ARLINGTON, VA — The Washington Capitals lost one of their top-pairing defensemen Tuesday when an upper-body injury knocked Jakob Chychrun out of the first period against the New York Rangers. Chychrun’s injury marks the second major loss to the Caps’ blue line in eight games, with Matt Roy still out of the lineup with a lower-body injury sustained in the team’s home opener.
Chychrun did not participate in the Capitals’ optional skate Wednesday, but head coach Spencer Carbery offered an update on his status, though he admitted he didn’t know if he’d be back in time to face the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
“[He’s] day-to-day,” Carbery said. “I’ll have to get the report this afternoon from Serbs (head athletic trainer Jason Serbus), but we’ll see. Don’t have a determination yet on tomorrow.”
Since making his Capitals debut, Chychrun has proved a key part of Washington’s blue line, recording four points (2g, 2a) in eight games and averaging 21:14 per game before his shortened performance against New York. He’s found particular success playing alongside John Carlson at five-on-five. The Caps have outscored opponents 9-2 and out-chanced them 41-37 with the pair on the ice, per Natural Stat Trick.
As the only spare defenseman left on the roster, Alex Alexeyev would normally be the next man up if Chychrun couldn’t play Thursday. But Carbery told reporters that Alexeyev was out Wednesday for personal reasons, throwing another wrench into the Capitals’ plans on defense.
“Yeah [he would slot in], but also Alexeyev is away today for personal reasons as well, so we’ll see,” he said. “We’ll have some clarity in the next few hours.”
Meanwhile, Roy continues to progress towards a return to the lineup, hitting the ice on Wednesday in a no-contact jersey once again. Carbery seemed doubtful that Roy would be able to slot in against Montreal, but was optimistic that he’d soon be ready to go.
“He’s getting real close,” Carbery said of Roy. “I don’t know about tomorrow, but he’s right there. Another guy — we’ve got a lot to figure out in the next few hours on the back end.”
Should Chychrun, Roy, and Alexeyev all remain unavailable Thursday, the Capitals would need to recall a player from the Hershey Bears to ice six defenders. That could open up a spot for Ethan Bear to return to Washington’s lineup for the first time this season after beginning the year in the AHL. With no space left on the team’s 23-man roster, however, the Caps would need to free up a spot before making any recalls.
