The Washington Capitals completed a major task on their to-do list on Tuesday, resigning Jakob Chychrun to an eight-year, $72 million contract.
His $9 million AAV now makes him the highest-paid player on the roster, and some critics are wondering: are the Capitals overpaying for Chychrun? I won’t bury the lead here; no they did not.
To put it bluntly, Chychrun’s impact on this team has been astronomical. Aside from putting up career-best point totals this season (with 12 games to go, no less), he has been one of the most solid and consistent blueliners both on the Capitals and in the league as a whole.
After playing for struggling Arizona Coyotes and Ottawa Senators in past seasons, he has really blossomed into one of the best offensive-defensemen in the league. His offensive prowess has allowed him to put up 18 goals thus far, while also aiding a Capitals’ power play unit that struggled mightily to start the season. Since 2020-21, only Cale Makar and Roman Josi have scored more goals than the 26-year-old.
On the other end of the ice, Chychrun has improved his defensive-zone play over the years. While I don’t place a ton of stock in the plus/minus stat personally, he is a plus-24 so far this season after finishing with a minus-30 rating last season in Ottawa. His speed, skating and strength have helped him become one of the most effective defensemen, and he's able to work wonders at both ends of the ice for D.C.
Compared to his peers, he will be paid comparable to several other defenders across the league, like Makar and Adam Fox, and given his play and upside, I have no issue with that, especially with the salary cap increasing over the years and Washington making a proactive move to solid up the blue line for the future.
Points-wise, he has been an X-factor, but the other intangibles are also well worth it. Off the ice, he has meshed incredibly well with his teammates and become an excellent locker room presence for a Capitals team currently prepping for what will hopefully be a long playoff run.