Chychrun skated just 1:50 minutes before suffering an upper-body injury in the first period of the Capitals' win over the Rangers.
The Washington Capitals have quite a bit to work out on the blue line going into Thursday's game against the Montreal Canadiens.
Jakob Chychrun, who left Tuesday's 5-3 win over the New York Rangers with an upper-body injury, is officially listed as day-to-day while his status remains unclear for Thursday, head coach Spencer Carbery told reporters on Wednesday.
It's unclear what exactly happened to Chychrun, who skated just 1:50 minutes before appearing to grab his back/hip before heading directly down the tunnel.
Meanwhile, Matt Roy is "getting real close," per Carbery, but is not likely to play on Thursday, which would mark his eighth straight absence since sustaining a lower-body injury in the season opener.
Alex Alexeyev is the team's only extra defenseman at the moment, but he is dealing with personal matters that kept him off the ice for Wednesday's optional practice, so his status is also up in the air.
That leaves the Capitals with just five defensemen and without two key members of the top 4.
Chychrun has been leading the charge with John Carlson on the top pairing and helping supply offense while being a catalyst for moving the puck up ice.
Roy has played in just one game so far for D.C., but he's a reliable shutdown defenseman who can also get the puck up ice and showed a lot of promise on that second pairing with Martin Fehervary.
Alexeyev has yet to play a game this season, as he's started the year as a healthy scratch while Dylan McIlrath has drawn in for Roy. It's unclear if he'd be able to suit up on Thursday.
If Alexeyev can't go, Washington may have to make a recall ahead of Thursday's game against the Canadiens. Vincent Iorio and Hardy Häman Aktell are two potential recall options, though no decision has been made at this time.