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Report: Rychel requested trade out of Columbus

Apparently, Jonathan Drouin isn’t the only first-round pick of the 2013 draft to have made a trade request already in his young career.

According to the Columbus Dispatch, so too has Blue Jackets winger Kerby Rychel.

Rychel is an interesting case. You remember the dust-up at development camp, when Rychel’s camp -- agent, father, possibly others -- met with Blue Jackets’ officials and demanded an explanation as to why Rychel seems parked so deep on the depth chart? The Dispatch has been told repeatedly that Rychel asked for a trade before the season started, but the Blue Jackets have shown no interest in trading him. The New York Rangers, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, Anaheim, Boston and Detroit have all reportedly shown interest, and why not? Rychel is a point-a-game player in the AHL and has plenty of sand paper.

Rychel was drafted out of OHL Windsor, where he was teammates with the likes of Alexander Khokhlachev and Josh Ho-Sang. The 21-year-old son of former NHLer Warren Rychel has played 16 games for the Blue Jackets, including 11 this season. While he’s still searching for his first NHL goal, he does have six career assists.

Rychel is currently with AHL Lake Erie, where he has five goals and 13 assists in 20 games this season.