How the Blue Jackets Can Acquire Jakob Chychrun

The first step towards making this trade for the Blue Jackets: convincing Chychrun that Columbus might be the right fit for him. He has a 10-team no-trade list, and is rumored to have nixed a trade to the Jackets over the summer … but that may have changed after the team inked Gaudreau.

Let’s pretend for a minute that Chychrun is open to a trade to Central Ohio. One thing we know is that, the Jackets have zero interest in trading their first round pick this season. And, the Coyotes probably have no interest in a 2024 first rounder – which the Jackets would probably want to add protection to in the event that it’s another lottery pick.

For these reasons, trading Gavrikov now, then trying to use the assets they get in return for him, could make a lot of sense. The rumored asking price: a 2023 first round pick, plus an additional third AND fourth round pick. Assume we’re talking about the Boston Bruins, who are the rumored front-runners:

That’s a steep price tag, but looking at the Bruins’ cap situation, they could make it work – which can’t be said about some of the other players made available at this deadline. As we’ve discussed before, Gavrikov might be the perfect fit for the B’s on the back end. He plays the left side and fills their need for a shutdown defenseman. In this scenario, they split the picks across two seasons – so the Bruins can make their run, but still have some draft capital at their disposal.

Now, on the Jackets side of things, they suddenly have 10 picks for the 2023 draft, including two in the first and third rounds; and three in the fourth round. They can make a serious offer to the Coyotes for Chychrun, if they’re willing to part with some of these riches.

Here’s a thought: the Jackets can send back a real rarity in this league. A young, talented, offensive minded, right-hand shot defenseman. Boqvist is a recent 8th overall pick, whose skill is starting to show through a little bit with 12 points through 22 games this season. He’s missed time due to injury over the last couple of seasons; but he would give the Coyotes an asset that can go into their lineup right away, and at just 22 years old, his best years are certainly ahead.

This may seem expensive for the Jackets, but we have to remember a couple of things here. First, the Coyotes want two first round assets in this deal – this trade checks that box. Second, you have to out-bid the other teams in the hunt. Adding in a young player who is currently playing in the NHL, may just do that.

In the end, would they really miss Boqvist all that much? Look at how many names this team has when you’re looking at right-shot defensemen: Andrew Peeke, Erik Gudbranson, Nick Blankenburg, Marcus Bjork; and prospects David Jiricek and Corson Ceulemans.

I think if you’re acquiring Chychrun, sending a player like Boqvist the other way doesn’t sting all that much. Rolling out a top-six next year with some combination of Werenski, Chychrun, Peeke, Gudbranson, Blankenburg, Jiricek, Tim Berni, and Jake Bean, doesn’t seem all that bad – especially not when you compare it to what we’ll have for the rest of this season.

It’s really unlikely that it happens, but it’s an exciting thought. No matter how you spin it, by trading Gavrikov, it’s crucial for the Jackets to find someone else to play on that left side next season. Chychrun would be the perfect fit.