The Winnipeg Jets have been surprisingly good this year as they are hanging with the top teams in the Central Division in the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche. With a few trade deadline acquisitions, the team could even be poised to secure the top spot in the division.
One player the team is reportedly targeting is Senators defenseman Jakob Chychrun. One proposed trade involves Chychrun going to the jets along with Jacob Larsson in exchange for Rasmus Kupari, Declan Chisholm, a 2024 fourth-round draft pick, and a 2025 first-round draft pick
That being said, such a trade makes sense for both teams. The Senators have a logjam on defense with Tomas Chabot and Jake Sanderson also capable of fulfilling the offensive roles for the team. Additionally, the Senators have seemingly squandered another year as the team is dead last in the Atlantic division with a 14-21-0 record. As such, the team may want to punt on the season once more, stockpiling future assets like another 1st round pick in the process.
Chychrun has one year left after this on at a 4.6 million dollar cap hit. Ideally, the jets would be able to sign him to an extension after the trade, but it has proven to be a difficult proposition for the team to sign unrestricted free agents. This does add some risk to the deal from the Jets perspective, but it is a chance the team is going to have to take if they want to win.