Capitals Notes: Chychrun, Oshie, Saulnier

The Capitals made a big addition on their back end earlier this month with the acquisition of Jakob Chychrun from Ottawa in exchange for Nick Jensen and a third-round pick.  With Chychrun in the final year of his contract, he’s now extension-eligible.  However, GM Brian MacLellan indicated earlier this week (video link) that they won’t be rushing to get a new contract in place.  Instead, they’ll wait to evaluate his fit with the team before beginning those discussions.  The 26-year-old matched his career high in points last season with 41 and carries an AAV of $4.6MM, suggesting that he’ll be in line for a considerable raise starting in the 2025-26 campaign whenever negotiations on a new contract begin.

More from Washington:

• In a recent appearance on the NHL Network (video link), winger T.J. Oshie provided an update on his injured back. The veteran has been reaching out to different specialists to try to find a long-term solution to his ongoing back issues but they’re running out of new options to try.  The 37-year-old battled the injury throughout last season, putting up a career-low 25 points in 52 games.  However, Oshie indicated he doesn’t want to go through the same struggles to play next season which has led to some speculation that he could wind up on LTIR.  Considering the Caps are more than $13MM above the Upper Limit, per CapFriendly, Washington’s offseason spending suggests that they believe Oshie will ultimately land on LTIR which, coupled with Nicklas Backstrom staying there, would get them cap-compliant for next season.
• Their farm team in Hershey announced the signing of winger Brennan Saulnier to a one-year deal. The 30-year-old played in 36 games with AHL Belleville last season, recording three goals, four assists, and 94 penalty minutes playing primarily on the fourth line.  Saulnier is likely to have a similar role for the reigning Calder Cup champions.