Chychrun would give the Blues more chances in the offensive zone at 5-on-5
Jakob Chychrun has long been a two-way player in the NHL, and that started becoming evident in the 2020-21 season when he put up 18 goals and 41 points. It led to a 10th-place finish for the Norris Trophy, and despite struggling through a pair of injury-riddled seasons in 2021-22 and 2022-23, the 2023-24 campaign proved Chychrun hadn’t lost a step as he tied his career-high in points, albeit while playing all 82 games.
But Chychrun doesn’t need to put up 0.732 points per contest to make a team like the Blues more effective in the offensive zone at 5-on-5. He just needs to be a puck mover and help create opportunities for teammates to be effective. And considering the Blues numbers at 5-on-5 this past season, they need a lot of help.
Here are some of the more interesting statistics: They scored just 151 goals at 5-on-5, or 6.5 fewer than expected. Their xGF of 157.5 sat over 10 goals below the NHL average, as did their 45.9 Corsi For, their 7.7 shooting percentage, and their 543 high-danger chances for.
Chychrun’s Senators weren’t a good team in 2023-24, but he still helped them finish the year 18th in the league in goals scored. Of the 255 that went in the net for Ottawa, Chychrun was on the ice for 99 of them, or 38.8 percent. He was a puck mover, and he was also on the ice for more shots for than shots against at 5-on-5, all while playing for what was one of the NHL’s worst teams.