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Arizona Coyotes: Five of the best John Chayka trades

By James Reeve

VANCOUVER, BC - FEBRUARY 21: Darcy Kuemper #35 is congratulated by teammates after their overtime win during their NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena February 21, 2019 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC - FEBRUARY 21: Darcy Kuemper #35 is congratulated by teammates after their overtime win during their NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena February 21, 2019 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Arizona Coyotes
GLENDALE, AZ – FEBRUARY 14: Arizona Coyotes defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson (4) controls the puck during the NHL hockey game between the St. Louis Blues and the Arizona Coyotes on February 14, 2019 at Gila River Arena in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

It’s Hammer time

In this trade, the Arizona Coyotes let go of two young guys in exchange for a legitimate top-four defenceman that is arguably one of the best players on the team today.

The Coyotes sent Connor Murphy and Laurent Dauphin to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for three-time Stanley Cup champion Niklas Hjalmarsson.

Murphy has earned 22 points (four goals, 18 assists) in 108 regular season games with the Blackhawks, while Hjalmarsson has earned 17 points in 109 regular season games with the Coyotes.

The difference is that Hjalmarsson is a far more effective defenceman, blocking an astonishing 250 shots since moving to the desert – having a positive Corsi rating of 50.1% despite starting in his own zone 64.4% of the time.

Dauphin also returned to the Coyotes in the Panik/Duclair trade mentioned earlier in this list, though he was swiftly offloaded to the Predators to help clear up a contract spot – while also landing Emil Pettersson for the Tucson Roadrunners.

Hammer, as he is known, is a truly key piece to the puzzle for the Coyotes and it is easy to see why this deal is on this list.

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