There’s still no firm timeline for Arizona Coyotes defenceman Jakob Chychrun to make his season debut, but hope is on the horizon. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Chychrun is scheduled to join his team in Montreal this week “to at least practice with the rest of the Coyotes.”
Chychrun hasn't played since March 12, when he suffered a season-ending ankle injury, and wrist surgery over the summer prevented him from participating in training camp. He's resumed skating on his own but has yet to practice with the team.
The biggest question around Chychrun right now, alongside wonderings about when he’ll be back on the blue line, is whose blue line he’ll be patrolling, exactly. Trade speculation has long followed him as Arizona’s extensive tear-down continues, but his health is hampering talks from heating up. The Coyotes will demand a hefty return in exchange for the 24-year-old, which has teams hesitant to pay up before they see him play again.
The Ottawa Senators have reportedly shown plenty of interest in Chychrun, but Friedman explained Saturday that there currently “isn't a path” to make it happen.
“I have heard from multiple sources that right now between the Senators and the Coyotes, there just isn't a path to make a deal,” he said. “That could always change once he resumes playing, but right now it doesn't appear to be on the table at all.”
The rearguard’s career has been plagued by injury, including undergoing two major knee surgeries over the course of his six-year NHL career, but there’s no denying the 24-year-old can be a big-impact player when healthy. We saw exactly that in 2020-21, when he played all 56 games of the COVID-shortened NHL season and tallied 18 goals and 41 points on a lacklustre Coyotes squad.
The most games Chychrun has played in a season is 68, during his rookie campaign.
Arizona, whose loss to the Boston Bruins Saturday night has them off to a 0-2 start this year, takes on the Maple Leafs in Toronto Monday night and then the road trip continues east with a game in Montreal Thursday.
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