The trade for Mattias Ekholm has been a franchise-altering move. It is easily in the discussion for the best trade deadline move not just for the Edmonton Oilers, but for any team in the league. Ekholm’s impact on his teammates, the organization, and the city as a whole is immeasurable as the Oilers have turned the corner into legit Stanley Cup contenders during his tenure with the team.
But what if that trade didn’t happen? What if the prominent rumours of the time suggesting Jakob Chychrun was the target came true?
Turns out, we were much closer to that being reality than anyone may have thought.
Oilers almost had Chychrun
On a recent episode of Oilersnation Everyday, Frank Seravalli suggests that a trade between the Oilers and the (then) Arizona Coyotes for Chychrun was so close that he had the tweets queued up and ready to go, as if he was expecting it to be announced shortly.
"In the last hour before making the deal, I had the tweets queued up ready to tweet that the Oilers were getting Jakob Chychrun." – @frank_seravalli
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) January 8, 2025
Oilersnation Everyday Presented by @SherwoodFord#SherwoodFord pic.twitter.com/RaSDQznqVI
The fact that the Oilers were in on Chychrun is no surprise. He was one of the top targets for the team for months, if not years, leading up to the eventual trade for Ekholm. But what is a surprise is how close it truly was, as the chatter around the Coyotes defender had quieted down before a move was made.
It sounds like Ekholm was the primary target from then-Oilers GM Ken Holland. But Edmonton was willing and prepared to go with Chychrun instead. A persistence from the side of the Nashville Predators kept the deal progressing and ultimately ended up leading to the Oilers acquiring Ekholm.
How would the Oilers have looked if they got Chychrun instead?
There are many many questions to ask on what this team would have looked like if they had acquired Chychrun instead. Starting with the top defensive pairing and Evan Bouchard.
Would Chychrun have been able to jump in as the top pairing left defender as immediately as Ekholm? His usage in Arizona suggests he would have been able to take on the role, but his skillset being slightly different than Ekholm in some ways would have changed the entire defence with how they have built their pairings and approach the game.
Chychrun, like Ekholm, is a strong in-zone defender with a booming shot from the point. Where they differ is that Ekholm’s positioning and zone exits tend to be stronger and Ekholm, while having a powerful shot he is not afraid to use, is more likely to defer to Bouchard or the forwards to get the eventual shot off. Chychrun and Bouchard on the same pairing, likely playing with one of (or both) Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, might create a bit of competition for who is actually shooting the puck.
Additionally, the skillset match between Ekholm and Bouchard is much better. Between the complimentary styles and the parts of playing defence that Ekholm has been able to teach Bouchard have left the latter in a much better place. It seems unlikely that Chychrun would have been able to have this type of impact on Bouchard’s game, as the two of them may not have even ended up playing together full-time.
This tosses a wrench in the team’s lines and alters the depth chart, as Darnell Nurse may have ended up viewed as the top-pairing left defender.
With these lineup changes, would the Oilers have turned into the powerhouse that they have these past two seasons?
The possibilities are vast with what the Oilers may have looked like had they gotten Chychrun instead. Personally, Ekholm was my target at that deadline and I am forever glad that Edmonton was able to acquire him. And since then, it has been one of the most beneficial trades we have ever seen.
