Latest news with #Chychrun
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Capitals' Carlson & Chychrun Earn Norris Votes As NHL's Best Defenseman, Ovechkin Finishes 4th In Masterton Voting
The Washington Capitals are earning attention as the NHL Awards continue to be unveiled over the course of the offseason. Defensemen John Carlson and Jakob Chychrun earned national attention for their performance in 2024-25, earning votes for the Norris Trophy as the NHL's top blueliner, while captain Alex Ovechkin finished fourth in Masteron voting. Advertisement Colorado Avalanche blueliner Cale Makar won the award for the second time in his career. The award, which goes 'to the defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-around ability in the position,' is voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association. Carlson finished 16th in voting, receiving one fourth-place vote, and Jakob Chychrun finished tied for 17th, earning one fifth-place vote. The Boston Herald's Stephen Conroy voted for Carlson, and Viasat Finland's Antti Makinen voted for Chychrun. In 79 games this past season, Carlson picked up five goals and 46 assists for 51 points, while improving from a minus-7 in 2023-24 to a plus-17. He averaged 23:34 minutes a night, ranking in the top-20 of NHL defensemen in average time on ice this past season. This is the seventh time in his career he's finished in th etop-20 in the Norris race. Chychrun, meanwhile, had a breakout first year with the Capitals. Acquired in the offseason, the 26-year-old put up a career-high 20 goals and 27 assists for 47 points in 74 games, and was a plus-17 after finishing as a minus-30 the season before with the Ottawa Senators. Chychrun skated 21:04 minutes per night and was one of just three defensemen league-wide to score at least 20 goals in a season. His performance earned him an eight-year contract extension in D.C. Advertisement Meanwhile, Ovechkin finished fourth in Masteron voting, earning 16 first-place votes. The Masterton goes to the player who 'best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.' Ovechkin missed 16 games with a broken leg but still came back to score 44 goals, the third-most in the NHL, to overtake Wayne Gretzky as the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer.
Reuters
13-04-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Capitals' Alex Ovechkin to return for rematch with Jackets
April 13 - The Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets wrap up their season series on Sunday in the nation's capital one day after the Blue Jackets blanked the Capitals 7-0 at home. The Blue Jackets (37-33-9, 83 points), who have won three straight, still have not been eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff contention because the Montreal Canadiens lost 2-1 in overtime on the road against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday evening. Columbus scored three times in both the first and second periods to cruise to a win over a Capitals (50-20-9, 109 points) team that gave Alex Ovechkin the day off and had a few key players -- defenseman Jakob Chychrun (illness), center Aliaksei Protas (foot) and goalie Logan Thompson (upper body) -- also out. "The intensity was there real early, obviously, and it's not a bad thing," Columbus coach Dean Evason said after the win. Ovechkin, who set the NHL career goal-scoring record a week ago, is expected to play Sunday evening. He skated Saturday with Thompson, who last played April 2 after suffering an upper-body injury midgame that day against the Carolina Hurricanes. Washington coach Spencer Carbery could not commit to Chychrun or others returning. Second-year center Adam Fantilli had his fifth multi-goal game of the season on Saturday. His first goal came in the final minute of the first period, after he laid a shoulder into Ryan Leonard at the opposite end of the rink that sent the Capitals rookie to the ice. The hit occurred as both players were going for the puck in the slot. "It's not like I was hunting him the whole way down the ice," Fantilli said. "I saw him probably half a second before I ran into him and whatever. Then to be able to go down and score, that was great. I thought it gave us the momentum there going to the second period, and we kept rolling with it." Fantilli, who ranks second on the team with 27 goals, has scored five this month. Washington's playoff status has been secure for a while. They own the top seed in the Eastern Conference and are five points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the Presidents' Trophy, which goes to the team with the best regular-season record. The Capitals are 3-3 in their last six, with each of the losses by three goals or more. Saturday's shutout was just the third this season for a team that entered the weekend with a league-best 3.59 goals per game. Ovechkin (42 goals, 28 assists, 70 points), Protas (30-36-66) and Chychrun (20-27-47) are among Washington's top eight offensive players. Carbery told reporters he did some "homework" and found that the Colorado Avalanche lost six of their last seven games in the 2021-22 season before going on to win the Stanley Cup. That team, of course, also had players like Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. "We're more of a team game, and when our team game slips, you see what happens tonight and some other nights down the stretch here," he added. "So, it's a fine line, and I've talked about it a lot. We've got to figure out a way to play the right way, match the urgency level (Sunday) afternoon and get our game on track."
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
What Chychrun's Deal Could Mean for Gavrikov and the Kings
For years, Jakob Chychrun has been linked to the Los Angeles Kings in some form or fashion. His father, Jeff, played 26 games for the Kings in 1991-92. Years later, when Jakob became a pro, his name kept popping up as a potential trade target for Los Angeles. The connection was never more intense than in the Winter and Spring of 2023 when a trade between LA and Arizona seemed imminent. Sounding like a Jakob Chychrun @LAKings @ArizonaCoyotes trade centered around 2021 8th overall pick Brandt Clarke. #RealKyperandBourne — Nick Kypreos (@RealKyper) February 12, 2023 Lots of smoke connecting #LAKings with Jakob Chychrun, but no confirmed fire yet. And so, we wait.@DailyFaceoff — Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) February 12, 2023 It did not come to fruition, however. With the hole on the left side of their defense still unfilled, the Kings pivoted to the Columbus Blue Jackets and Vladislav Gavrikov. We've acquired defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for goaltender Jonathan Quick, a conditional first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, and a third-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.#GoKingsGo — LA Kings (@LAKings) March 1, 2023 Fast forward to today… Chychrun signed an eight-year, $72 million contract with the Washington Capitals that begins next season and has an average annual value of $9 million. And while this may officially close the door on any potential union with the Kings, it doesn't necessarily mean that Chychrun has stopped impacting the Kings. Like him, Gavrikov is seeking a new deal and the Kings would prefer to get him signed before he becomes an unrestricted free agent. We've previously speculated on what retaining Gavrikov long-term may cost the Kings, but with Chychrun signing a massive deal, the market for defensemen may have been reset. Some underlying numbers would have given us a little pause at our projection and this #MaxTerm deal is a little higher than we projected. Generally, the Capitals should expect Chychrun to be a solid top-4D offensive producer with iffy-to-average defensive impacts. #ALLCAPS — AFP Analytics (@AFPAnalytics) March 25, 2025 To clarify, Gavrikov and Chychrun are far from direct comparables. Chychrun is 3 years younger and is on pace to eclipse the 20-goal and 50-point marks, both potential career highs. He is also a fixture on the Capitals' power play and can be deployed in any situation. Gavrikov, on the other hand, is an elite defender that will likely top out at 30 points. NHL GM's will always put a premium on offensive production, but in Gavrikov's case, his value to the Kings is more significant than his value around the league. Gavrikov the #1 defenceman seems to be going very well early on. — JFresh (@JFreshHockey) October 27, 2024 Vladislav Gavrikov from the Los Angeles Kings has been amazing this season. But it's a contract year for him. Maybe it's a fluke? I believe there will be a team that will overpay him in the off-season if he plays at this level all season. — Rono (@RonoAnalyst) January 7, 2025 According to AFP Analytics, Gavrikov's projected contract is 5 years, $5.4 million. For that to be a reality, Gavrikov would have to take a pay cut. Not likely. It stands to reason that he would be looking for at least a $1 million raise on the $5.8 million he is currently making. Add to that the projected $7.5 million increase in the NHL's salary cap ceiling, and the Kings may be looking at long-term deal for Gavrikov with an AAV exceeding $7 million. That may sound rich, but the reality for the LA Kings is that they need to re-sign Gavrikov. There are no viable internal options to replace him, and with Chychrun off the board, most external options would be a downgrade. The bigger challenge for the Kings will be the length of the contract, as players of Gavrikov's ilk do not historically age well.
Reuters
25-03-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Caps sign D Jakob Chychrun to 8-year, $72M extension
March 25 - The Washington Capitals signed defenseman Jakob Chychrun to an 8-year, $72 million contract extension Tuesday. The deal's average annual value of $9 million is tied for 10th among NHL blueliners, according to Spotrac. Chychrun, who turns 27 next week, has a career-high 43 points (18 goals, 25 assists) through 65 games this season. "Jakob is a proven, dynamic defenseman in the prime of his career who has established himself as one of the premier blueliners in the NHL," general manager Chris Patrick said. "His work ethic, skill set, and ability to excel in all situations at both ends of the ice make him a valuable asset to our team. He is a perfect fit with our culture and vision for the future, and we couldn't be more thrilled that he will continue to be part of our organization for the next eight years." Among NHL defensemen since the start of the 2020-21 season, Chychrun ranks third in power-play goals (22) and is tied for third in goals (66). The Capitals, who acquired Chychrun from the Ottawa Senators in a July 2024 trade, are 17-0-1 this season when he scores a goal. Washington entered play on Tuesday with an NHL-leading 102 points (47-15-8). Chychrun has 259 points (94 goals, 165 assists) in 532 career games with Arizona (2016-23), Ottawa (2023-24) and Washington. The Coyotes drafted the Florida native with the No. 16 overall pick in 2016.
CBS News
22-02-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Chychrun scores twice as Capitals breeze past Penguins 8-3
Jakob Chychrun scored twice during a second-period surge and the Washington Capitals raced past the Pittsburgh Penguins 8-3 on Saturday. Alexander Ovechkin was held without a goal to remain at 879 for his career, 15 away from tying Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky's all-time mark. The Capitals hardly needed the Russian superstar in their return from the 4 Nations Face-Off break. Chychrun beat Alex Nedeljokvic twice in less than four minutes to break open a tie game. Aliaksei Protas and Tom Wilson pushed Washington's lead to 6-2 by the end of the period as the Metropolitan Division-leading Capitals improved to 13-1-6 in their last 20 games. Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby — fresh off Team Canada's victory at 4 Nations — scored his 18th of the season on a pretty backhand 6:36 into the second that briefly tied the game before Washington took firm control. The goal was the 610th of Crosby's career, tying him with Bobby Hull for 18th in NHL history. Capitals: Ovechkin didn't lack for opportunities for goal No. 880. He spent nearly five straight minutes on the ice in the third period during an extended power play. Pittsburgh: The club paid tribute to Hall of Fame broadcaster Mike Lange — who died on Wednesday — during a moving pregame ceremony then came out and dominated the opening 25 minutes only to be undone by the familiar combination of shaky goaltending and shoddy defense. Protas' 16th of the season that pushed it to 5-2 just eight seconds after Chychrun's second goal sent a familiar groan through a PPG Paints Arena crowd that's grown accustomed to seeing the Penguins struggle against quality competition this season. 62 — the number of first-period goals for Washington this season after Ethen Frank's score 5:13 into the game. That's tied for the most in the NHL. Penguins: Host the New York Rangers on Sunday. ___
