- With the trade deadlines fast approaching in the CHL, there have been some notable moves made in recent days. The latest of those saw WHL Spokane acquire Capitals prospect Andrew Cristall, per a team release in exchange for a prospect and five draft picks including a pair of first-round selections. The 19-year-old was rated by some as a first-round pick in 2023 although he ultimately slipped to 40th overall. After putting up an impressive 111 points last season, Cristall is on pace to beat that this year with 26 goals and 34 assists in just 28 outings. Already signed to his entry-level deal, Cristall will be playing professionally next season.
Capitals Rumors
Alex Chiasson Announces Retirement
A long-time middle-six scorer is officially hanging up his skates. Originally announced by himself and then shared by the National Hockey League Players’ Association, Alex Chiasson is retiring after spending a few years off the ice.
The Dallas Stars drafted Chiasson with the 38th overall pick of the 2009 NHL Draft out of the USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers program. Instead of immediately turning professional, Chiasson joined the Boston University Terriers for the 2009-10 NCAA season one year after they won the National Championship. Unfortunately, Chiasson would fail to reach the Frozen Four throughout his three-year tenure with Boston University.
He still became an effective playmaker at the collegiate level. He finished his NCAA career with 36 goals and 99 points in 108 games before signing his entry-level contract after the 2011-12 campaign. Chiasson started quickly with the AHL’s Texas Stars, scoring one goal and five points in nine contests.
Much of the next calendar year was spent in AHL Texas until Dallas recalled Chiasson in early April of the 2012-13 season to debut in the NHL. After scoring six goals and seven points in seven games to end the regular season, Chiasson became an NHL regular for the next decade.
Chiasson scored 13 goals and 35 points in 79 games during his official rookie season, which would be his last with the Stars. The following summer, he was acquired by the Ottawa Senators organization as a part of the return package for franchise icon Jason Spezza.
Although he became one of the better players from the trade for Spezza, his time in Canada’s capital was mostly disappointing. He finished his tenure in Ottawa with 19 goals and 40 points in 153 games before arduous contract negotiations led to a trade to the Calgary Flames in the summer of 2016.
After a solid year as a depth scorer for the Flames, Chiasson signed with the Washington Capitals for the 2017-18 season. He won his first and only Stanley Cup that year, scoring one goal and one assist in 16 playoff games for the Capitals.
It wasn’t until he joined the Edmonton Oilers that Chiasson experienced the most personal success of his career. During his time with the Oilers, Chiasson scored 42 goals and 78 points in 183 games, including a 22-goal campaign in the 2018-19 season.
Chiasson’s final game came on April 13, 2023, as a member of the Detroit Red Wings one year after spending the season with the Vancouver Canucks. He ended his career with 120 goals and 233 points in 651 games with another four goals and seven points in 37 postseason contests.
All of us at PHR extend our best wishes to Alex as he enters the next chapter of his life.
Jakob Chychrun Open To Signing Extension With Capitals
The Washington Capitals have been one of the biggest surprises through the early year. They sit with a 25-10-2 record through 37 games, good for the third-highest point percentage (70.3 percent) in the NHL. That success has been driven by the litany of new faces Washington acquired this summer, with defenseman Jakob Chychrun sat top among them. He’s quickly earned a top-pair role in Washington, proving to be a fantastic compliment for perennial Capitals star John Carlson. Chychrun leads the Capitals blue-line in scoring, even despite missing five games with injury. That momentum, backed by improved play in the defensive end, has the Capitals considering their long-term options.
Chychrun is in the final season of a six-year, $27.6MM contract signed with the Arizona Coyotes in the summer of 2019. He’s certainly outplayed his $4.6MM yearly cap hit, and could finally demand top-pair money on a new deal. But Washington isn’t deterred by that lofty raise shares Sammi Silber of The Hockey News, who points out that re-signing Chychrun will be a clear priority for the Capitals. Silber also pointed towards Chychrun telling Sportsnet’s Luke Fox that he envisions himself re-signing a long-term deal.
The extent of Chychrun’s improvement this year can’t be understated. He’s looked vastly improved outside of Arizona, last season posting a career-high 41 points in 82 games with the Ottawa Senators in what was his first full year outside of the desert. But he coupled that scoring with a measly -30 plus-minus and 2.79 xGA/60 (expected-goals against per-60), stats that ranked last and second-to-last on the Senators’ blue line respectively. Chychrun has quickly turned that around in Washington, upping his scoring to 25 points in 32 games coupled by a +17 plus-minus and 2.64 xGA/60. The Capitals as a team are far more sound defensively, but Chychrun has nonetheless proved a strong contributor and reasonable two-way option in his new top-pair role. He’s on pace to score 63 points through the end of the season, yet another career-high in scoring, and only seems to be heating up more with four points in three games to close out December.
Chychrun built a reputation for being all-offense, little-defense across seven years in Arizona. That might make his future hard to lean on, but the 26-year-old has looked complete in Washington and brings the team stability in the top-four that they haven’t had since trading away Dmitry Orlov. How those traits should be valued is a far different question. Brandon Montour and Brady Skjei each earned seven-year deals and cap hits north of $7MM in their moves to new teams this summer, while Jaccob Slavin signed an eight-year deal with a $6.396MM cap hit in Carolina. The Capitals even joined in on the summer buys, signing Matt Roy to a six-year deal with a $5.75MM cap hit to ultimately fill a role now behind Chychrun on the depth chart.
Given his boost of offense and improving defense, Chychrun likely sits somewhere between that quartet of defenders – setting Washington up for a max-term deal with an annual cost of at least $6.5MM. Luckily, the Capitals will be in a prime spot to take on that pay raise. They only have nine pending unrestricted free agents next summer, though that does include goaltenders Charlie Lindgren and Logan Thompson. Washington will have roughly $24.3MM in projected cap space to bring everyone back, per PuckPedia, leaving them just shy of $18MM should Chychrun demand market price.
The Capitals will have to think forward with their spending. Lineup pillars Alex Ovechkin, John Carlson, and Connor McMichael will all be due for their own extensions in the summer of 2026. But Chychrun’s impact through his first half in Washington has been too good to pass up. He’s proven a consistent scorer, capable of flowing next to Carlson or serving as the offensive bite next to defensive-minded partners like Trevor van Riemsdyk. He’s filled a notably missing piece, and the Capitals have returned to thriving now that they have it back. That will make Chychrun a player worth buying, especially with mutual interest already on the table.
Martin Fehervary Listed As Day-To-Day
New York Rangers defenseman Zac Jones voiced his frustration when discussing his recent stretch of healthy scratches amid the Rangers losing skid (as per Sean O’Leary of The Score). Jones, who will sit for the fifth time in six games tomorrow, said that he feels as though he is rotting away. The 24-year-old was a regular for the Rangers prior to the team bringing in Will Borgen and Urho Vaakanainen.
Jones added that it is tough for him to improve when he isn’t playing, and he feels as though he has done some good things, but his playing time isn’t reflecting that. In 26 games this season, Jones has posted a goal and seven assists while averaging 16:42 of ice time per game. Jones has been with New York since the team took him in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He has played in 95 games over the past five seasons, posting four goals and 21 assists.
In other Metropolitan Division notes:
- Washington Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary did not skate today during the team’s optional skate and is officially listed as day-to-day after taking a stick to the face from teammate Tom Wilson in yesterday’s win over Boston (as per Tarik El-Bashir of the Monumental Sports Network). He will be reevaluated tomorrow morning before the team takes on the Minnesota Wild in the evening. Fehervary has played every game this season after having injuries limit him to just 66 games last year. The 25-year-old is averaging the third most minutes of any Capitals skaters and has become a big piece of their defense core.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that goaltender Samuel Ersson is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. The netminder left last night’s game after two periods with an undisclosed injury and did not return. The Flyers have said it is likely a short-term injury and he will be evaluated daily. The 25-year-old missed time earlier this season with a groin issue, meaning that he could have reaggravated that injury yesterday. Ersson is 9-6-2 on the season with an .884 save percentage and a 3.02 goals-against average.
- Matt Vensel of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes that Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jesse Puljujarvi hinted that he may have asked the Penguins for a trade prior to him being put on waivers earlier in the week. The former fourth-overall pick cleared waivers and remains with the Penguins, but he has been a healthy scratch in ten straight games. Puljujarvi had a long road back to good health, and it’s hard to fault him for wanting to play. He was at Penguins practice again today, and once again he was the odd man out during their line rushes. The 26-year-old has three goals and five assists in 21 games this season but hasn’t been able to get into the lineup after Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said that he needed to play better defense and have more attention to detail.
Capitals Activate Lars Eller, Reassign Hendrix Lapierre
The Washington Capitals have reportedly made a roster move to create room for Lars Eller’s activation but not necessarily the one they were expected to make. The Capitals organization announced they have reassigned youngster Hendrix Lapierre to their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, to make space for Eller on the active roster.
Lapierre came into the 2024-25 season off of a respectable effort in 2023-24. He scored eight goals and 22 points in 51 games for the Capitals and represented one of the better prospects in the system as the former 22nd overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft. He showed a lack of maturity in the faceoff dot (which isn’t uncommon for younger centers) but displayed adept playmaking and defensive abilities.
It’s hard to classify this season as anything but a step backward for Lapierre. He’s tallied eight assists in 27 games but has no goals to show for and has seen his ice time cut dramatically in the last few weeks. He isn’t shooting the puck nearly as much as he was last year and is in clear need of a reset.
Lapierre’s demotion means that fellow youngster Ivan Miroshnichenko’s spot on the roster is safe for now. The 20-year-old Russian is the only other forward on Washington’s roster who wouldn’t have needed waivers for an AHL reassignment and was originally believed to be the eventual casualty of Eller and Alex Ovechkin’s return. He hasn’t taken any meaningful step forward in limited action this year with one goal and four points in 15 games averaging 9:24 of ice time per game.
Eller missed four games battling an illness. He’s expected to reprise his role down the middle of the team’s third line for their game against the Detroit Red Wings later this afternoon. Since being acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins in an early-season trade, Eller has scored two goals and six points in 13 games in his second go-around in Washington.
Washington Capitals To Activate Alex Ovechkin From Injured Reserve
The wait is over for the Washington Capitals. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Capitals are expected to activate Alex Ovechkin from the team’s injured reserve tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Ovechkin has missed the last 16 games for Washington after suffering a broken fibula against the Utah Hockey Club on November 18th. The injury was a major buzzkill to Ovechkin’s season as the veteran sniper got off to a torrid start with 15 goals and 25 points in 18 games.
His hot start put him only 27 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894 career goals. Ovechkin will still have 48 games to break Gretzky’s record this season despite missing over a month due to injury. Not only will Ovechkin chase the goal-scoring record for the remaining regular season games but will also help Washington pursue the team’s first Metropolitan Division title since the 2019-20 season.
He’s now moved to second behind Connor McMichael in goal-scoring for the Capitals this season. Still, Washington performed well in their captain’s absence with a 10-5-1 record. Outside of their record, the Capitals have surprisingly excelled in areas of the game that Ovechkin would otherwise excel in.
Washington managed a 16.4% powerplay percentage with nine goals in 55 opportunities with Ovechkin in the lineup at the beginning of the year but has turned things around with 13 goals in 47 attempts (27.7%) in his absence. Still, their 5on5 goal-scoring has taken quite a hit dropping to 3.68 GF/G after averaging 4.33 with Ovechkin.
The Capitals won’t have to make any corresponding roster move for Ovechkin’s activation since they’re reportedly keeping Lars Eller on the team’s injured reserve due to illness. Former first-round pick Hendrix Lapierre will slot down the middle of the team’s third line while Ovechkin will reprise his role on the team’s top line.
Ovechkin has publicly stated he’s putting the Capitals’ playoff aspirations above his chase for the goal-scoring record. If he can’t break it this season, he’ll have one more year under his current contract giving him plenty of time to eventually take the crown.
Capitals Reassign Henrik Rybinski
Dec. 24: The Caps announced this morning that they’ve returned Rybinski to the AHL over the holiday break.
Dec. 21: Veteran center Lars Eller has officially been placed on injured reserve by the Washington Capitals as expected. The Capitals will use forward Henrik Rybinski in Eller’s stead with the organization announcing his recall from their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears.
It’s his first NHL recall during his short professional career. The Florida Panthers drafted Rybinski with the 136th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft but he signed with Washington after his draft rights expired in 2022.
Rybinski has had a slow start to his professional career offensively scoring 10 goals and 34 points in 103 games for the Bears from 2022 to 2024. The current season can already be classified as a breakout year for Rybinski as he’s scored six goals and 20 points in 28 games. He’s unlikely to break any scoring records but his production is still good for third in scoring on a second-place Hershey team.
The uptick in point production likely led to Rybinski’s recall by the Capitals. Still, he’s unlikely to debut in the NHL given Washington’s upcoming schedule. The organization matches up against the Los Angeles Kings, Boston Bruins, and Toronto Maple Leafs over their next three games.
Should the Capitals still need Rybinski on the roster by next Sunday, it would make sense for him to debut against a fledgling Detroit Red Wings. Still, the recall is an acknowledgment by the Capitals of Rybinski’s development this season.
Capitals Place Lars Eller On IR
Washington Capitals forward Lars Eller is expected to miss the team’s three remaining games before the holiday break with illness, per NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. Gulitti adds that Eller saw a doctor for the illness on Thursday, and has been placed on injured reserve retroactive to Washington’s last game on Tuesday.
Eller rejoined the Capitals via a trade from the Pittsburgh Penguins on November 12th. He’s since returned to the comfortable, middle-six role he previously filled for eight years in Washington. Eller scored 90 goals and 215 points in 512 games with the Capitals in his previous stint – from 2016 to 2023 – and served as a prominent depth figure in the team’s 2018 Stanley Cup win. Washington traded Eller to Colorado at the end of the 2022-23 season. He signed a two-year, $4.9MM deal in Pittsburgh after just 24 games, and seven points, with the Avalanche. The return to the Metropolitan Division helped out his scoring, with Eller posting 38 points in 99 games with the Penguins – but Washington’s lineup wasn’t the same without their core forward. Eller has scored six points in 16 games with the Capitals since returning this season, bringing him up to a total of 13 points in 33 games after starting this season in Pittsburgh. The 35-year-old is expected to hit free agency once again this summer, where he’ll face the choice of whether to try and extend his 1,000-game career into its 17th season.
Eller’s short-term absence could be mitigated by the return of Sonny Milano, who returned to the ice in a non-contact jersey before Washington’s Friday practice, shares Gulitti. Milano has been out of action with an upper-body injury since November 6th, after appearing in just three games and recording no scoring to start the year. He still faces a few steps before he can return to the lineup, though a quick ramp up could set him up for clear minutes in Eller’s vacancy. Milano scored 15 goals and 23 points in 49 games with Washington last season, 10 points fewer than he managed in 64 games of Washington’s 2022-23 campaign.
Alex Ovechkin To Return After Christmas Break
Dec. 20: Ovechkin was cleared for contact today, but Carbery told reporters he was overly optimistic about his return date. He won’t play before the Christmas break, putting his likely return date as Dec. 28 against the Maple Leafs. He’ll miss three more games at least, including tonight’s matchup against the Canes (per Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post).
Dec. 19: Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is nearing the four-to-six-week return window initially outlined for him when he sustained a left fibula fracture last month. After skating in a non-contact jersey at practice over the past week, head coach Spencer Carbery said the superstar winger won’t play tomorrow against the Hurricanes but could return Sunday against the Kings or on Monday versus the Bruins. Sammi Silber of The Hockey News relayed the information.
Coming into the season, doubt was beginning to creep in over whether Ovechkin would be able to pass Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record of 894. His 31 goals in 79 games last year was his lowest total in a full season since the 2016-17 campaign.
Those doubts were silenced within weeks. The Caps as a whole got off to a raucous start, fueled in part by Ovi’s 15 goals and 25 points through his first 18 games of the season. He was playing his best hockey of the season right up until the injury, recording seven goals and two assists in his last five games. Unfortunately, an innocuous knee-on-knee collision with Utah forward Jack McBain hit pause on his chase for the record. He’s still 26 snipes back of tying Gretzky, sitting alone in second in NHL history with 868 goals. He’d have 50 games to score the remainder if he plans on tying the record in 2024-25, assuming he returns Sunday.
Losing Ovechkin for the last month hasn’t significantly impacted Washington’s record. They’re still 8-4-1 in their last 13 without him, outscoring opponents 40-33 and outshooting them 380-337. They’ve continued to dominate possession at even strength, controlling 56.5% of shot attempts during that window. They have only continued to establish themselves as surprise championship contenders after limping into the playoffs last year with a 40-31-11 record and a -36 goal differential.
Ovechkin had been flanked by team assists leader Dylan Strome and Aliaksei Protas on the first line before exiting the lineup. Protas has been moved down to Pierre-Luc Dubois’ line in Ovechkin’s absence. While The Great Eight will undoubtedly reunite with Strome in his return, he may have Tom Wilson on his opposite wing this time around.
Ovechkin is on injured reserve, and since the Capitals have a full active roster, they’ll likely move today ahead of the midnight roster freeze to free up a space for him to return in the next few days. Carbery told Silber that Ovechkin will take contact in practice either tomorrow or Saturday.
Cam Allen Traded In The OHL
- Capitals prospect Cam Allen is on the move in the OHL. London announced that they’ve acquired the blueliner from Guelph in exchange for defenseman Noah Jenken and seven draft picks. Allen was once rated as a first-round pick but slid in his draft year (2023) to the fifth round, going 136th overall. Washington has already signed the 19-year-old who had 25 points in 27 games prior to the swap.