With the NHL Draft set for June 28th, there’s been no shortage of trade talk involving Ottawa Senators defenceman Jakob Chychrun. Chychrun is entering the final year of his contract, and after this season ended for the Senators in April, he sounded non-committal about signing a long-term extension in Ottawa.
When asked at the season-ending news conference whether Ottawa was a place he wanted to play for the next few years, Chychrun claimed he hadn’t thought about it.
“It’s a tough question,” Chychrun said after a thoughtful exhale. “I mean, I don’t know. I honestly have not thought about that. I know I have one more year left, and like I said, there haven’t even been talks of an extension or anything. So I haven’t really gotten my head wrapped around that idea. So it’s tough for me to sit here and act like I have. I don’t know. I’m just going to kind of take it day-by-day and see if and when we have those talks and go from there.”
Chychrun isn’t in an easy spot. From a future negotiation standpoint, it doesn’t serve him to say, “I love Ottawa, and I never want to leave.” He also doesn’t want to upset fans by suggesting he’s not happy. It’s also possible that, like many relationships, it just hasn’t worked out the way either side had hoped.
Whether Chychrun stays or not, the Senators need to make changes. They have new management and a competitive, deep-pocketed new owner, and if an extension for Chychrun isn’t in the cards, then trading him could help bring in some key pieces they need. This is one of the busiest times of the year to make roster changes, with plenty of moving parts, thanks to the NHL Draft on June 28-29 and then the July 1st free agent frenzy.
One of the rumors making the rounds this week is a strong interest from the Philadelphia Flyers.
So, while that relationship remains up in the air and trade proposals continue to fly, Chychrun was far more focused this week on a different proposal – a new long-term deal with his girlfriend, Olivia.
Chychrun bent the knee this week (she said yes) and then surprised Olivia by having their families on hand for an immediate champagne celebration and photo shoot..
Chychrun’s bride-to-be is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, so it’s clear they’re a perfect match in the kitchen, given the big defenceman’s famous passion for eating raw foods and getting the proper fuel for his body.
With that part of Chychrun’s life settled away and heading in a good direction, it’ll be interesting now to see about his future in Ottawa. Will he and the Senators try and make things work, or are they headed for a split?
