It took 18 months, but Jakob Chychrun finally got traded — and arguably to a team that needs him more than any other team in the NHL.
It’s yet another big domino falling in what has been a wild couple of weeks as the trade market for defensemen plays itself out.
Let’s walk through it all again.
The Bruins are believed to have shown interest in Chychrun about three or four weeks ago, but when it didn’t look like there was a path to a deal given the price, the B’s shifted gears toward Vladislav Gavrikov in Columbus. The Blue Jackets thought they pretty much had a deal with the Bruins around two weeks ago, but the Bruins told the Jackets they needed more time, presumably to shed cap space.
The Athletic has live coverage of the NHL trade deadline with the latest news, deals and analysis.
In the interim, Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan sent a note to his colleagues around Feb. 19, saying he was ready to listen on pending unrestricted free agent Dmitry Orlov and, well, that obviously changed everything. The B’s pivoted to what they felt was a better option and got a deal done on Feb. 23. Great pickup for Boston.
That left Columbus fuming. And scrambling. There are only so many first-round picks available.
The Athletic: Blue Jackets’ trade involving D Vladislav Gavrikov falls through … so now what?#NHLBruins swing big deal with #ALLCaps for Dmitry Orlov leaves #CBJ at square one with a week to go before the NHL trade deadline.https://t.co/ugY6UmSndn
The Jackets last Friday began re-establishing trade talks with previous suitors on Gavrikov, reaching out to the likes of Edmonton, Los Angeles and Toronto.
The Maple Leafs, meanwhile, were already engaged by then with Chicago on defenseman Jake McCabe, although that deal didn’t come together until this past Monday.
The Oilers showed some interest in Gavrikov, but it was clear to Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen that Edmonton viewed Gavrikov as Plan B or Plan C. Turns out, it was certainly Plan C.
That’s because the Oilers had been engaged in on-again, off-again conversations with Arizona on Chychrun for a two-week period leading up to Tuesday. Talks really heated up between the Oilers and Coyotes on Sunday and Monday, and at one point, both sides felt they were pretty close to something. But that deal fell apart, in large part because the Coyotes simply didn’t want to take money back in the form of a player contract. Even after moving Jesse Puljujarvi to Carolina on Tuesday morning, the Oilers couldn’t make a Chychrun deal work without sending at least one player contract back.
My sense is that Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong was willing to keep working at it with the Oilers, but Edmonton GM Ken Holland decided he couldn’t risk waiting until too close to Friday’s deadline and miss out on the other defenseman he was having conversations on.
That would be Mattias Ekholm. Holland phoned Predators GM David Poile on Feb. 23 to get the ball rolling on that one. In that conversation, Poile informed Holland that the price for Ekholm would have to include at least a first-round pick this year (with Nashville hosting the draft, that was important), plus prospect Reid Schaefer, drafted at No. 32 last summer. The Oilers weren’t enamored with having Schaefer part of things, but they kept the conversation going with the Predators while also having parallel conversations going with Arizona on Chychrun over the past week.
Once Holland informed Armstrong on Tuesday that, once and for all, he was out on Chychrun, he closed the deal on Ekholm with Poile. Having to include Tyson Barrie in that trade for cap reasons was not an easy decision, either. Barrie was a key member of the Oilers’ power play and a popular teammate. But the overall price tag was worth it for Holland, to get a veteran top-four defenseman like Ekholm, who the Oilers hope will help stabilize their five-on-five game defensively.
Why Mattias Ekholm is a big addition for an Oilers team that needs to win now – The Athletic https://t.co/LTFW7ibdrV
Tuesday was also the last time the Coyotes and Kings spoke on Chychrun. I would love to know how many times those two front offices chatted over the past 12-plus months on the defenseman, who always seemed destined for L.A., with the Kings’ glaring need on the left side. But it never happened. A Kings source told me Wednesday night that there certainly had been many discussions with Arizona about Chychrun, but it never felt like they were that close on a trade.
And, of course, the reason that Tuesday was the Kings’ last conversation with Arizona on Chychrun is that Los Angeles was looking to cement its deal with Columbus for Gavrikov (and goalie Joonas Korpisalo) late Tuesday night.
The two clubs had actually been talking on and off for quite a while, but things got more serious Monday and Tuesday when the idea of having both the defenseman and the goalie in the deal got introduced. Good job by Kekalainen, in the end, getting his first-round pick, albeit a conditional one, given the circumstances around his failed deal with Boston. He scrambled pretty well.
And there you have it. The Kings, Oilers and Bruins — all potential Chychrun destinations — one by one went by the wayside as options for Arizona as they filled their defensive needs.
That being the case, it’s no surprise that over the past 24 to 48 hours, things heated up between Arizona and Ottawa.
There were other teams that talked to Arizona over the past week, as well, including Washington, Pittsburgh, Buffalo and Columbus.
But the great appeal in the end for Arizona in gaining traction with the Senators was two-fold. First, Ottawa didn’t need to send money back in a player contract. That was huge for Arizona. And second, the Coyotes felt Ottawa’s first-round pick, while top-five protected, was more appealing than any other pick offered. That pick could end up anywhere from No. 6 to No. 16 — unless, of course, Ottawa makes the playoffs, which, well, is possible.
As others have reported, the Coyotes had a potential trade with Columbus involving Chychrun fall apart at the draft in Montreal last summer, which included the Jackets’ No. 12 pick in the first round. So in the end, the Coyotes end up probably with a similar first-round pick from Ottawa. But they don’t end up with two first-round picks, which was part of the Coyotes’ ask in a Chychrun trade for well over a year.
From a Senators’ perspective, the price certainly softened from earlier conversations with Arizona, in which the names of prospects like Ridly Greig and Tyler Kleven were part of the Coyotes’ ask, on top of the rest of the draft-pick package. It was deemed way too high a price by the Senators, which is why the organization thought it was out of the Chychrun sweepstakes as late as last week. Out, well, until the price dropped.
And, obviously, it did. Sens GM Pierre Dorion showed good patience, and he ends up filling a glaring hole on his blue line at a price he can live with. And while it’s a boost in the short term to a team that’s been playing great hockey, the real impact of the deal for the Senators will be felt over the next few years.
Pierre Dorion has tried to preach patience to the Ottawa fan base.
He used that same attribute to pry Jakob Chychrun out of Arizona.
By acquiring the star defenceman, the Sens can actually dream about the playoffs next year.
What a wild two weeks on the defenseman trade market, and that’s not even delving into the surprising trade of Filip Hronek to Vancouver from Detroit on Wednesday, or Shayne Gostisbehere ending up in Carolina; or Luke Schenn, Jake McCabe and Erik Gustafsson going to Toronto; or Jack Johnson heading back to Colorado.
And we’re probably not done.
But imagine for a moment how differently the past two weeks could have gone.
Gavrikov was nearly a Bruin. And where would that have left Orlov? And Chychrun easily could have ended up in Edmonton or L.A. What would that have meant for Gavrikov and Ekholm?
So many overlapping trade conversations around a small group of blueliners. Let’s see how it pans out come playoff time.
(Top photo of Jakob Chychrun: Zac BonDurant / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
Inter Milan winger Tajon Buchanan, recovered from a broken leg suffered in training at this summer’s Copa America, is back in Jesse Marsch’s Canada squad for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Suriname.
The 25-year-old from Brampton, Ont., underwent surgery July 3 to repair a fractured tibia in Texas.
Canada, ranked 35th in the world, plays No. 136 Suriname on Nov. 15 in Paramaribo. The second leg of the aggregate series is four days later at Toronto’s BMO Field.
There is also a return for veteran winger Junior Hoilett, who last played for Canada in June in a 4-0 loss to the Netherlands in Marsch’s debut at the Canadian helm. The 34-year-old from Brampton, now with Scotland’s Hibernian, has 15 goals in 63 senior appearances for Canada.
Midfielder Ismael Kone, recovered from an ankle injury sustained on club duty with France’s Marseille, also returns. He missed Canada’s last three matches since the fourth-place Copa America loss to Uruguay in July.
But Canada will be without centre back Derek Cornelius, who exited Marseille’s win Sunday over Nantes on a stretcher after suffering an apparent rib injury.
The Canadian men will prepare for Suriname next week at a camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“We are looking forward to getting the group together again with the mindset that there is a trophy on the line,” Marsch said in a statement. “We want to end 2024 the right way with two excellent performances against a competitive Suriname squad and continue building on our tremendous growth this past summer.”
The quarterfinal winners advance to the Nations League Finals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with the two semifinals scheduled for March 20 and the final and third-place playoff March 23, and qualify for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Thirteen of the 23 players on the Canadian roster are 25 or younger, with 19-year-old defender Jamie Knight-Lebel, currently playing for England’s Crewe Alexandra on loan from Bristol City, the youngest.
Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies captains the side with Stephen Eustaquio, Jonathan Osorio, Richie Laryea, Alistair Johnston and Kamal Miller adding veteran support.
Jonathan David, Cyle Larin and Theo Bair are joined in attack by Minnesota United’s Tani Oluwaseyi.
Niko Sigur, a 21-year-old midfielder with Croatia’s Hadjuk Split, continues in the squad after making his debut in the September friendly against Mexico.
Suriname made it to the Nations League quarterfinals by finishing second to Costa Rica in Group A of the Nations League, ahead of No. 104 Guatemala, No. 161 Guyana and unranked Martinique and Guadeloupe.
“A good team,” Osorio said of Suriname. “These games are always tricky and they’re not easy at all … Suriname is a (former) Dutch colony and they’ll have Dutch players playing at high levels.”
“They won’t be someone we overlook at all,” added the Toronto FC captain, who has 81 Canada caps to his credit.
Located on the northeast coast of South America between Guyana and French Guiana, Suriname was granted independence in 1975 by the Netherlands.
Canada has faced Suriname twice before, both in World Cup qualifying play, winning 4-0 in suburban Chicago in June 2021 and 2-1 in Mexico City in October 1977.
The Canadian men, along with Mexico, the United States and Panama, received a bye into the final eight of the CONCACAF Nations League.
Canada, No. 2 in the CONCACAF rankings, drew Suriname as the best-placed runner-up from League A play.
Canada lost to Jamaica in last year’s Nations League quarterfinal, ousted on the away-goals rule after the series ended in a 4-4 draw. The Canadians lost 2-0 to the U.S. in the final of the 2022-23 tournament and finished fifth in 2019-20.
Canada defeated Panama 2-1 last time out, in an Oct. 15 friendly in Toronto.
Goalkeepers Maxime Crepeau and Jonathan Sirois, defenders Joel Waterman, Laryea and Miller and Osorio took part in a pre-camp this week in Toronto for North America-based players.
Canada Roster
Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Jonathan Sirois, CF Montreal (MLS); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United FC (MLS).
Defenders: Moise Bombito, OGC Nice (France); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Alistair Johnston, Celtic (Scotland); Jamie Knight-Lebel. Crewe Alexandra, on loan from Bristol City (England); Kamal Miller, Portland Timbers (MLS); Joel Waterman, CF Montreal (MLS).
Midfielders: Ali Ahmed. Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Tajon Buchanan, Inter Milan (Italy); Mathieu Choiniere, Grasshopper Zurich (Switzerland); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Junior Hoilett, Hibernian FC (Scotland); Ismael Kone, Olympique Marseille (France); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS); Niko Sigur, Hadjuk Split (Croatia).
Forwards: Theo Bair, AJ Auxerre (France); Jonathan David, LOSC Lille (France); Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United (MLS).
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
