary, the market for goalies has shrunk. The Senators are apt to zero in on Ullmark, who is entering the final year of his contract and is too great a goalie luxury for the Bruins, who have Jeremy Swayman.

There is also plenty of talk going on between the Senators and Philadelphia Flyers, and deals between those clubs should happen more easily given Senators vice-president Dave Poulin’s history with the Flyers. Not to mention his knowledge of that Philly roster and prospects.

To get, you have to give. Unless you are handing out money in free agency, a small part of a roster reconstruction.

And when it comes to giving up an asset to alter this roster, defenceman Jakob Chychrun is at the top of most lists involving Ottawa.

To those who haven’t watched the Senators closely, it can seem like a head-scratcher – that Chychrun is a puzzle piece that doesn’t fit here.

At 26, Chychrun is approaching his prime. He’s sculpted like a Greek god and finally had a season that wasn’t dogged by injuries. He played all 82 games, one of only three Senators players to do so.

Chychrun has a big shot and with 14 goals and 41 points was Ottawa’s most productive defenceman, fifth in team scoring.

Now, to the part that has this Dorion acquisition most likely to be departing the Senators very soon.

Chychrun is entering the final year of his contract and is a lot easier to move than Thomas Chabot, who plays a similar game and is tied to an $8-million cap hit through 2027-28.

A left-shot defenceman, Chychrun has a lot of company in that department on a team that already has Jake Sanderson, Chabot, Erik Brannstrom and Tyler Kleven.

Though he’s big and strong, Chychrun is not particularly physical. He is prone to lapses and turnovers and finished the season -30 while not typically paired against top offensive talent. Sanderson was that guy and was plus 8.

In keeping with a GM weighing all his options, Staios has been extremely cautious – his public nature, anyway – regarding comments on Chychrun.

At season’s end, when asked about the potential for extending Chychrun’s deal, Staios said this:

“I would say that Jakob Chychrun is a heck of a player,” Staios said. “I think that we saw his talents this year with our group.”

Sounds like part of a perfect pitch to a potential trade partner. You’re getting a good player, a 41-point defenceman who can help your power play. And he’s just 26.

Maybe Boston can make Chychrun part of an Ullmark trade.

Several other teams could be interested, including Chicago, where Chychrun’s uncle Luke (Richardson) is the head coach.

Situations can change quickly.

For years, we heard about the Senators' interest in Chychrun, who was looking to leave Arizona. As we can see, he left before the entire franchise left Arizona.

That was when Dorion was calling the shots in Ottawa.

Now there is a new sheriff running the Senators, with a different management team under a new owner. The coaching staff has been altered, with the arrival of head coach Travis Green and assistant Mike Yeo.

The tide that brought Chychrun here has run out, and it seems more than likely that Chychrun will be an ex-Senator in the days ahead.

He is far from the only one who could be moved.

Staios and Poulin, with associate GM Ryan Bowness, want to change the culture in Ottawa. They want to add some grit and experience to what has been one of the youngest teams in the NHL.

Mathieu Joseph, Brannstrom and any of a number of younger players could be on the move as Staios begins his makeover.

He also has some work to do to strengthen what has become a lean grassroots system, so this draft will be important.

There are enough prospects, however, to facilitate the kind of deal Ottawa might want to make via trade before it takes a shot at a player or two in free agency. We don’t have to remind anyone that right-shot defenceman Chris Tanev, a pending UFA, remains high on the Senators' wish list.

Take a screenshot of that Senators roster today.

And then look again in about two weeks' time.

It could be altered in a dramatic way.