The Washington Capitals could be getting Joe Snively back as a depth option in the next little while, as the injured forward has been sent to the Hershey Bears on an LTIR conditioning loan. Snively is coming back from wrist surgery and will be eligible for the Bears first-round playoff series, should they want to insert him into the lineup.
Of course, while it’s great news for the Bears and their Calder Cup hopes, there is a bigger prize that the Capitals have their eyes on and Snively could potentially help them get there. This is a player that recorded four goals and seven points in his first 12 NHL games, and could potentially step into an offensive role should the Capitals suffer any injuries along the way.
For now, he’ll need to get back up to speed in the AHL. Snively had 38 points in 35 games to start the year with Hershey and should immediately give them another top-line player to help their playoff run. The team had middling success through the second half of the year and ended up going 34-32-10 on the year, good enough for fifth place in the Atlantic Division.