Toronto Maple Leafs Trade Options:
The Expected Trade
Over the past several weeks, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been linked to a dynamic left-side defenseman, Jakob Chychrun. This is a deal that would make serious waves across the league.
It’s not a question of whether Chychrun will be traded but when and to where. We know that he will be moved because the Arizona Coyotes have been holding him out of games. This way, there is no opportunity for Chychrun to sustain an injury and prevent the Coyotes from completing a trade.
Toronto isn’t the only group who has been in the Chychrun conversation. The Boston Bruins are another club who has been rumored to have interest in his services. There is certainly many NHL franchises who would be happy to have him patrolling their blue line.
A big reason why Chychrun is in such high demand isn’t just that he’s 24-years-old, but it’s also his contract. He has an affordable $4.6 million cap hit and two more years of team control beyond this one. The Boca Raton, Florida native doesn’t become an unrestricted free agent until the summer of 2025.
The Coyotes want to offload Chychrun now because he has a modified no-trade-clause that kicks in next season. The terms restrict the ‘Yotes from sending the defenseman to nearly a third of the teams in the league. That’s because Chychrun submits a list of 10 teams for which he can block a trade.
The Toronto Maple Leafs would not necessarily be on that list but negotiations are far easier for Arizona when they can send Chychrun to whomever gives them the best return.