Jakob Chychrun was one of the NHL’s very best defenders in 2025-26 and a bright spot on an overcast Caps team.
By the Numbers
26
Goals
34
Assists
80
Games played
23
Minutes per game
On-ice percentages
52%
Shot attempts
52%
Expected goals
64%
Actual goals
Isolated Impact by HockeyViz
About this visualization: This image by Micah Blake McCurdy of hockeyviz.com shows how the player has impacted play when on the ice. At the top of the image is the team’s offense (even strength at left, power play at right) and at bottom is the team’s defense (with penalty kill at bottom right). In each case, red/orange blobs mean teams shoot for more from that location on the ice, and blue/purple means less. In general, a good player should have red/orange blobs near the opponent’s net at top, and blue/purple blobs near their own team’s net at bottom. The distributions in middle show how the player compares to league average at individual finishing, setting up teammates to score, and taking and drawing penalties. The number at center is Synthetic Goals: a catch-all number for the player’s impact.
Player Card by Evolving Hockey
About this player card: This card from Josh and Luke of Evolving Hockey compares the player to league averages based on their impact on on-ice statistics. GAR means “goals above replacement,” where “replacement” means an average player called up from the AHL. xGAR is the same figure but assuming league-average goaltending. The numbers at top are the player’s percentile ranks overall and then for offense and defense alone.
Player Overview by NHL Edge
About this visualization: The NHL’s advanced statistics program, Edge, tracks player and puck movement. The player’s shot speed, skating speed, and skating distance are at top along with percentile rank. At bottom left is a shot location map, and at bottom right is zone time per zone.
Gratuitous Generative Art by NHL Edge
Peter’s Take
Love this guy. Chychrun had a point in more than half of the games this season. He had four two-goal games and eight game-winners. He led the team in power-play goals (eight, one more than Wilson and three more than Ovechkin). He hit a career high in ice time – with his average per game going up even more after Carlson left. Every time he got league-wide buzz – it was well deserved.
We do have to note that Chychrun had excellent goaltending behind him – .930 during five-on-five play, about the 94th percentile. Among full-time Caps, only Dylan Strome had a higher on-ice shooting percentage. So there’s a lot of luck at work. Or, if you prefer it said this way: there’s reason to think Chychrun won’t repeat this 60-point outing. His signature shot – a laser bolt through traffic from high in the zone – feels like it’ll be hard to sustain.
Call me overly optimistic, but I think he will do swell next season. His role will be huge, he should have healthier teammates, his puck-dealing talents should pair well with a few younger, swifter players who will get more ice, and the power play simply can’t get any worse. If you’re in the Chychrun business, that’s a good business to be in.
Chychrun on RMNB
- Had a two-goal game against Columbus with an eight-game point streak. Logan Thompson said he is an “elite talent.” Correct.
- He and Matt Roy became a dominant defense pairing.
- Ten-game point streak, tying the Capitals defenseman record.
- Team Canada buzz, and had another big game against Toronto, but alas no.
- In mid December, his goal count would have led on eight different NHL teams.
- In December he scored and OTGWG to snap a two-month OT losing streak.
- So the Nick Jensen trade worked out well.
- Then he missed a few games due to illness. Ah.
- He scored twice the day after the birth of his first child: “Personal success or not, you’re always hoping that we come out with a win.”
- He tried the Michigan. Out of nowhere.
- Goal of the year candidate.
Your Turn
Have you ever eaten a raw cow heart? I haven’t, but I’ve also never scored 26 goals in the NHL, so maybe he’s onto something.
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