Ottawa Senators acquire Jakob Chychrun from Coyotes for picks

The long-awaited Jakob Chychrun trade has finally come around.

The Arizona Coyotes moved their top defenseman to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday, in exchange for a conditional first-round draft pick in 2023, a conditional second-round selection in 2024 (from the Washington Capitals), and a second-round pick in 2026.

The first-round choice is top-five protected in the deal. If those parameters are met, it becomes an unprotected first-rounder in 2024. If Ottawa reaches the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, the second-round choice becomes a first-rounder in 2024 that's top-10 protected. If that condition is met, the pick moves to an unprotected first-round choice in 2025.

The Senators grabbed Chychrun for less than what Arizona was originally asking. The Coyotes had wanted a top prospect in return for Chychrun, but as other defensemen were plucked off the board — and with the trade deadline looming at 3 p.m. Friday — Arizona and Ottawa reignited previous negotiations to get a deal done.

Now Ottawa has an elite veteran to complement its stable of young defensive pieces. Chychrun — who has two years remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $4.6 million — joins Thomas Chabot, Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub on a Senators' blueline that has been hit hard by injuries this season but, when healthy, has excellent potential.

The same goes for the Senators as a whole. Ottawa has won three straight and 10 of its past 14. They're currently five points out of an Eastern Conference wild-card spot with 22 regular-season games to go. General manager Pierre Dorion is rewarding his group by acquiring a true difference-maker in Chychrun to help them make a postseason push over the next six weeks.

Chychrun's skills include that rare mix of