One of the best young defencemen in the league has been locked up long-term.
On Tuesday, the Washington Capitals announced that they’ve signed Jakob Chychrun to an eight-year deal worth $72 million, or an annual cap hit of $9 million a season.
Drafted 16th overall in the 2016 draft by the Arizona Coyotes, the left-shot defenceman spent parts of eight seasons with the team, scoring a career-best 18 goals and 41 points in 56 games during the pandemic-impacted 2020-21 season.
Before the 2023 trade deadline, the Coyotes sent Chychrun to the Ottawa Senators, where he scored two goals and five points in 12 games to end the season. The entirety of the 2023-24 season was spent in Canada’s capital, where he scored 14 goals and 41 points in 82 games, matching his career high in the point total.
In the off-season, the Senators traded the 26-year-old to the new-look Capitals. Through 66 games, he has 18 goals and a new career high of 44 points in 66 games and will remain in the United States’ capital for the foreseeable future.

Alex Ovechkin is six goals away from the NHL record

Speaking of the Capitals, their captain, Alexander Ovechkin, scored the game-tying goal with four minutes left in Thursday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets.
Ovechkin’s goal gives him 36 for the season, but more importantly, he is now just six goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894. The thing is, Ovechkin has played six fewer regular season games than Gretzky, meaning if he can score at a goal-per-game pace over the next six games, he can beat Gretzky’s record in the same number of games.
Who could’ve predicted that the 39-year-old Ovechkin would be as productive as he has been this season? He and Jakob Chychrun have helped the Capitals to a 47-15-9 record with 103 points, the most in the National Hockey League. They were the first team to clinch a post-season berth. Their loss on Thursday helped their opponent clinch their post-season berth as well.

Jets clinch spot in 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs

After the Winnipeg Jets’ 3-2 overtime victory over the Washington Capitals, they became the second team to clinch a post-season berth as they now have a 49-19-4 record with 102 points.
Like the Capitals, the Jets kind of came out of nowhere, getting strong goaltending from Connor Hellebuyck and strong offensive performances from Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, and others. They’ve had a handful of lengthy winning streaks, which have helped them clinch a post-season spot.
While the Jets have clinched a post-season berth, they’ve yet to clinch the crucial top spot in the Central Division. They have eight more points than the Dallas Stars, but with two more games played. Moreover, the Colorado Avalanche still have an outside chance of finishing first in the division, but they have just 10 games remaining, and it’s incredibly unlikely.
Finishing first in the division means they’ll avoid either the Avalanche or the Stars, as those two teams will battle in the first round.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. They can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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