SCOTTSDALE, Arizona – Jakob Chychrun He still wants to be traded by the Arizona Coyotes, but that won’t stop the 24-year-old defender from attending training camp, starting Thursday.
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Chychrun said he and the Coyotes agreed that a trade was better for both sides at the start of last year’s season, but nothing has happened since. Chychrun underwent wrist and ankle surgery during the off-season. He should be healthy in time for the season opener on October 13 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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Chychrun has no plans to change his mind, but it is unclear when the Coyotes will grant his wish. Arizona finished last in the Central Division last year with a 25-50-7 record and have not made the playoffs in nine of the last 10 seasons.
“The team talked to me a few times, before the season (2021-22), even during the season, and we talked about my state of mind and where the club was,” explained Chychrun, Wednesday, when he was a day of physical practice and team meetings at Coyote. “They know the type of competitor and who they are. They asked me if I wanted to be in a different situation if the reconstruction was long or difficult for me to accept, and they were ready to welcome me.
I decided to accept their offer to find myself in a better situation, because I want to win in this championship. Careers are short, time flies, and this is my seventh year in the NHL. This is crazy!
“I don’t want to be in my 10th, 12th season and not have had a good chance of not only making the playoffs, but also winning the Stanley Cup. It’s my mindset, where I’m at this point and the team understands that I want to end up with a team that has a chance to win and will fight for the Stanley Cup. “
The price is likely to be high enough to get your hands on Chychrun, starting with an established player and several draft picks. The defender scored 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists) in 47 games last year, leading the NHL in scoring among defenders in 2020-21 with 18 goals. Additionally, the 24-year guard’s contract is affordable, at $ 4.6 million per season for the next three years.
“He is a number one defender with a contract to the advantage of the team and has scored 18 goals in the past, so he can have a huge impact on a team,” Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong said last March.
“It would be crazy to trade him unless he allows the team to take a leap forward. “
With 57 points last season, Arizona finished penultimate in the NHL, two points clear of the Montreal Canadiens.
“I understand how a reconstruction works,” Chychrun said. A transaction could benefit everyone. “
While Chychrun was in rehab from an ankle injury he sustained on March 12, doctors discovered a bone spur in his ankle that needed to be removed. Since he was already about to end up on the operating table, Chychrun decided that he would also have wrist surgery to cure an injury that has bothered him all past season.
He will not be on the ice when the training camp opens, as he has not yet been given the green light to shoot.
Regardless of which uniform he ends up in, Chychrun hopes to bounce back this season. He had a better year in his career with 41 points (18 goals, 23 assists) in 56 games in 2020-21 and 142 points (53 goals, 89 assists) in 337 NHL games. The Coyotes enlisted him in 16th place overall in 2016.
“I feel really good. Mentally, I’m well on my way. Physically, I’m in phenomenal shape and ready to start the car.
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