Jakob Chychrun could be on the move after the Ottawa Senators have had a surprisingly down year, and the Dallas Stars could be the perfect landing spot.

It was a mid-December game between Ottawa and Dallas when Jakob Chychrun went viral for heading down the tunnel with Stars players after a rough period for the Senators.

He later revealed that he was only meeting the trainer down the tunnel, but for a fleeting second fans looked and saw a needed defenseman just trying to slip in with a playoff team's squad.

Now, a month and plenty of laughs later, the Stars still look like they need a trade piece to shore up the back end, and Chychrun could be exactly what the team needs. 

Chychrun is a 25 year-old defenseman that was drafted by Arizona Coyotes in 2016. He played with the Coyotes from the 2016-17 season until he was traded to the Ottawa Senators last March for a 2023 conditional first round pick, a 2024 conditional second round pick and a 2026 second round pick.

The hope was, even with Ottawa missing the playoffs last season, that Chychrun would be around to build a playoff caliber team this year, but that hasn't happened. The Sens are way out of the playoff picture already, have fired a coach and Chychrun just doesn't look like the right fit in Ottawa.

It has been reported that Chychrun wants out of Ottawa and that teams have already been inquiring about him. It has also been reported that Ottawa would require a haul in return.

Chychrun is a pending un-restricted free agent at the end of the 2024-25 season, giving any team one more season after this to make him a part of their long term plans. He carries a modest cap hit of 4.6 million per year. 

It is unclear whether or not the Senators would be willing to retain any salary cap at this time, but Chychrun just might be worth the price. 

He is a physical defenseman that can play both on the left and right side. He has elite hockey vision and is a pass-first player that knows how to keep the puck moving up-ice. 

The question is: Could he be a fit for the Dallas Stars?

First and foremost, this potential trade would require off-loading some cap space via trade. The Stars currently do not have anything close to $5 million extra laying around, but general manager Jim Nill is known for making it work when it comes to cap space.

It should also be noted that Nill is not known for paying a massive amount for what would essentially be a rental for the Stars, even though he has another year on his contract. If Chychrun pans out the way the Stars would hope, his next contract would probably demand north of $8 million, a price the Stars probably couldn't afford.

But aside from all of that, Chychrun is definitely a player the Stars could benefit from. One of the areas the team struggles in is moving the puck through the neutral zone and that is a strong suit for Chychrun. 

Not only that, but if paired with the right partner, he can be a lock down defenseman while also providing offense. His time paired with Jake Sanderson has resulted in the least amount of goals against per 60 minutes and had the most goals for per 60 minutes for Ottawa.

The Stars have a hole on the right-side of the defensive pairings and though Chychrun is a left-handed defenseman, he has no issues playing on his off-side. Dallas already has Heiskanen doing this out of necessity depending on who is partner is that shift. 

Chychrun has spent most of his career on teams that have been at the bottom of the standings, and Ottawa is currently in last place in the Atlantic Division. It's been hard to gauge just what his defensive impact is, and whether it is the team affecting the player or vice versa. This season his +/- rating is at a -11, which doesn't always tell the whole story.

In the chart above, red indicates where the opponents are able to get shots off more than usual, and the blue is where Chychrun has been able to suppress more offensive production than average. On a better team, with better line-mates, one could assume he would be able to elevate his game even more.

However, one of Chychrun's best assets is his offensive game. He currently has seven goals and 19 assists for 26 points in 40 games played. This harkens back to his hockey vision and his goal to keep the puck moving up-ice. He is able to do that and he is getting rewarded for it. This season isn't his best offensively but over his career, he has proven that he can be a weapon in the offensive zone.

The top portion of the above chart is the impact Chychrun has had in the offensive zone. Here, red means more shots generated, and blue spots are weaker areas. 2020-21 looks to be his strongest offensive year, but the offensive talent the Stars have would be the best supporting cast he has ever played with.

The Stars have Heiskanen and Thomas Harley who can move the puck through the zone and run the offense well. If Dallas was in a position to be able to get Heiskanen, Harley and Chychrun on different pairings, they would have a puck mover on the ice at all times, a necessity for preventing long shifts in the defensive zone.

Chychrun comes with a hefty price-tag, making it less than realistic that the Stars acquire him, but the Stars feel like they are in a "win now" window and they may be willing to do what it takes to do so.

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