The Washington Capitals are on the verge of having their full strength blueline back in their lineup. Jakob Chychrun took the next step in his journey back from an upper-body injury, shedding his non-contact jersey at the team’s morning skate on Friday.
Chychrun has missed the last four games after suffering an injury early in Washington’s 5-3 win against the New York Rangers on October 29. Head coach Spencer Carbery was encouraged by the veteran rearguard’s progress and did not rule him out for Friday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“We’ll talk to the training staff, see how it goes,” Carbery said. “I’ll get an update after he’s finished skating but getting very close.”
Despite Carbery’s seemingly optimistic view, Chychrun stuck around for extra work after the rest of his teammates, including Alex Alexeyev, jumped off the ice. Alexeyev replaced Chychrun on the left side of Washington’s lineup after Chychrun went out with his injury.
The Capitals sent Mike Sgarbossa back to the AHL’s Hershey Bears on Thursday, seemingly preparing for Chychrun’s inevitable activation from injured reserve. However, the club is now dealing with an injury to Sonny Milano and will likely recall Sgarbossa or another forward so they have enough depth on their upcoming trip to play the St. Louis Blues on Saturday.
Chychrun, acquired from the Ottawa Senators in July, had been skating with John Carlson on Washington’s top defense pairing and left the lineup after recording four points (2g, 2a) in eight games. Martin Fehervary has since replaced him next to Carlson.
Washington is 3-1 in the four games without Chychrun in the lineup. After the back-to-back against Pittsburgh and St. Louis, the Capitals will have three days off before hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday.
