Sports Media

NHL Trade-Related Scratches Becoming A Joke

Trey Daubert / NHL / February 27, 2023

At what point have the NHL trade-related scratches started to become a joke? Is Jakob Chycrun ever going to be traded? (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

I know with every fiber in my soul if ever given a chance to become a general manager for a sports team I would run circles around this entire industry. I know this because most humans are sheep and the general managers in the NHL continue to show their hand. Cowards. All of you are cowards. Okay, maybe not all but you get my point. Can we just talk about how ridiculous this tend has become with the NHL trade-related scratches?

The Coyotes decided out of left field that they were just going to bench Jakob Chychrun. They claimed he was banged up and they were on the verge of a trade. They had made it clear he was being shipped out of town in the immediate future. That was on February 13th. Chycrun still hasn’t been traded as of the 26th.

We also have Vladislov Gavrikov. Same exact ordeal. Except the Blue Jackets decided to be sheep and do it one day after the Coyotes did it. ONE DAY AFTER.

Things since have gotten so bad that Luke Schenn is now being scratched. It’s gone on several days that Schenn has been out of the lineup. We’re talking about a guy that a team is sitting out on a cap hit of $850,000. You are reading that correctly. The Canucks are not playing Schenn for trade reasons and he make less than one million.

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At what point has this gone too far? If you’re going to sit a guy a trade needs to be done within 48 hours. There should be no excuse for that to not be the case. Good players are sitting out games when completely healthy. We’re talking about a guy like Gavrikov in a contract year where his numbers will matter. It’s not fair to the player and these teams are so dumb to the point where the league is now going to have to step in and do something about it.

All I know is something has to be done about it. At this point, the Coyotes should be forced to give up Chychrun in a silent auction to the highest bidder. They want to be terrible anyway in hopes of landing Connor Bedard.

Give Trey a GM job. These people are sheep.