The Washington Capitals made their first big move before the 2023 NHL trade deadline on Thursday when they shipped Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway to the Boston Bruins. More moves are expected and TSN’s Darren Dreger is reporting on what their next deal could be.

Dreger says that the Caps are looking to retool the team after acquiring draft picks from the Bruins and are interested in using it to acquire Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun. The 24-year-old, left-handed blueliner has two seasons left on his current contract at $4.6 million per.

It’s clear the Capitals are hoping to reset on the fly. Jake Chychrun is a player of interest for Washington. Including the 1st acquired from Boston, the Caps have the pick currency to make it work. The Chychrun saga has been ongoing since Nov, 2021.

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) February 24, 2023

Chychrun has long been involved in trade discussions and many teams are rumored to be monitoring his situation. The Coyotes have held him out of their lineup since February 11 for trade-related reasons and have zero plans on having him play again before the March 3 deadline.

Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong spoke to PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan on Wednesday about the process and why it has taken so long to resolve.

“One of the reasons we held him out so soon was he played a ton of minutes in his last game (at Chicago),” Armstrong said. “After that, we thought we were so close to a deal that we just had to make a decision. It turned out we were not, and then one day led to the next day and here we are today.

“We’ve had a great understanding on both sides of it and I think Jakob has been a tremendous professional about it,” Armstrong added. “He understood the whole process.”

One of the main reasons that Chychrun has not moved yet is that the Coyotes are reportedly asking for two first-round picks in return for his services. After Thursday’s deal, the Capitals have two first-round picks in the 2023 draft and still own their firsts in the next two drafts after.

Chychrun has recorded 28 points (7g, 21a) in 36 games for the Coyotes this season.

Photo: @jakobchychrun/IG