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Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

Rookie performance: Jakob Chychrun dropped to the 16th spot in his draft year, 2016, but was the only defenseman from his class to spend the full 2016-17 season in the NHL. He tallied 20 points in 68 games with the Arizona Coyotes, tied for sixth among all rookie blueliners.

The Coyotes did restrict Chychrun's usage through the year. He averaged a relatively conservative 16:40 per game—20th among rookie defensemen who played at least 25 games. The 19-year-old was also a healthy scratch 13 times during the season.

Analysis: The Coyotes were doing a good job of managing Chychrun's role while easing him into the NHL, but his development suffered a setback in early August when he suffered a knee injury that required surgery, according to the team's website. Per the announcement, his status won't be updated until the Arizona training camp begins on September 14.



Outlook: Whether Chychrun's surgery is major or minor, the timing is terrible. Most players get back on to the ice in August after a summer of workouts in the gym, so he's missing out on the valuable skating time he needs to properly prepare for his second NHL campaign.

Once he gets back into action, Chychrun's development may be affected by the changes that have gone down in Glendale during the offseason. Trading Connor Murphy for Niklas Hjalmarsson dramatically changed the look of the Arizona blue line, and new head coach Rick Tocchet may choose to deploy Chychrun differently from ousted bench boss Dave Tippett.

A graduate of the OHL's Sarnia Sting who doesn't turn 20 until March, Chychrun is too young to be assigned to the AHL this season. He could do a 14-day conditioning assignment with the Tucson Roadrunners when he comes back from his injury, but beyond that, he'll either stick with the big club or be reassigned to junior.

It looks like Chychrun faces plenty of uncertainty.