Jan 8: The Arizona Coyotes announced this afternoon that goaltender Ivan Prosvetov has been recalled from the Tucson Roadrunners. No corresponding move has been made, however the team did add that fellow netminder Connor Ingram is out tonight due to an undisclosed illness. Prosvetov will likely be the backup tonight when the Coyotes host the Pittsburgh Penguins, PHNX Sports Craig Morgan tweeting Karel Vejmelka will get the start.

Prosvetov, 23, was a fourth-round pick of the Coyotes back in 2018 and has spent time in the NHL, AHL, ECHL, and OHL since being drafted. The Russian netminder made his NHL debut back in 2020-21, getting into three games and added another three NHL games last season. This year, Prosvetov has played the entire year with Tucson, getting into 19 games, recording an .899 save-percentage and 3.20 goals-against average.

Ingram, 25, has spent this season as the backup in Arizona after being claimed on waivers just prior to opening night. Once a third-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning, the goaltender bounced around between the AHL and ECHL, even appearing over in Sweden during the 2020-21 season before making his NHL debut last year as a member of the Nashville Predators. A fantastic 2021-22 in the AHL with the Norfolk Admirals seemed to earn Ingram a legitimate NHL look, however he has struggled to start this season with a 3.92 goals-against and .886 save-percentage through 11 games.

It’s unclear what the issue is for Fleury, however as Russo details, it appears to stem back as far as New Year’s Eve. Of course, Fleury and his family are entitled to their privacy in what are likely difficult times. Russo adds that as of right now, the expectation is Fleury would leave the Wild this morning and return home to Montreal before rejoining the team on Tuesday in New York City. After playing at home tonight, the Wild head to New York to play the Rangers on Tuesday and the Islanders Thursday, heading home for one game Saturday against the Arizona Coyotes, then heading back out east for four games.

Fleury, 38, has already established himself as a likely Hall-of-Famer, but hasn’t been his usual self this season, recording a 2.94 goals against and .901 save-percentage. Fortunately for the Wild, they’ve received superb goaltending from Gustavsson, the usual backup, who has turned in a 2.24 goals-against and .924 save-percentage in 15 games.

The 23-year-old is finishing up his fourth season in the NCAA where he has 13 goals and 14 assists in just 20 games and is over a point-per-game during his four years. A 2019 seventh-round pick of the Canucks, Vancouver’s rights with McDonagh expire on August 15th. According to CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal, Vancouver GM Patrik Allvin was in Boston this weekend to meet with McDonagh. Per Dhaliwal, that meeting went very well, with Allvin laying out his plan for the player should he choose to sign. Despite the positive meeting, there is still no indication of how likely McDonagh is to sign with the team that drafted him.

• After scoring the golden-goal for Team Canada at this year’s World Juniors, Arizona Coyotes forward Dylan Guenther immediately rejoined his team, flying back to Arizona on Friday, less than 24 hours after the biggest goal of his life to-date. Given the whirlwind few days for Guenther and having been away form his NHL team for a few weeks, many would understand if the winger didn’t play Sunday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, that won’t be the case says PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan, who reports that Guenther will play at home Sunday. Guenther, 19, had been one of a few key difference-makers for Canada at this year’s tournament, and has been off to a nice start to his NHL career too, recording 11 points in 21 games prior to joining Team Canada.
• Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson, who last played Wednesday and has been out with a non-COVID illness since, is expected to start this evening’s game at home against the St. Louis Blues, says The Athletic’s Joe Smith. Gustavsson’s illness had apparently been enough that he couldn’t simply back-up for Marc-Andre Fleury, but the team had to instead recall netminder Zane McIntyre on an emergency basis Friday morning. The Wild play at home this evening before a two game midweek road trip to New York City and Long Island.

The decision to send Soderblom down isn’t too much of a surprise, as Michigan Live’s Ansar Khan reports, forwards Tyler Bertuzzi and Filip Zadina are both due back from injury fairly soon and the Red Wings will need a pair of roster spots for them. Already at a full 23-man roster before sending Soderblom down, the Red Wings will need to make another move in order to get both of their injured wingers back on the active roster.

Listed at 6’8 and 246 pounds, the massive Soderblom was an exciting addition to Detroit’s opening night roster. The 21-year-old has been solid for the team in limited action, missing time due to injury earlier in the season and averaging 12:04 in time-on-ice per game. Through 21 games, Soderblom had five goals and three assists for Detroit.

With Soderblom on his ELC and thus not eligible for waivers and Detroit needing the roster spot, this assignment seems like a perfect fit. However, considering Soderblom has shown he’s certainly capable of playing in an NHL lineup, it does raise questions about the plan for Soderblom going forward. With 2022-23 being his first season in North America, perhaps an extended stay in Grand Rapids, possibly seeing top-six minutes and special teams action, could be good for his development as he continues to adjust to the smaller rink.

Whatever Detroit chooses to do with the young forward, puzzling but presumably well-thought-out decisions in the face of a roster crunch wouldn’t be unprecedented after the team waived forward Jakub Vrana earlier this week.

It appears Chicago might have some news on both of the aforementioned players. According to The Athletic’s Scott Powers, Kane participated in the Blackhawks’ morning skate once again this morning. The winger, who has been skating, missed the team’s game Friday against the Arizona Coyotes and will not play tonight either, adds Powers. Tinordi, who suffered a facial fracture back on December 18th against his former team, the New York Rangers, was also spotted on the ice this morning by NBC Sports’ Charlie Roumeliotis.

• The Minnesota Wild are dealing with a difficult cap crunch at the moment which has made, and will continue to make, extending their players and bringing in new ones rather challenging. One player the team will certainly have to work in a new contract for is 21-year-old Matt Boldy. The second-year forward is in the final year of his entry-level contract, set to hit the RFA market this summer. Fortunately, as The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports, both the Wild and Boldy’s agent, Brian Bartlett, have begun working on a new deal. Russo adds that talks are in the very early stages, but the expectation is that Boldy’s next contract will be a bridge deal.
• After a brief recall to the AHL, the Providence Bruins have sent netminder Francois Brassard back to the Maine Mariners of the ECHL, according the AHL’s transactions page.. The 28-year-old has spent the majority of his professional career in the ECHL, but did have a five game stint with the Hartford Wolf Pack last season. He didn’t play for Providence during this recent recall. Brassard did make headlines recently when he scored a goal for the Mariners back in December.

Eichel had been out of the lineup for nearly a month, last playing December 9th against the Philadelphia Flyers before hitting IR. The team has done alright since then, going 6-4-1 in the process, but having their superstar back in the lineup should give the team the boost it needs not only with on-ice production, but with its overall confidence. Despite missing the time, Eichel’s 29 points place him third on the team, playing in just 27 games.

When finding out Eichel was injured, many held their breath after his neck issues the past few seasons. Though the injury wasn’t exactly good news, it being lower-body allowed many to breathe a sigh of relief. Now with Eichel back in the lineup, the team becomes a bit more complete, though injury issues still loom after the recent placement of defenseman Alec Martinez on IR.

Originally a draft pick of the Nashville Predators back in 2014, Kirkland has had a strong AHL career, breaking out with 48 points in 66 games last season with the Stockton Heat, then Calgary’s AHL affiliate. This season, Kirkland is again off to a hot start with 13 points in 19 games in the AHL. Since making his NHL debut, the 26-year-old has skated in five games with Anaheim, but hadn’t yet tallied a point.

• Injuries have been a challenge for Nick Schmaltz this year, who has missed 16 of his Arizona Coyotes’ 35 games coming into this evening. Fortunately for Schmaltz and the Coyotes, the forward was back in the lineup tonight after missing the team’s New Year’s Eve game in Tampa Bay against the Lightning. The forward has 16 points through those 19 games, continuing on from his breakout performance last season and though his absence isn’t a good thing, keeping it to just one game is surely a positive.
• Just before puck drop tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Chicago Blackhawks announced that former Lightning forward Tyler Johnson would not skate for them, missing the game with a non-COVID illness. Ultimately, defenseman Caleb Jones played in the game, assuming the role of a forward. Now in his second season with Chicago, Johnson continues to deal with injuries, but has been solid when healthy, recording eight points in 14 games.

There’s always the odd trade or two in the months leading up to the deadline, but it seems most business gets done in the few days before and the day of. So, why would we expect any different this year? As LeBrun points out, the answer may lie at the forefront of Canada’s World Juniors performance: Connor Bedard. Every team would love to have the phenom, but presumably only the winner of the Draft Lottery will have the opportunity.

LeBrun explains that the Bedard sweepstakes could push teams to trade players earlier, perhaps even in January, in order to fortify their chances in the lottery. In other words, though teams are hesitant to use the word “tank,” if that’s their mission, getting the talent that might win a few games off the roster sooner than later could sink the team even lower in the standings than had they waited another two months. LeBrun says these conversations are certainly happening, but cautions that with the sellers, the buyers need to agree too, but the buyers must deal with a tricky cap situation. With salary cap space growing as time moves on, the teams in the market for those rental players might not be able to make the move they want until closer to the deadline.

Generally, the hot commodities at the deadline are the talented rental players, which explains why so many teams pay the high prices for them. This year, that will likely hold true, but another hot commodity will be first-round picks. Even beyond the chance to win the draft lottery for the 16 eligible slots, the 2023 draft is expected to be deep, inflating the value of all first-round choices to an extent. Thus, those picks will be in high demand, says Johnston.

In fact, Johnston says shutdown defensemen like Joel Edmundson of the Montreal Canadiens and Vladislav Gavrikov of the Columbus Blue Jackets, could both fetch their teams a first-round pick and then some. Surprising as that might sound, consider last trade deadline when Montreal was able to secure a first-round pick (and more) for veteran defenseman Ben Chiarot, then a pending UFA. Here, the 29-year-old Edmundson is under contract for another season at a very affordable $3.5MM AAV, while Gavrikov, a pending UFA, is considered one of the league’s best shutdown defenseman and is just 27-years-old himself.

Also of note on Gavrikov, Johnston adds that the struggling Blue Jackets still haven’t determined if they’ll trade him or not. Columbus of course isn’t necessarily hoping to get into the playoff race this season, but could hope to re-sign the blueliner for themselves.

One rather interesting team heading into the deadline is the St. Louis Blues, who came into tonight with a 17-17-3 record. The team recently placed star forwards and pending UFA’s Ryan O’Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko on IR, joining defenseman Torey Krug. Dreger notes that Blues’ GM Doug Armstrong doesn’t feel pressured to make a decision on what to do with either O’Reilly or Tarasenko, or his trade deadline approach for that matter. Instead, the organization will consider the trade value of their pending UFAs against the idea, and likelihood, of extending them.

There’s no doubt that either O’Reilly or Tarasenko would bring a large haul back for St. Louis, however trading either could foreclose any chance of bringing them back next year. That would be a tough loss, or losses, for a team still looking to compete and probably a bit surprised at their lack of success this season.

A final note, also from Dreger, is the status of the Chicago Blackhawks’ pair of franchise players: Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. Both are pending UFAs and both rumored to be on the move this winter. Dreger expects Pat Brisson, agent to both players, to engage in serious talks in the near future with each to determine the following: Do they want to be traded? If so, what does the contending field look like? And, would it be best to accept a trade, then look at the open market come July, or is a trade-and-sign an option?

As tough as it will be to move on, the Blackhawks will hope both players can be moved for a large return. However, both control their destiny, having complete no-move clauses, so a trade will not only be up to Chicago and their trade partner, but the player themselves.

Losing Guhle is a tough break for the Canadiens, who have had a respectable bounce-back in the standings thus far as compared to last season, but have had their recent struggles, giving up 16 goals in their last two games, 20 in their last three. The 16th overall pick of the 2020 NHL draft, Guhle is known for his physical playstyle, throwing 72 hits and blocking 65 shots through 36 games. Though he’d be considered more of a stay-at-home defenseman, the rookie has contributed nicely on offense too, recording 14 points through those 36 games.

• The St. Louis Blues announced winger Vladimir Tarasenko would not return to today’s game against the Minnesota Wild, dealing with an upper-body injury. The injury happened during the first period when Tarasenko stepped in front of a Minnesota shot, appearing to catch him in the right hand. The Blues will surely hope the injury isn’t too serious, as Tarasenko could be an enticing trade deadline pickup for a number of teams, should St. Louis find itself still on the outside of the playoff picture in a couple of months.
• San Jose Sharks defenseman Radim Simek left tonight’s game with an undisclosed injury and will not return, reports Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group. With his two points this season, Simek isn’t exactly challenging Erik Karlsson, however given that San Jose came into today 31st in the NHL in goals against, they’ll need the shutdown defenseman back in the lineup in order to work on their defensive issues.
• On tonight’s 32 Thoughts segment of Sportsnet’s Hockey Night In Canada, Elliotte Friedman discussed the potential trade strategy of the Toronto Maple Leafs as they approach the trade deadline. Friedman explains that the belief early in this season was that the Maple Leafs would take one big “swing” at a defenseman to add to the team. However, as Friedman says, that may have changed now with how the team’s defense has played thus far. Players like Mark Giordano and Rasmus Sandin have upped their game, while newly-acquired Conor Timmins is showing he may in fact be the player teams were expecting when he was a budding prospect. Given Toronto’s limited flexibility, operating close to the roster limit and salary cap, a pair of smaller moves to complete the team, perhaps one up front and one on defense, may make the most sense.

With those struggles, many have wondered what Detroit will do with the goaltender, who is now the third-string behind starter Ville Husso and backup Magnus Hellberg. Some have wondered if a conditioning stint will be next for Nedeljkovic, who hasn’t played since December 8th. Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde told Michigan Live’s Ansar Khan that discussion of a conditioning stint hasn’t happened yet, but “[e]verything is on the table.” Lalonde added that the team will need that roster spot eventually with players coming back from injury, so “something will probably shake down.”

• Edmonton Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl, who missed last night’s game against the Seattle Kraken, is unlikely to play tonight against the Winnipeg Jets, says TSN’s Ryan Rishaug. Draisaitl, who Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft said was nursing some bumps and bruises, didn’t practice Thursday either. The 27-year-old has 21 goals and 36 assist through 36 games this season. With Edmonton’s struggles, despite having Draisaitl and Connor McDavid in the lineup, they’ll need the former back in the lineup as soon as possible to keep things rolling.
• Ottawa Senators prospect Carson Latimer has been dealt in the WHL. The former Prince Albert Raiders forward will be heading to the Kootenay Ice in exchange for forward Aiden Oiring, a third-round pick in 2024, and a conditional third-round pick in 2025. Latimer has spent parts of four seasons with Prince Albert and the Edmonton Oil Kings, sitting on 28 points through 31 games thus far in 2022-23.
• The Colorado Eagles and Hartford Wold Pack completed a small trade in the AHL earlier today, reports NHL.com and AHL.com’s Patrick Williams. Forward Ben Tardif is heading to Hartford while defenseman Luke Martin will be heading to Colorado. Tardif, 22, has four points through 15 games in the AHL this year, as well as nine points in seven ECHL games. The ability for offensive dominance is there for Tardif, who had 59 points over 53 ECHL games last year. Martin, 24, was a second-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes back in 2017, and though he hasn’t made his NHL debut yet, he’s also dominated the ECHL with 68 points in 84 games on the backend over this season and last.

Johnston had a chance to speak with Vancouver head coach Bruce Boudreau, who discussed Demko’s return “I’m hoping that’s within the next month,” Boudreau said, “We have that big break coming (in late January), it might be right after that” he added. The Canucks will have a long break around the All Star Game, playing their last game on January 27th before picking things back up on February 6th. Also from Johnston, forward Tanner Pearson, who had hand surgery on November 10th and was originally projected to miss four-to-six weeks, has been skating and might make Vancouver’s mid-January road trip, which begins in Winnipeg on January 8th.

• The Montreal Canadiens provided some medical updates this afternoon. Of note, forward Sean Monahan, who has been out since December 5th with a lower-body injury, is progressing well and skated today for the first time since the injury. The first-year Canadien had been enjoying a strong bounce-back season with 17 points in his first 25 games. Getting Monahan back in the lineup will not only be good for Montreal’s own performance, but the three-time 30-goal scorer could fetch a relatively significant haul at the trade deadline, just months after Montreal acquired him along with a first-round pick from the Calgary Flames for salary cap purposes. Veteran forward Paul Byron, who has yet to play this season while dealing with hip surgery is still yet to skate, but is making progress, albeit slowly, off the ice. Byron, 33, is in the last year of a four-year, $13.6MM deal.
• After a difficult outing last night against the Ottawa Senators, Tomas Nosek’s absence from tonight’s lineup would seem like a healthy scratch as a simple response to his play, but that’s not necessarily the case according to Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery. As Montgomery tells Boston Hockey Now’s Joe Haggerty, “It’s maintenance. It’s nothing serious, but we just didn’t want him playing in the back-to-back [games].” That strategy is sensible, and one Montgomery actually deployed earlier this season when Brad Marchand came back from injury. However, tonight is the first game Nosek has missed all season, which has included a few back-to-backs, and there’s been no news thus far of on any injury. Through 34 games, Nosek has three goals and four assists to go along with a stellar 58.3% faceoff percentage and steady penalty kill work. If Nosek’s absence is in any way performance related, it’s interesting to note Boston’s trust of Nosek thus far this season, giving 92.8% of his starts in the defensive zone.

PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan clarified that transaction, reporting that Kirk had actually been loaned to Jukurit in the Finnish League, which is coached by former Coyotes forward Olli Jokinen. Morgan adds that with the transaction, Arizona will retain Kirk’s rights and chances are he’ll return to North America next season, most likely as a member of the Roadrunners.

The 22-year-old Kirk is an interesting case as a prospect. Born and raised in England, Kirk played the majority of his youth hockey in Sheffield, turning pro at the age of 16. Kirk’s success as a teenager at England’s highest level of hockey got him noticed and he was ultimately drafted in the seventh-round by the Coyotes in 2018.

After being drafted, Kirk came to North America and spent two strong seasons with the Peterborough Petes of the OHL, registering 47 points in 63 games his first season and 50 points in 47 games his second. Following his two-year OHL stint, Kirk returned to England for one season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, playing in just 14 games, but dominating with 20 points. The forward returned to North America last season, but played in just nine AHL contests between last season and this one combined. However, after joining the Gladiators earlier this season, Kirk appeared to find a groove.

The loan to Jukurit isn’t necessarily bad news or a demotion. In fact, this opportunity might be a step forward for Kirk. As talented as the players in the ECHL are, it’s the third league in North America and doesn’t see too many players that are representative of NHL competition. Jukurit, on the other hand, plays in Finland’s top league, where Kirk will face players who fit into one or more categories: stars and veterans of Europe’s top leagues, former NHL and AHLers, and top NHL prospects.

While the European game is different from what he’d see in the NHL, Kirk has had ample exposure to North American hockey in Peterborough and Atlanta, but now he’ll gain more exposure to top competition. Perhaps not as impactful to Arizona’s decision, but helpful to Kirk, the loan will get him closer to home, at least on the same continent.

Of note, both Raty and Fasching are playing in tonight’s game, and though Drury is not playing tonight, he is listed on the Hurricanes’ roster. Vegas faces off against the Los Angeles Kings later tonight at 7:30 pm PT/10:30 pm ET, so more may be known on their players at that time.

Carolina Hurricanes:

F Jack Drury

New York Islanders:

F Hudson Fasching

F Aatu Raty

Vegas Golden Knights:

F Pavel Dorofeyev

D Brayden Pachal

F Jonas Rondbjerg

Dermott was able to get into a game with Abbotsford, failing to record a point but registering a +2 rating, however it doesn’t appear things went too well otherwise. According to Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin, Dermott has been recalled from his conditioning loan and now remains on LTIR. Generally one would expect a recall from a condoning loan to line-up with being activated off of IR, however this combined with the fact that Dermott played just the one game points to something else being amiss, though Allvin did not specifically clarify anything further.

• The Ottawa Senators returned from their Christmas break tonight at home against the Boston Bruins, but found themselves playing a man short pretty early on. The team announced that veteran defenseman Nikita Zaitsev suffered a lower-body injury during the first period of the game, which will keep him from returning. The 31-year-old hasn’t had his best season so far, even being placed on waivers back in November and sent to the AHL, however he has received consistent playing time since being recalled back on December 1st. Through 16 games, Zaitsev has three points, all assists, as well as 32 blocks and 39 hits. No update is available just yet on the injury going forward.
• The Nashville Predators are without forward Matt Duchene this evening as they take on the Dallas Stars at home, though fortunately it’s for good reason and not injury related. The team announced it was the birth of Duchene’s child that is keeping the star away from the rink. The Predators next play on Friday against the Ducks in Anaheim.

Who are the Capitals thankful for?

Charlie Lindgren, Dylan Strome, and Sonny Milano

Yes, the Washington Capitals are absolutely thankful for Alex Ovechkin, the current team leader in goals and points this season by a wide margin and the greatest player in the history of the franchise. They’ve been thankful for Ovechkin since he debuted back in 2005. We’ll get to the Great Eight further down, but first we’ll take a look at a trio of players who have come somewhat out of nowhere to help keep the team in the playoff race.

Signed to a three-year deal carrying a $1.1MM AAV this summer to backup fellow newcomer Darcy Kuemper, Lindgren had been off to a solid start to the year before Kuemper went down with injury. Kuemper has since come back, but in the nearly three weeks he was out, Lindgren stepped up to the plate, starting every game and carrying the team to a 7-1-0 record with a .930 save-percentage. Lindgren hasn’t been that hot the entire season, but his overall numbers, a .913 save-percentage and 2.60 goals-against average are nearly identical to Kuemper’s .916 and 2.53 on the year.

Sitting third on the team in points with 25 through 36 games, Strome’s success isn’t exactly unprecedented. In fact, the forward had 48 points in 69 games last season and even hit a career-high of 57 over 78 games back in 2018-19. However, after a disappointing 2020-21, followed by struggles early last season under then-head coach Jeremy Colliton with the Chicago Blackhawks before the rebound, Chicago failed to qualify Strome this summer, making him an unrestricted free agent. Washington took a chance on the 25-year-old, signing him to a one-year, $3.5MM deal. Strome hasn’t disappointed, on pace to match his career-high in points while displaying excellent possession metrics.

After the Anaheim Ducks failed to qualify him, Sonny Milano was left an unrestricted free agent much like Strome. Coming off a breakout season, the former first-round pick waited most of the summer for an opportunity before the Calgary Flames offered him a PTO, from which he was later released. The Capitals gave Milano a chance, signing him to a one-year, one-way league minimum deal on October 15th, calling him up November 2nd. In that time, the winger has done more than simply impress, recording 16 points in 23 games for the Capitals. It’s a very good season, on pace to be Milano’s best, but not necessarily groundbreaking. However, in a year that has yet to feature Nicklas Backstrom or Tom Wilson, getting this level of production out of Milano, and Strome for that matter, has been much appreciated in Washington.

What are the Capitals thankful for?

Ovechkin’s Chase for 895

There’s plenty to be thankful for with Ovechkin, not only in what he’s meant to the franchise and his success year after year, but simply in this season. As the team just about hangs on in the playoff race, Ovechkin has done his best to carry the team through. The players mentioned above, among others, have done their part, but of course Ovechkin’s game-breaking ability to score goals has been a difference-maker.

What the Capitals can also be thankful, related to Ovechkin, is the decision not to rebuild until Ovechkin breaks Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record of 894. Though some may say it’s time for the Capitals to shake things up and hit the reset button, Washington has ensured that they will do all in their power to chase the Stanley Cup for at least a couple more seasons. It’s an interesting decision, but given the organization’s ability to remain competitive for the better part of the last 15 years and Ovechkin still performing at or near the top of his ability, it’s an exciting one for those involved.

Not to be forgotten is Ovechkin’s high-level of competitiveness and graceful aging. It’s hard to imagine many elite athletes would continue to play without being competitive, but if the team is going to hold off on a rebuild while Ovechkin continues the chase, at least another 93 goals, Ovechkin will need to continue to be the elite shooter and physical power forward he’s been all these years, and there doesn’t appear to be much getting in the way of any of that.

What would the Capitals be even more thankful for?

Health

The big story this season when it comes to Capitals injuries would be Backstrom and Wilson, neither of whom have played a game this year. That was expected going into this season, and Washington acted accordingly, signing players like Strome, Milano, and Marcus Johansson to fill the void. Although Wilson is expected to return to the lineup at some point this season, and perhaps not far off, Backstrom’s availability for this season and long-term, remains in question.

Beyond that pair, Washington has also had a number of smaller-scale injuries that have impacted them this season, including players like T. J. Oshie, Dmitry Orlov, and Martin Fehervary missing at least 10 games, and Connor Brown playing in only four games thus far. Superstar defenseman John Carlson, who has already missed six games, is expected to miss a considerable amount more after taking a slapshot to his head a few days ago.

Backstrom and Wilson are one thing for the Capitals, but getting the rest of their lineup back to full health and keeping them there has been a challenge this year, and part of the reason the team is in a playoff fight, and not a comfortable playoff position.

What should be on the Capitals holiday wishlist?

A return of Wilson and Backstrom and/or a top-six forward

Besides overall health, Washington has a pretty clear need for at least another top-six forward. As discussed, they should get a boost when Wilson eventually returns to the lineup, but even still, the depth there is lacking. Coming into tonight, Ovechkin was not only the team leader in points, but his 41 points are 13 ahead of Evgeny Kuznetsov’s 28. Strome and Milano have had fantastic seasons thus far, but both may be better suited for secondary scoring roles if the team does indeed envision playoff success.

Complicating things for Washington would be whether or not Backstrom returns this season. With Backstrom now skating, a return by season’s end appears plausible, though not guaranteed. If the veteran is fully healthy and able to play like himself, that would solve the need for another top-six forward no problem. However, Backstrom’s injury issues, and the surgery that dealt with them, were rather significant and whether he can return to the player he was in the past, regardless of age, is perhaps a bigger question than whether he can return in the first place.

The main issue though is Backstrom’s $9MM cap hit. If and when he returns, that number comes off of LTIR and begins to count against Washington’s cap. The Capitals will, presumably, work that issue out when it comes time, but they might not be able to accommodate another even remotely large cap hit, like a Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, or Bo Horvat, even with salary retained. A trade in that situation might not be impossible, but knowing whether or not Backstrom is going to be a factor down the stretch will make a huge impact on if and how a deal would get done.