The Capitals have placed defenseman Matt Niskanen on long-term injury reserve, the team announced via Twitter. Niskanen suffered an upper-body injury during Friday’s game against the Devils and did not return. Tarik El-Bashir of NBC Sports Washington specifies (Twitter link) that it’s a left hand or thumb injury. The team hasn’t revealed how much time he will miss but the LTIR placement will keep him out for at least the next ten games and 24 days.
Losing Niskanen is a big blow for a Washington defense corps that lost a good chunk of their depth over the offseason with the departures of Kevin Shattenkirk and Karl Alzner through free agency plus Nate Schmidt in expansion to Vegas. Niskanen has been a consistent minutes-eater throughout his time with the Capitals, logging over 22 minutes a night over his first three years with the team. He has an assist in five games so far this season.
The injury opens up an opportunity for one of Washington’s top prospects, blueliner Madison Bowey, to make his NHL debut as the team announced that he has been called to take Niskanen’s place. Bowey, a second-round pick (53rd overall) in 2013, is in his third professional season which, until now, had entirely been spent at the AHL level with Hershey.