NHL Rumors: Arizona Coyotes, Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche

Welcome to the Wednesday edition of Full Press Hockey‘s NHL Rumors. The trade deadline is still over a month away, but that does not mean the rumors are going away. Therefore we will be upping our coverage from two days a week to four days a week. The Wednesday, February 9th edition of NHL Rumors will cover the Arizona Coyotes, Vegas Golden Knights, and Colorado Avalanche.

Arizona Coyotes – Jakob Chychrun

Rumor: Per – Lisa Dillman – theathletic.com. Dillman weighs the pros and cons of the Los Angeles Kings trading for defenseman Jakob Chychrun.

Things just haven’t been popping concerning which NHL team (if any) will finally acquire Chychrun. While the Los Angeles Kings are exiting from a long rebuild, adding a piece like Chychrun could really escalate things. The Kings need a left-side defenseman and Chychrun can fill that role.

Just imagine a power-play blueline consisting of Drew Doughty and Chychrun. Chychrun had five power-play goals last season and added nine assists. And, don’t forget that was a shortened season due to a pandemic. Doughty was even more effective with six goals, 12 assists.

What could the Coyotes demand in return? Well, the Kings have a wealth of young prospects to entice Arizona Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong. With forwards Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Turcotte, and Rasmus Kupari and defenseman Tobias Bjornfot to choose from, things can get really intriguing as the trade deadline approaches.

With that kind of return, plus a first round draft pick, it may just be enough to swing a deal.

Vegas Golden Knights – Alec Martinez odd man out

Rumor: Per – Owen Krepps – vegashockeynow.com. With the return soon of forward Jack Eichel, the Vegas Golden Knights need to shed salary to add Eichel to the active roster. It looks like Alec Martinez and his $5.25 million contract may be the way to go.

It seems that ever since Martinez took a skate to the face on November 11th, he hasn’t played since. The Vegas Golden Knights are doing just fine without him as Zach Whitecloud (who sustained a broken foot recently), Ben Hutton, and Shea Theodore are getting the job done. That is not to say that Martinez has value with the team; it’s just a numbers game with the salary cap limitations.

If Martinez’s salary is added to the approximate $4.9 million they currently have in cap space, that would total $10.15 million if he were traded. Just barely enough to cut Eichel’s check for services to be rendered. Martinez is in the first year of a three-year deal. There would be some interest in him if the team decided to move him before Eichel is activated, which could be anytime now.

Colorado Avalanche – Joonas Donskoi

Rumor: Per – Adrian Dater – coloradohockeynow.com. The Colorado Avalanche are rumored to need a right-hand shot, and they know Joonas Donskoi from his playing days with the Avs. He carries a $3.9 million price tag.

While adding Donskoi may help the right side of the Av’s lineup, his production this season has failed to earn him that $3.9 million salary. He is struggling with just one goal, 14 assists in 45 games. He’s only contributing 0.33 points per game. That is his lowest output since the 2016-17 season when he finished with 0.28.

It would seem the Colorado Avalanche would need to address more drastic issues like who will be in net next season? Both Pavel Francouz and Darcy Kuemper have expiring contracts after this season and it’s uncertain if either netminder will be back next season.

As far as Donskoi goes, the team only has $1.7 million of cap space currently. That means if they want to acquire him, they will need to make a trade. It seems unlikely that will happen. So, even though the Seattle Kraken‘s general manager Ron Francis has stated that he is open to trading almost any player on his roster, Donskoi may not be one of them.

That does it for this edition of NHL rumors. Be sure to catch our next article to stay in touch with all the latest NHL news!