One of the biggest names available in the trade market this offseason has been Arizona Coyotes defenceman Jakob Chychrun. He has expressed on multiple occasions his desire to be traded to a contender, and the Coyotes have agreed to trade him, but they will not trade him away cheap.
Chychrun is a top 4 defenceman who can put up quite a few points on the back end, including a season where he scored 18 goals and 41 points in only 56 games, as a member of the Coyotes as that!
What makes Chychrun so valuable is not only his skill level, but his contract as well. For a team like the Toronto Maple Leafs who are seriously lacking in cap space, Chychrun's contract is for 3 more seasons at a very team friendly deal of $4,600,000.
While this is a huge ask for the Maple Leafs, the one benefit is if they can swing the deal without giving up anything off their current roster, it would be a huge plus. The Coyotes are seeking prospects that the Leafs would prefer not to give up, but if the team believed they were a cup contender last year and they have the opportunity to add someone like Chychrun and not give up a roster player, it would be a huge plus for the team, especially a team seriously lacking defence.