In March 2023, the Ottawa Senators made a bold trade with the then Arizona Coyotes to improve their defense. The Senators traded away a conditional 2023 first-round draft pick, a conditional 2024 second-round draft pick and a 2026 conditional second-round draft pick in exchange for defenseman Jakob Chychrun.
In Arizona, Chychrun became a steady defenseman. The Senators were in desperate need of improving their defense, and took a risk trading away three draft picks for Chychrun who was 24 years old at the time of the trade.
However, Chychrun's time in Ottawa ended this past July when the Senators traded him to the Washington Capitals. The Senators traded away Chychrun and a 2026 third-round draft pick in exchange for defenseman Nick Jensen. Chychrun is now thriving in Washington this season, and he recently opened up about the trade from this past July.
Chychrun opens up about Senators departure
Looking back at his 94 career games with the Senators, Chychrun revealed his tenure was an "unfortunate unraveling." Chychrun's agent Andy Scott told Chychrun that trade talks heated up at the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas. After Chychrun was ready to move on from Ottawa, nothing would then happen.
"My agent said "something might not happen now,' and then the following day, we hopped on the phone" Chychrun said. "(Scott) told me to get ready for training camp in Ottawa,"
After that, Chychrun got another message from Scott.
"Hold on, the GM's calling me now."
Chychrun was traded to the Capitals right after Scott told him that. Chychrun described it as a "big turn."
"At first, I didn't know what to think," Chychrun said. "And, then, ended up being really excited once it started to sink in."
This season, Chychrun is turning into one of Washington's most important players on the roster. Chychrun has 15 points with a +10 rating. In his first and only full season in Ottawa last season, Chychrun recorded 41 points, but recorded an abysmal -30 rating.
Although Chychrun has thrived in Washington, the defenseman Ottawa received in the trade has also been important. Jensen has 10 points and the highest +/- rating on the Senators with a +13. So far, the trade has been a win on both sides with each team getting a steady defenseman playing a key role.
The Senators and Chychrun didn't work out for the time Chychrun was with the team. If Jensen wasn't a major part of the Senators roster this season, the trade would've looked much worse for the Senators.