Washington Capitals Star Returns to Game After Freak Skate to the Hand Injury

The Washington Capitals have enjoyed a remarkable turnaround in 2024-25, racing their way to the top spot in the Eastern Conference after having been the final team to qualify for last year's Stanley Cup Playoffs on a tie-breaker with a pair of other teams.

Among the changes that were made to the Capitals during the summer was the acquisition of defenseman Jakob Chychrun from the Ottawa Senators. He's made a major impact on the Washington blue line, having already tied his career-best 18 goals.

But the bad news is that Caps fans everywhere are holding their collective breaths thanks to Chychrun's injury late in the 1st period of today's game against the Florida Panthers at Capital One Arena.

He lost his balance and fell in the corner and appeared to have his wrist-arm area struck by the skate blade of Panthers captain Aleksandar Barkov:

But the latest update on Chychrun is a good one. He's returned to the Capitals bench, and doesn't appear to have suffered what could have been a significant injury.

In recent years, we've seen players suffer stunning injuries after being accidentally struck by an opponent's skate blade.

Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane missed multiple weeks in 2022-23 after being inadvertently stepped on by the skate blade of now-former Tampa Bay Lightning forward Pat Maroon.

Thankfully, Chychrun managed to avoid an injury that could have affected his availability for the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

So far in his first year with the Capitals, Chychrun has 43 points (18G, 25A). He can also become an unrestricted free agent this summer.