Sports
Senators pull off a blockbuster by acquiring Arizona defenceman Jakob Chychrun
With less than 48 hours until Friday’s NHL trade deadline, the Ottawa Senators acquired Arizona Coyotes defenceman Jakob Chychrun on Wednesday night and weren’t forced to give up any of the club’s top prospects.
The Senators acquired Chychrun from the Coyotes in exchange for a conditional first-round pick in 2023, a conditional second-round pick in 2024 and second-round selection in 2026. Talks between these two teams have been going on for several months.
Dorion was thrilled to bring Chychrun into the fold.
“A defenceman we’ve coveted, Jakob is big and plays imposing. He possesses a quality skill set; he defends hard and is highly skilled. He uses his heavy shot with accuracy and is effective at creating offence as a threat at the offensive blue line,” said Dorion.
And Chychrun couldn’t be happier to be here. His father, Jeff, a former NHLer, grew up in Ottawa and the family spends the summer in the area at their home on White Lake, 20 minutes west of Arnprior.
“He’s been professional throughout. For him to come back to a place where he has significant ties, to the Ottawa area, with a young and exciting team, is just a great fit for him as a player. I think he’ll be a tremendous asset to the team and to the community.”
The talks heated up late Tuesday night between the Senators and Coyotes. The Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers were both in heavy pursuit of Chychrun, but they opted to go elsewhere when they were unable to get a deal in place.
The two sides had several discussions throughout the past 15 months, but weren’t able to find common ground until Arizona GM Bill Armstrong dropped his demand for one of the club’s top prospects during discussions that continued Wednesday morning.
“Our aim more was to acquire draft capital,” said Armstrong. “We were able to walk out of the draft last year with three first-rounders and a host of other picks. We were looking to do the same here and this will give us the chance for two fairly high picks in the first round of the draft.
“You can really make some hay when you do that. This just helps us further stock our picks for future drafts.”
Coming off back-to-back wins over the Detroit Red Wings in a series the club completed Tuesday night, the Senators sit only five points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final wildcard spot in the East with 22 games left on the schedule.
Dorion wanted to see where the club stood March 1, and with the Senators back in the conversation for a playoff spot he wanted badly to be able to help this group. Getting Chychrun is a message to the dressing room that the organization believes in this group.
Anthony LeBlanc, the club’s president of business operations, is a former part-owner of the Coyotes and he can’t say enough good things about Chychrun.
“He’s a a great young man and a quality, great guy,” LeBlanc said in a text message to Postmedia on Wednesday night. “He’s also one hell of a hockey player, but someone who comes from strong hockey stock.
“I am not involved on the hockey operations side other than picking up Pierre’s dry cleaning, but I definitely hoped this could happen. Now I guess I have to pick up Pierre’s lunch as well.”
“We both work the phones pretty hard so whether you talk about that or not there’s still ongoing (discussions),” said Armstrong. “When you see a Zaitsev moved, you see an opportunity for us to have talks.
“We did that slowly, but surely, and then kind of gradually got into it.”
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The French league’s legal commission has ordered Paris Saint-Germain to pay Kylian Mbappé the 55 million euros ($61 million) in unpaid wages that he claims he’s entitled to, the league said Thursday.
The league confirmed the decision to The Associated Press without more details, a day after the France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the commission in his dispute with his former club.
PSG officials and Mbappé’s representatives met in Paris on Wednesday after Mbappé asked the commission to get involved. Mbappé joined Real Madrid this summer on a free transfer.
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AP soccer:
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former football star Reggie Bush was at his Encino home Tuesday night when three male suspects attempted to break in, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
“Everyone is safe,” Bush said in a text message to the newspaper.
The Los Angeles Police Dept. told the Times that a resident of the house reported hearing a window break and broken glass was found outside. Police said nothing was stolen and that three male suspects dressed in black were seen leaving the scene.
Bush starred at Southern California and in the NFL. The former running back was reinstated as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner this year. He forfeited it in 2010 after USC was hit with sanctions partly related to Bush’s dealings with two aspiring sports marketers.
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VANCOUVER – A fresh face has been gracing the B.C. Lions‘ highlight reels in recent weeks.
Midway through his second CFL campaign, wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt has contributed touchdowns in two consecutive games.
The 26-year-old wide receiver from Loveland, Colo., was the lone B.C. player to reel in a passing major in his team’s 37-23 victory over the league-leading Montreal Alouettes last Friday. The week before, he notched his first CFL touchdown in the Lions’ win over the Ottawa Redblacks.
“It’s been awesome. It’s been really good,” Eberhardt said of his recent play. “At the end of the day, the biggest stat to me is if we win. But who doesn’t love scoring?”
He’ll look to add to the tally Friday when the Leos (7-6) host the Toronto Argonauts.
Eberhardt signed with B.C. as a free agent in January 2023 and spent much of last season on the practice squad before cementing a role on the roster this year.
The six-foot-two, 195-pound University of Wyoming product has earned more opportunities in his second season, said Lions’ head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell.
“He’s a super hard worker and very smart. He understands, has high football IQ, as we call it,” Campbell said.
The fact that Eberhardt can play virtually every receiving position helps.
“He could literally go into a game and we could throw him into a spot and he’d know exactly what he’s doing,” the coach said. “That allows him to play fast and earn the quarterback’s trust. And you see him making plays.”
Eberhardt credited his teammates, coaches and the rest of the Lions’ staff with helping him prepare for any situation he might face. They’ve all spent time teaching him the ins and outs of the Canadian game, or go over the playbook and run routes after practice, he said.
“I’ve played every single position on our offence in a game in the last two years, which is kind of crazy. But I love playing football,” he said. “I want to play any position that the team needs me to play.”
While B.C.’s lineup is studded with stars like running back William Stanback — who has a CFL-high 938 rushing yards — and wide receiver Justin McInnis — who leads the league in both receiving yards (1,074) and receiving TDs (seven) — versatility has been a critical part of the team’s back-to-back wins.
“I think we’ve got a lot of talented guys who deserve to get the ball and make big plays when they have the ball in their hands. So it’s really my job to get them the ball as much as possible,” said quarterback Nathan Rourke.
“I think that makes it easy when you can lean on those guys and, really, we’re in a situation where anyone can have a big game. And I think that’s a good place to be.”
Even with a talented lineup, the Lions face a tough test against an eager Argos side.
Toronto lost its second straight game Saturday when it dropped a 41-27 decision to Ottawa.
“We’ll have our hands full,” Rourke said. “We’ll have to adjust on the fly to whatever their game plan is. And no doubt, they’ll be ready to go so we’ll have to be as well.”
The two sides have already met once this season when the Argos handed the Lions a 35-27 loss in Toronto back on June 9.
A win on Friday would vault B.C. to the top of the West Division standings, over the 7-6 Winnipeg Blue Bombers who are on a bye week.
Collecting that victory isn’t assured, though, even with Toronto coming in on a two-game skid, Campbell said.
“They’ve hit a little bit of a rut, but they’re a really good team,” he said. “They’re very athletic. And you can really see (quarterback Chad Kelly’s) got zip on the ball. When you see him in there, he can make all the throws. So we’re expecting their best shot.”
TORONTO ARGONAUTS (6-6) AT B.C. LIONS (7-6)
Friday, B.C. Place
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Lions boast a 4-1 home record this season, including a 38-12 victory over the Redblacks at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, B.C., on Aug. 31. The Argos have struggled outside of BMO Field and hold a 1-5 away record. Trips to the West Coast haven’t been easy for Toronto in recent years — since 2003, the club is 4-14 in road games against B.C.
CENTURION: B.C. defensive back Garry Peters is set to appear in his 100th consecutive game. The 32-year-old from Conyers, Ga., is a two-time CFL all-star who has amassed 381 defensive tackles, 19 special teams tackles and 16 interceptions over seven seasons. “Just being on the field with the guys every day, running around, talking trash back and forth, it keeps me young,” Peters said. “It makes me feel good, and my body doesn’t really feel it. I’ve been blessed to be able to play 100 straight.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
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