Arizona Coyotes’ Nick Schmaltz and Jakob Chychrun set to return next week

The Arizona Coyotes are about to get a couple of important pieces back in the lineup soon, as center Nick Schmaltz and defenseman Jakob Chychrun will be returning to the lineup next week, according to Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports.

Morgan reported on their returns in his most recent five takeaways article:

“GM Bill Armstrong said that defenseman Jakob Chychrun and forward Nick Schmaltz will both return to the lineup on Nov. 21 when the Coyotes open a four-game segment of this 14-game trip in Nashville.“

Schmaltz has been out of the lineup since the first game of the season, as he logged just 2:26 of ice time in the team’s season opener in Pittsburgh before suffering a rib injury. He had surgery and was reported to be out six to eight weeks, so this puts him slightly ahead of schedule just five and a half weeks later.

Chychrun has yet to play a game this season, as he’s been out recovering from multiple surgeries that he had over the offseason. He had one to remove a bone spur from his ankle, and another one on his wrist, one he’s already had an operation on in the 2021 offseason.

Schmaltz didn’t have any time to get on the scoreboard in his brief appearance in the 2022-23 season, but he is coming off a career year last season. He scored 23 goals, 36 assists, and 59 points in just 63 games, all career highs for him despite missing almost 20 games.

Chychrun is coming off a bit of a down year, where he had just seven goals, 14 assists, and 21 points in 47 games in 2021-22 after scoring 18 goals, 23 assists, and 41 points in 56 games in the 2020-21 season. He’s been circling around in trade rumours for quite some time now, as the 24 year old is a hot commodity for teams looking to improve their blueline.