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NHL Trade Grades: Why The Reilly Smith Swap Is A Win-win For Rangers, Penguins
Defenseman Jakob Chychrun has seen his name in the trade rumor mill frequently in recent seasons, and he was on the move again Monday. The Ottawa Senators traded Chychrun to the Washington Capitals for Nick Jensen and a 2026 third-round pick.
Which GM did better in the swap? Here are our grades for both teams.
Washington Capitals Grade: A-The Capitals continue an aggressive, intriguing offseason with their acquisition of Chychrun. He brings an offensive acumen and booming shot to the blue line, becoming arguably the second-best scoring option on defense behind John Carlson. Chychrun had 41 points in 82 games last season with the Senators, including 14 goals. He had 16 of those points on the power play.
Senators fans called out his defensive play, and Chychrun's minus-30 didn't offer much of a counterargument. But his defensive metrics were much better than the eye test might have indicated, especially relative to his Senators teammates.
His stock has dropped from those days when the Arizona Coyotes were demanding multiple first-round picks for him. That's fine. The 26-year-old has a chance to rebuild that rep in Washington, a team that has bolstered its offense in the offseason and already had Alex Ovechkin chasing Wayne Gretzky's goals record up front.
The only knock on this deal is that that Chychrun can bolt after next season.
Ottawa Senators Grade: BThe toughest thing for Senators fans here: seeing the return after hearing what the alleged asking price was for Chychrun. The Senators were seeking "a first- and second-round pick or a high-end prospect," the Ottawa Sun reported. Ottawa didn't get any of that here.
What they did get was a little more roster certainty and a lot more defense. Jensen makes less than Chychrun ($4.05 million) and is signed through 2025-26. While he can chip in over 20 points, he's a defensive defenseman who can help solidify the top four. One could see him sliding next to Thomas Chabot to form an effective tandem.
The reality is that Ottawa had Chychrun on borrowed time. He wasn't coming back after next season. No, the return isn't close to what fans were expecting. But as a deal that helps the Senators now, with a third-rounder down the line, it might have been as good as they could get for a player who is still more potential than proof of concept after eight seasons in the league.
