Capitals' Chychrun Emerging As One Of The NHL's Top Defensemen: 'He's Got That Makar In Him'

ARLINGTON, V.A. — Connor McMichael sees some of Alex Ovechkin in Washington Capitals defenseman Jakob Chychrun.

That is, he loves to score goals — and they seem to come easy.

"The thing about Chychy is he's always attacking. Every time he gets it, he wants to score, and I think that's what makes him great," McMichael said, adding, "(He's) able to find a seam and find a soft spot and rifle one in the back of the net. I think that's what great goal scorers do; you see that with Ovi a little bit, just being able to find those soft pockets."

Chychrun is on a five-game goal scoring streak and 10-game point streak, the longest point streak by a defenseman in franchise history. His 10 goals lead all NHL blueliners so far this season, and he's on pace for a 32-goal season, which would make him the first Capitals rearguard since Mike Green in 2008-09 to hit that mark.

It's all just part of the job for the 27-year-old, who isn't really keeping track of his feats at this point.

“I honestly think if guys weren’t telling me I was on a point streak, I wouldn’t even know. I’m not big on stats, I don’t check all the stat sheets like (Dylan Strome) does," Chychrun quipped, adding, "I just come out, show up and prepare like it's any other game, try to get my body ready and give my best effort for the team."

What's going into Chychrun's success, though?

First, it's his shot. Over the course of his red-hot November, Chychrun's unloaded five shots that went at least 90 miles per hour, and his hardest shot this season comes in at 96.8 miles per hour, which places in the 95th percentile league-wide.

"He's always been unbelievable as a sniper. He's got one of the best shots I've ever seen... it's incredible to watch him." John Carlson said.  A guy like that, give him some confidence on top of that, the pucks are going in. We just got to get him the puck as much as we can."

"His shot in general, just, it's a BB. To beat goaltenders in this league clean on clear-sighted shots from that far away... it speaks to his shot and how good it is," coach Spencer Carbery added.

Chychrun credits his shot speed to putting in a good amount of work in when it comes to his upper-body strength, while also noting how, growing up, he'd practice shooting for hours on end. It also just runs in the family.'

"He said it's from his dad, making him do wrist curls when he was younger and using a wood stick," Strome quipped.

Not only is his shot fast, but it's accurate and deceptive, and he can find a lane pretty much anywhere on the ice.

Then, there's his quick release. Whether the puck's rolling or coming in hot, he can get it off the toe in no time and right off target — and he has no problem getting to the open space to pull it off, either.

"He's so talented at finding shot lanes, changing his shot angle, moving his feet. It's not the same every time. He's got that (Cale) Makar in him where he can shoot it right away. He gets it s hoots it, releases it, but he also can move it laterally for five, six, seven seconds, and you can attack down, and then he'll do something different the next time. It keeps defenders off balance," Carbery said.

"When he gets pucks in the offensive zone or off the rush, he's just so multifaceted that he can do a bunch of different things. That's where it all comes back to him, being able to find those scenarios and make the right play at the right moment."

Among defensemen with at least 20 games played, Chychrun leads the NHL in Corsi-for percentage (62.29) and expected goals-for percentage (64.24) at all strengths, and he's also created 21 rebounds off his opportunities, the most in the league.

It's a big X-Factor for D.C., especially with Chychrun quarterbacking the power play and working toward a 70-plus point season while also putting his hockey IQ on display on a nightly basis.

"He's got so much raw talent and the ability to kind of do whatever he wants. So when he's on his game, it's dangerous," Tom Wilson said. 

Beyond his offense, though, Chychrun's still providing defense and making the right plays as he takes on even more responsibility on the Capitals backend. He's averaging the most ice time of his career yet, skating 23:24 minutes a night, and is a plus-17.

Chychrun is eager to attack, but thanks to quick skating and smarts, he's defensively responsible, able to get back and has no problem battling for pucks.

"He's not cheating defensively at all. He's still being really steady back there," goaltender Charlie Lindgren noted.  It's not like when he's out there, he's giving up odd-man rushes or anything."

Going into December, as Team Canada is finalizing its team to bring to Milan Cortina, Chychrun's certainly entered the conversation, and though he's just focused on showing up for the Capitals every night, his teammates want to see him playing international games come February.

"He's one heck of a player. I don't know how that guy wouldn't be on the Olympic team," Lindgren said.