The Arizona Coyotes are foreshadowing a major trade.
Less than 30 minutes before they are scheduled to face off against the St. Louis Blues tonight in the National Hockey League, the Arizona Coyotes have announced the healthy scratch of defenseman Jakob Chychrun.
Chychrun has of course been the subject of rampant trade speculation for the last several seasons but the fact that he is now being scratched is an official indication that a trade is finally going to happen. The Coyotes even went so far as to confirm this in their official announcement of tonight's scratch, citing the reasons for the decision as being "trade related."
As for where he may end up? That's anyone's guess at this point. But there have been a few interesting developments this evening that could point to some moves on the horizon.
The first of those is a report from Ottawa Senators insider Bruce Garrioch that the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers have increased their efforts to acquire Chychrun in a trade, perhaps pointing to a trade to one of those two teams.
It's also worth noting that the Las Vegas Golden Knights made the move to place the injured Mark Stone on injured reserve tonight, and a move to long term injured reserve following his back surgery would clear up significant cap space for the Golden Knights.
The timing here may be pure coincidence, but it did raise a few eyebrows.
Update: The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta reports that the Calgary Flames, Los Angeles Kings, and Boston Bruins have all had some level of talks with the Coyotes this week, pointing to them as potential destinations here.
Update: Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas nervously awaiting a text?
Stay tuned for more details on this developing situation.
