The Washington Capitals announced Tuesday that Jakob Chychrun will stick around DC long-term after inking him to an eight-year extension worth $9 million per season. With Chychurn re-signed, the Capitals have all their top-six defensemen under contract through the 2025-26 campaign.
Chychrun, who would have become an unrestricted free agent this summer, told reporters after the team’s morning skate in Winnipeg that he was thrilled to stay with the Capitals organization.
“It’s just been awesome,” Chychrun said. “It’s been a blessing for my wife and I. We’ve just from day one felt so comfortable here, so happy here. The organization’s incredible. And obviously, the group of guys and what we have in this room is so special. And I’ve loved working with the coaching staff. Everything’s just been so great. And we were really hoping to get something done. I think up until a few days ago, talks were pretty slow and pretty quiet, which was also kind of nice because I wasn’t thinking about it much. And then the last couple days, it got done.”
The Capitals and Chychrun have been in negotiations for several weeks, but the talks only intensified recently, leading to Tuesday’s announcement. Chychrun had an interesting hypothesis about why the agreement seemingly came together so quickly.
“The boys were laughing a few games ago — Mr. Leonsis was wearing my jersey at the game,” Chychrun said. “It was funny because the boys were all over me, and they were wondering if something happened. It was slow to that point, but then the next morning, there was a phone call with my agent. That’s when it really started to pick up. I don’t know if Ted got involved – I have no idea. But it really, from that night, it was pretty quick.”
Chychrun also made a point to recognize how important getting long-term stability with the Caps was after spending the past three seasons with three separate teams. The Capitals acquired Chychrun from the Ottawa Senators last summer, and the Senators had only acquired him from the Arizona Coyotes a little over a year before that.
“I think this has just been such a great experience,” Chychrun said. “And it was something that if there was a number we were comfortable with, we were more than happy to stay and not test free agency. So I’m really happy with how things went and getting something done as we get towards the end of the season here. And I don’t have to think about it going into playoffs, just to be able to go out and do everything we can to win.”
The 26-year-old defenseman is having a career-best year, posting 43 points (18g, 25a) in 65 games with the first-place Capitals. Chychrun’s 18 goals are the third-most among all defenders in the league and two more than the rest of the Capitals’ defensemen combined.
Chychrun has been especially fantastic since the NHL returned from the 4 Nations Face-Off break. In 15 games since then, the Capitals have seen 60.5 percent of shot attempts, 56.4 percent of expected goals, 58.9 percent of scoring chances, and 57.5 percent of high-danger chances with Chychrun on the ice at five-on-five. They have also outscored their opposition 13-10.
“It’s a huge signing for our organization, for our team, for the future,” head coach Spencer Carbery said. “He’s done an amazing job since coming here. He’s fit in so seamlessly well with our group, his personality. His skill set is obvious – with his skating, with his shot, running a power play, getting up into the rush, beating guys in one-on-one situations off the offensive blue line. He’s an elite skill set defenseman in the National Hockey League.
“But what I really appreciate, and why I think the deal and the length of it is a great decision, is because he’s hungry to win, and he’s in a constant pursuit of excellence every single day individually. So whether that’s looking after his body, whether that’s trying to get better through video and film, through coaching. He’s coachable, he wants to learn how to defend better, he wants to do it all. So, as a coach, you just think the sky’s the limit for players like that. They’re just going to continue to get better and grow because he has a commitment to it.”
Chychrun is the lone player in the Capitals’ organization signed through the 2032-33 season. He also joins Tom Wilson, Pierre-Luc Dubois, and Logan Thompson as the only players under contract for the next six seasons.
“Chychy’s an elite talent in the league, and any time you can keep somebody like that in your organization for a long time, I think it gives you the opportunity to take a run at things and to build a championship team,” Wilson said. “This year we’ve had such a fun year, and it’s such a tight-knit group that you want those pieces to stick around as long as possible to give yourself a chance.”
