Yahoo Sports Insider Reveals Oilers Almost Made Chychrun Trade
EDMONTON -- Things could always be different.
The Edmonton Oilers have come to many a fork in the road. One of them recently involved Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway. They had a decision to make after the duo signed offer sheets. Ultimately, they decided to let both players walk away.
A different Oilers defender almost didn't get to play for the team.
Earlier today, Frank Seravalli reported that the Oilers were in deep conversations with the Arizona Coyotes about acquiring Jakob Chychrun when they pulled the trigger on a Mattias Ekholm trade.
"The craziest part about the Ekholm trade," Seravalli revealed. "In the last hour before making the deal, I had the tweets queued up, ready to tweet that the Oilers were getting Jakob Chychrun."
Jakob Chychrun boosted his career totals with the @Capitals to 11-17—28 (35 GP). His 28 points through his first 35 games with the franchise are the most by a defenseman and one more than the next closest (Mike McEwen: 8-19—27 in 1984-85).#NHLStats: https://t.co/QjOw8A21KZ https://t.co/gwHf9RltUu
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) January 7, 2025
"I think Ken Holland specifically was always leaning more toward Ekholm than Chychrun. Even that day, it was never 100 percent Ekholm."
My Take
There was a lot of chatter on social media that trade deadline about the Oilers being interested in Chychrun. It got to the point where many people were convinced that's where things were headed.
The Ekholm trade materialized (seemingly) out of the blue.
Since the trade, Ekholm has been a revelation. He's a stabilizing presence, a calm veteran voice, and an impressive two-way defender.
At 34, the 6-foot-5 Swede still plays north of 22 minutes per game. He's been invaluable in helping Evan Bouchard develop. The two have become the Oilers' top pairing and one of the best in the league.
To say that the team would look radically different without Ekholm is a massive understatement.
While Chychrun isn't a bad defender, he isn't Ekholm. Today, the Oilers are happy that things didn't happen differently.
Bookmark The Hockey News Edmonton Oilers team site to never miss the latest news, game-day coverage, and more.
Related: Oilers Top Prospect Is An All-Star
Related: Connor McDavid's Wife Lauren Makes Big Announcement
Related: Oilers Must Fix Lingering Roster Issue
Related: Oilers Have Three Prospects Knocking On The Door
Related: Oilers Have Three Prospects Knocking On The Door
