The Washington Capitals are hitting the road for two games against the Winnipeg Jets and Minnesota Wild, but they could be without a key player.
Defenseman Jakob Chychrun had his wrist cut by a skate during Saturday’s win over the Florida Panthers and as a result, didn’t practice on Monday, per Tarik El-Bashir.After tracking a puck into the corner of the Caps’ defensive zone with 8:20 left in the first period, Chychrun lost an edge and fell to the ice. Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov followed Chychrun and, in his attempt to gain possession of the puck, was dumped to the ice by Tom Wilson. As Barkov fell, his skates came up high and cut the prone Capitals defender. His status remains up in the air for Tuesday’s clash with the Jets:
“Jakob Chychrun did not practice today after suffering a skate cut to his arm/wrist in Saturday’s game. Coach Carbery said he expects the Dman to travel but did acknowledge there’s some concern about his availability for WPG. ‘It’s scary stuff when see things that become that close to being really, really dangerous.’”
The frightening injury sparked discussion during Carbery’s morning media availability on how to best protect players from cuts. Chychrun’s cut comes just over a year after the hockey community was left reeling when former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Adam Johnson was killed by a skate cut to the neck while playing in England last season.
Taking a cut on the wrist can be very dangerous considering the amount of veins in that area of the arm. Thankfully, Chychrun was fine and ultimately had 16:25 of ice time in the victory. But, he did exit for part of the first period before returning for the final 40 minutes of the contest with his wrist wrapped in bandage.
“We’ll see how he feels tomorrow, but got very fortunate that there was no significant damage. But it’s still a significant cut,” Carbery said.
Chychrun is a game-changer for the surging Capitals. He’s scored 18 goals and tallied 25 helpers in 65 games in 2024-25. While this doesn’t appear to be a long-term issue, it is an injury that may keep Chychrun out of the lineup for a few games. However, the fact that he’s traveling with Washington is a promising sign.
The Caps will carry two extra defenders just in case Chychrun doesn’t suit up. Alex Alexeyev and Dylan McIlrath are potential replacements for Chychrun.
Washington is in first place in the Metropolitan Division with a 47-15-8 record. They will be looking to extend their winning streak to five games on Tuesday evening in Manitoba.
