Washington Now Has Assets to go all in on Arizona Defenseman

The Washington Capitals are in an interesting spot heading toward the March 3rd trade deadline. The Capitals find themselves falling further out of the playoff race following a six-game losing streak. While they are not entirely out of the playoff picture, it is an uphill battle for them as they are currently in sixth place in the Eastern Conference Wild Card race.

We have already seen general manager Brian MacLellan make a big move as he chose to be a seller, trading Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway to the Boston Bruins. This was a surprising move as a selling Caps team is something that Alex Ovechkin has never really been a part of in his career. When Ovechkin signed his five-year extension with the Caps in 2021, team owner Ted Leonsis promised The Great Eight that the Caps would not rebuild during those seasons and would do their best to stay competitive.

Now that the dust has settled from that trade, it seems the Capitals were setting themselves up for a more significant move. By unloading two players on expiring contracts, the Caps were able to recoup a 2023 first-round, a 2025 second-round, and a 2024 third-round allowing them to use that draft capital in pursuit of a big fish as they look to retool.

On Friday, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that the Caps are interested in Arizona Coyotes star defenseman Jakob Chychrun and could use their newfound draft capital to acquire him.

It’s clear the Capitals are hoping to reset on the fly. Jake Chychrun is a player of interest for Washington. Including the 1st acquired from Boston, the Caps have the pick currency to make it work. The Chychrun saga has been ongoing since Nov, 2021.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) February 24, 2023

Chychrun makes a lot of sense for the Capitals especially considering after this season; they only have John Carlson under contract in terms of defenseman. The 24-year-old, left-handed Chychrun has two seasons left on his current contract at $4.6 million per.

The talented defenseman has been involved in trade discussions stemming back to last season. This year he has been held out of their lineup since February 11th for trade-related reasons, and the Coyotes have zero plans on having him play again before the March 3rd deadline.

One of the major reasons the Capitals are now in play for Chychrun is that they now have the draft capital to satisfy the Coyotes’ asking price, which has been one of the primary reasons he hasn’t been moved yet. The Coyotes are reportedly asking for two first-round picks in return for his services. After Thursday’s deal, the Capitals have two first-round picks in the 2023 draft and still own their firsts in the next two drafts after.

On the season, Chychrun has recorded seven goals, 21 assists, and 28 points in 36 games. Adding a playmaker of his caliber and pairing him with John Carlson would give the Capitals one of the best defensive duos in the NHL.

With the Deadline four days away, the clock is ticking for MacLellan to pull the trigger and set this team up for success moving forward, even if that’s starting next season. One thing is for sure, as long as Alex Ovechkin is on the roster, this team will never enter a full rebuild; it will always be a retool, even if that means selling players to bring in new ones like we could see this year.

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