Insider Links Pending UFA Jalen Chatfield To Western Conference Team

 

Carolina Hurricanes blueliner Jalen Chatfield is a pending unrestricted free agent after the season, and with extension talks not advancing at this point, the right-shot D-man could become a trade candidate. Vancouver Canucks Insider Rick Dhaliwal is calling him a name to watch as the team is still on the hunt for a defenseman.

A right-shot defenseman I want you to keep your eye on is Jalen Chatfield... He's under a million, he's a UFA, he is talking contract extension with Carolina but I don't think they're close. 

This would be a reunion for Chatfield if the Canucks pulled this off, as he was with the team in 2020-21, but only got into 18 games, at just 13:26 of ice time on average. They were fine to let him go to the Hurricanes after that season. 

But Dhaliwal says Vancouver might want to revisit Chatfield as he possesses some assets that the current regime likes. 

"There's two things that Canucks coaches love.. size and skating. And Chatfield fills that. He's (also) relatively cheap, he'd fit in the cap in two seconds, so that's another big thing when it comes to Chatfield."

The 6'1", 188-pounder out of Michigan is on a near-minimum $775,000 contract. Particularly at that salary, he's shown himself to be a very capable bottom-pairing blueliner. This season, he's recorded 7 points in 22 games, averaging 14 ½ minutes a night.

Photo: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports