Jakob Chychrun has been an instant fit with the Washington Capitals since the team acquired him from the Ottawa Senators last summer. The 26-year-old defenseman has 33 points (13g, 20a) in his first 47 games as a member of the Caps, spurring interest on both sides to extend their relationship.
Chychrun is set for unrestricted free agency next summer and is due for a sizable raise on the $4.6 million he is earning in the final year of his current contract. He has stated previously that he loves playing in DC. Monday, he admitted that his agent has begun extension talks with the Capitals’ front office.
“My agent has, yeah,” Chychrun told RMNB. “I don’t know how much I want to go into detail on that, but there hasn’t been a whole lot. We just started.”
Chychrun is represented by Andy Scott, who boasts several other high-profile NHL clients, including Mikko Rantanen, Leon Draisaitl, Patrik Laine, and Wyatt Johnston. Scott recently negotiated an eight-year, $112 million contract extension for Draisaitl in September, which made the German center the highest-paid player in the league.
Previous reporting from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman indicated that the Capitals sought clarity on the league’s salary cap structure in the coming years before heading into negotiations with Chychrun. Last week, the NHL and NHLPA announced that the salary cap will increase $7.5 million to $95.5 million next year. There will be sizable cap increases over the next three years.
According to updated AFP Analytics projections, Chychrun’s next contract is slotted to be a seven-year, $54.9 million deal ($7.84M AAV) with the current NHL salary cap estimations for next season ($95.5M). The player valuation outlet gives Keith Yandle’s seven-year, $44.45 million contract ($6.35M AAV) that he signed with the Florida Panthers in 2016 as the best comparable for Chychrun’s upcoming negotiations.
“We love it here,” Chychrun said. “The group of guys is awesome. We’re playing good hockey, and it’s been a lot of fun. I think it didn’t take very long [to settle in].”
Chychrun has gelled well with the Capitals’ faster structure, which head coach Spencer Carbery has employed to great success this season. He’s also popular in the team’s dressing room, becoming a fixture in their pregame tunnel shenanigans due to a headband he sometimes wears to keep his hair out of his face during warmups.
Washington also has several players and coaches who have been close to Chychrun throughout his career. His childhood friend, Brandon Duhaime, is under contract with the Capitals through the 2025-26 season. He also previously played and lived with Dylan Strome and worked with assistant coach Scott Allen while with the Arizona Coyotes. He is family friends with assistant coach Kirk Muller.
“It’s just been a great group,” Chychrun said. “We’ve had a lot of guys playing really well from the start of the year. I just think guys came in early and started skating together, and we just felt like everybody was pulling in the same direction and clicking.
“Things happened organically, and it just felt like everybody was getting really close really quick. And I think that’s pretty evident from the start that we had in our season. Yeah, I think all the new guys felt at home very quickly.”
The Capitals hold exclusive negotiation rights with Chychrun through June 30 and can ink him to a maximum eight-year extension. Meanwhile, Chychrun would only be eligible to sign a seven-year deal elsewhere in free agency unless the Capitals worked out a sign-and-trade.
