Ottawa Senators Defenceman Jakob Chychrun on Staying in Ottawa Longer-Term: "I Honestly Haven't Given It Much Thought"

Chychrun was acquired by Ottawa at the 2023 Trade Deadline for a first-round pick and two second rounders and has one year left on his contract.

As Jakob Chychrun enters the final year of his contract, the Ottawa Senators have a decision to make before he hits unrestricted free agency next summer. 

Or at least we thought they did.

In cap terms, Chychrun fits every team's budget at $4.6 million for next season. But his actual salary goes from $5.4 million to $7 million. So the question becomes, is Chychrun worth an extra $1.6 million investment next season? Is he worth bumping up to $8 million per year (or more) in a multi-year extension? Because to forego free agency, that's probably in the ball park of what his camp will be looking for.

And that won't be easy to cram in under the cap when you've already got Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot locked up with similar deals. 

But here's the rub. All the talk to this point has been about the Senators making their decision on Chychrun. 

But what about Chychrun's decision on the Senators? 

At today's media availability at Canadian Tire Centre, Chychrun sounded different than the player who arrived in Ottawa at the 2023 trade deadline. Last year he was happy to arrive at his home away from home, able to play in front of family every night. 

When asked on Thursday whether Ottawa was a place he wanted to play for the next few years, Chychrun claimed he hadn't thought about it.

"It's a tough question," Chychrun said after an exhale. "I mean, I don't know. I honestly have not thought about that. I know I have one more year left and like I said, there haven't even been talks of an extension or anything. So I haven't really gotten my head wrapped around that idea. So it's tough for me to sit here and act like I have. I don't know. I'm just going to kind of take it day-by-day and see if and when we have those talks and go from there."

It's impossible to believe that Chychrun hasn't thought about where he wants to live and play beyond next season. Perhaps it's a negotiating tactic. It probably doesn't serve Chychrun very well to come out and say, "I love Ottawa and I never want to leave."

But it's also possible, like a lot of relationships, it just hasn't worked out the way either side had hoped. 

The Senators, when GM Pierre Dorion was calling the shots, thought they were finally getting that top four defenceman they needed. And Chychrun is a top four guy. But as a left shot, offensive defenceman, that's a type of player Ottawa already had too much of. It's almost certain they'll be looking to unload at least one of them this summer.

On Chychrun's side, he asked for trade from Arizona to get away from the losing. The trade took Chychrun out of the Arizona frying pan and into the Ottawa fire. It certainly wasn't the escape from losing he had hoped. 

He also may not be all that fond of how he's been used – consistently on his wrong side with a different partner almost every night.

And Chychrun has just come from Arizona, where fans don't study your every move, not like they do in Ottawa, a hockey-crazy town that isn't shy to tell you what they think of you, good or bad. That had to be a difficult transition.

Chychrun was asked if it's been frustrating with all the distraction around his status with the team.

"Yeah, I don't know, it's part of the sport, it's part of the game, part of the business. I understand that comes with the job. So, at the end of the day, it is what it is and people are going to speculate and have their opinions. All I can control is showing up to work every day and preparing and doing everything I can to help the team win."

And what about his immediate future with the Senators?

"Well, obviously, I've got one more year. So I'm really just kind of focused on that and seeing how things go. I think, obviously, this year was frustrating for us as a group. I think we had high expectations and high hopes and we weren't able to perform to that level. So that's the frustrating part about underachieving as a team. And I think the big focus is just improving on the capabilities that we really have here as a group."

As with Alex DeBrincat last summer, if Chychrun doesn't want to be here long term, that changes everything.

And it leaves the Senators with only one possible decision.