Chychrun’s price may have been different for the Buffalo Sabres

Many in Buffalo Sabres circles voiced their displeasure when they discovered defenseman Jakob Chychrun went for a relatively low price. 

So why didn’t the Buffalo Sabres acquire Jakob Chychrun if his asking price was a conditional first round pick in 2023, a conditional second round pick in 2024, and a 2026 second round pick? Sounds like a price even general manager Kevyn Adams would have paid, right?

Okay, here’s the score: I don’t know what was going on in those offices, and neither do you. So do yourself a favor, and stop acting as though the asking price listed above was the universal asking price, because it probably wasn’t.

See, here’s one issue when it comes to the Sabres trying to trade for talent with clubs like the lowly Arizona Coyotes: They have one of the league’s best prospect pools and a plethora of draft picks. 

In fact, following the Erik Portillo trade that Adams somehow got a third round draft pick for, the Sabres now own five draft picks in the first three rounds. But they also have a slew of high-end prospects, so what’s not to say Arizona wanted someone like Matt Savoie, Noah Ostlund, or Jiri Kulich?

Buffalo Sabres general manager was smart not to make this trade

I never believed Adams would trade for Chychrun, because Arizona could have very well wanted one of the three players listed above, if not more. Obviously, they’re not getting the same thing from Senators, whose prospects pool ranks 22nd as opposed to the Sabres ranking fifth. Ottawa also no longer has a single pick in the first three rounds at the moment.

If Adams indeed inquired and engaged in serious trade talks for Chychrun, it’s highly likely the Coyotes wanted more and Adams (rightfully) didn’t give in to the temptation of acquiring a talented yet injury prone defenseman. At the end of the day, Ottawa could have made an offer just good enough for the Coyotes to accept, which shipped him north of the border.

With so much talent  in the prospects pool and several prospects from last season like Owen Power, Jack Quinn, J.J. Peterka, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Mattias Samuelsson, and Peyton Krebs having graduated into full-time NHL players within a one-year frame, Adams was smart to hold onto his current prospects if what I outlined above was indeed the case. The last thing we needed was for Adams to screw up his own plan, especially if it involved trading a ransom of picks and prospects for the injury-prone Chychrun.

Overall, I applaud Adams for standing strong, sticking to a plan that has your Buffalo Sabres pointing north. And if things keep going for this team the way they have been, you will be applauding him too.

Source: Ottawa Senators acquire Jakob Chychrun from Coyotes for picks by Kristen Shilton, ESPN.com

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