The draft is done. The free-agency frenzy has cooled.
And the 2022-23 NHL regular season is barely more than a month away.
But the imminent future of Jakob Chychrun has yet to be locked in.
The Arizona Coyotes defenseman has been the topic of trade rumors for what feels like an eternity these days, and the idea that he'll be moved now that teams have begun finalizing rosters for training camp is gaining renewed strength.
B/R's hockey team last pondered possible landing spots for the 24-year-old Florida native in January, but seeing how no deals for the 6'2", 220-pounder have been made in the intervening months, it seemed high time to take another look at where he could be a good fit.
Anaheim Ducks
The first of three teams to make both landing spot lists, the Ducks made sense in January while they were still in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race and not making particular headway in signing soon-to-be free-agent blueliner Hampus Lindholm.
As it turned out, Anaheim's free fall to a non-playoff position began soon after, and Lindholm was sent to Boston two months later for two players and three picks.
Fast-forward a few more months and the Ducks still boast one of the league's premier pipelines of young talent. They signed Dallas defenseman John Klingberg to a one-year deal worth $7 million, and more than $18 million in salary-cap space remains.
So if they want to add Chychrun and his $4.6 million salary for the next three years, it won't be financial issues that keep them from doing so.
And while youngsters like Trevor Zegras, Troy Terry and Mason McTavish won't be going anywhere in a deal, it's not inconceivable that 23-year-old Max Comtois (16 points in 52 games in 2021-22) or 22-year-old Isac Lundestrom (29 points in 80 games) could ultimately find themselves in metropolitan Phoenix to help get it done.
New York Islanders
Like the Ducks before them, the Islanders were among the would-be contenders to land Chychrun in January, but they were future-focused beyond 2021-22 after an early season that had gone irretrievably bad following two straight trips to the postseason final four.
GM Lou Lamoriello was looking for defensive help to shore up a blue line that had been gashed by the exit of veteran Nick Leddy to Detroit and hadn't been steadied in spite of the presence of a then-44-year-old Zdeno Chara.
He didn't get it then and the team continued to flounder, ultimately finishing 20th overall and 16 points out of the nearest Eastern Conference wild-card playoff spot.
New York remained silent this summer in spite of a number of high-profile deals around the league, but if Lamoriello still covets the idea of sliding Chychrun into a top-four pairing alongside Ryan Pulock or Noah Dobson, it'd make for a pretty solid defensive corps for a team looking to make a quick transition back to playoff-ready.
It'd also require a bit more attention to money with the Islanders $2.4 million under the salary cap, but they have veteran players who might fit the bill in a Chychrun swap, and they are flush with 21 draft picks over the next three years as well.