Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio Morning Skate on Wednesday with Scott Laughlin and Gord Stellick. He was asked about Jakob Chychrun‘s new contract with the Washington Capitals and how this deal will look good when the salary cap goes up.
NHLRumors.com Transcription
Scott Laughlin: “Hey, Friedge, you mentioned (Jakob) Chychryn. Obviously, I want to get your thoughts on his contract. And look, I think, he came out of the Ontario Hockey League with such fanfare, the thing that’s always worked against him, wherever he’s been, as we know, has been injury and people have talked about, even as a teenager, as to how ripped he was and low percentage body fat, he can do these freakish athletic things. And of course, the old school guys would say, ‘Well, maybe he’s just too fit and he’s too tight, and maybe that’s led to some injuries.’
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Regardless, he’s had an amazing season for the Capitals, and he has been a huge difference-maker on the back end for the Caps as they try to win the President’s Trophy. That having been said, eight times nine, I think a lot of people got surprised by the nine on the AAV Friedge.
What are your thoughts on eight times nine for Jakob Chychrun at this stage? Again, health has always been a question. But because the cap is going up here in the next year, 2-3-4, and is really going to start to take off, we’re hoping for everybody concerned, should we just get used to the defenseman earning more on an average annual value?”
Elliotte Friedman: “I think we’re going to get used to everybody earning more. And like I heard when Washington and Chychrun first started negotiating, that was the ask in the Darnell Nurse area, and then Nurse is 9.25. And if you’ve listened to a lot of the comments in the last days, since this was done, it’s pretty clear that the Capitals initially weren’t sure they were going to go there, but eventually just said, You know what, we’re going to go there.
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And I was thinking about this the other day. One of the big conversations us about the percentage of the cap, right? And if the cap is going up to where you look at the numbers, what we’re dealing with, we’re going to just under 115 (million) in a couple of years, and as long as things stay the same, they’re going to go higher than that. And so right now, like nine is not going to look as high in a couple of years as it does now.
And I think that Chychrun had the leverage. He had the hammer. And I think there’s definitely a feeling that if he’d gone to open market, he felt comfortable that something like this was going to be out there for him. He was willing to take the chance. And I just think the too nine right now, it just might not look as high in a few years. And as you said, he had a good year.
But the other thing, I think that’s a factor here, is that John Carlson is 35 years old and still a really good player, but eventually one of the best, if not the best defense. Well, I would say (Rob) Langway is probably the best defenseman in Capitals history, one of the best defensemen in Capitals history, won’t be around anymore. And I think they kind of looked at it as what Chychrun can help offset that he’s going to be an impactful player for us for a while. And when you’re looking to replace a number 1D like you eventually will be with Carlson, then you’ve got a guy. You know the guy. And you know what those are hard to find.
I understand exactly why they did it. And the other thing, too, is that I just got to Winnipeg. I couldn’t get here in time for the game last night, but I did see some people after the game yesterday, and one of the things they were telling me was that you could really tell in that Washington dress room in the morning skate that they really like each other.
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That team has a bit of a special chemistry right now. And the Capitals didn’t really want to fool around with that at the deadline. They added (Anthony) Beauvillier, but other than that, they stood pat. And I think they kind of look at it like part of the reason we’re winning this year is that we have a team that really gets along well.
And you could tell that by the fact they put the $100 bill on his jersey at the morning skate. And I think they just said, like, we believe in that. So I get all this. I think when you first look at the number, there’s a bit of a sticker shock, but it’s like Walter Gretzky said to Wayne Gretzky, look at the puck where it’s going, not where it is.”
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