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Washington Capitals Reassign Hunter Shepard

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Dec. 4: Shepard was returned to AHL Hershey on Monday, per the NHL’s media transactions log. Lindgren is likely ready to return from the illness that sidelined him and will dress tonight against the Coyotes.

Dec. 2: The Washington Capitals announced that they have recalled goaltender Hunter Shepard from their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, and he will be in the lineup tonight as the team takes on the Western Conference-leading Vegas Golden Knights. Their usual backup goaltender, Charlie Lindgren, was out yesterday and took a maintenance day this afternoon, and will not be available for tonight’s matchup.

Although he will likely not play tonight with Darcy Kuemper still in the net, this will be Shepard’s fourth call-up of the season, although the first three were all on an emergency loan. Earlier this season in late October, also in Lindgren’s absence, Shepard was able to make his NHL debut against the New Jersey Devils, securing the win after making a total of 18 saves on 22 shots. A few weeks later, Shepard was once again in the net for the Capitals, stopping 36 shots out of 37 in a win against the New York Islanders.

Last season, once again spent primarily with the Bears, Shepard held a 20-8-5 record through the regular season, holding a .916 SV% and a 2.18 GAA. In the playoffs, Shepard was fundamental in Hershey winning the 2023 Calder Cup, producing a 14-6-0 record with a .914 SV%, and winning the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy, awarded to the Calder Cup playoffs most valuable player.

The trophies won last year are not the only ones in Shepard’s case, as he backed the University of Minnesota-Duluth to back-to-back National Championships in 2018 and 2019, all while winning back-to-back NCHC Goaltender of the Year awards in 2019 and 2020.

Capitals Place T.J. Oshie On Injured Reserve, Activate Martin Fehérváry

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The Capitals made some roster moves this afternoon, most notably placing winger T.J. Oshie on injured reserve with an upper-body injury retroactive to November 24, according to the NHL’s media portal. Defenseman Martin Fehérváry was activated off IR in a corresponding transaction and replaced Oshie on the 23-man active roster.

While Washington has impressed this season and sits in playoff position in the Metropolitan Division, Oshie hasn’t been a significant factor. Oshie has seen ice time worth of a top-six forward, averaging 16:39 per game, but the 37-year-old is producing at (by far) the worst rate of his NHL career. Injuries have been a factor the last few seasons, but he still managed to stay relevant last year with 35 points in 58 contests. Now, he’s as snakebitten as ever, notching just one goal and one assist through 17 games. It’s worth noting he’s shooting at just 3.3% – the only time in his 16-year, 975-game career that he’s shot in the single digits.

This is not an unexpected move. He is listed as day-to-day, and it was reported last weekend that he would not travel with the team on their five-game West Coast road swing. Hopefully, the veteran can return to action when the team returns home, and he can continue on his quest to 1,000 games.

In placing Oshie on IR, the Capitals create space for the much younger Fehérváry to return to play tonight against the Sharks. The 24-year-old landed on IR over two weeks ago and missed five games with a lower-body injury sustained November 10 against the Devils. Selected 46th overall in 2018, the budding top-four defender has logged two assists in 12 games this season, averaging 18:20 per contest. His 50.3% Corsi share at even strength is a marked improvement over his first two full seasons in the NHL, and he continues to grow into a trusted complementary player who can handle significant defensive zone usage. He’ll assume a top-pairing alongside John Carlson in his return to the lineup tonight.

Oshie Won't Travel With Capitals On Road Trip

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After leaving Friday’s game against Edmonton following a collision with Mattias Ekholm, Capitals winger T.J. Oshie will not travel with the team for their upcoming five-game West Coast road trip, reports Sammi Silber of The Hockey News.  Oshie has dealt with concussion issues throughout his career and while the team didn’t call the injury that, they’re clearly taking a cautious approach with the 36-year-old.  It has been a particularly challenging year on the ice for Oshie, who has been limited to just one goal and one assist through his first 17 games of the season, numbers that are by far the worst of his career.  Oshie has one year left on his contract after this one which carries a $5.75MM AAV.

T.J. Oshie Leaves Game With Upper-Body Injury

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In a disappointing effort up to this point, the Washington Capitals received more bad news involving their forward core during their game against the Edmonton Oilers. The team announced that T.J. Oshie has left the game with an upper-body injury, and will not return to the ice.

Before he had left, Oshie had nine shifts during the game, playing in just under seven minutes, and scoring zero points. Much like the rest of the Capitals’ offense this season, Oshie has struggled immensely in generating any production whatsoever. In 16 games played, Oshie has scored one goal and one assist, considerably lower than his point production over the last several years.

Over the life of the eight-year, $46MM contract that Oshie signed before the start of the 2017-18 season, he has only managed to score 50 points in one year, having the rest of his seasons mired by injuries. Over 383 games played during this contract specifically, Oshie has scored a total of 122 goals and 133 assists which would be approximately 55 points a year over a full 82-game schedule if Oshie had remained healthy.

Oshie still has two years and $11.5MM remaining on the contract, which could quickly become the last that he signs in the National Hockey League. Once a receiver of Selke Trophy votes in multiple years, Oshie has seen both his Corsi For % and his On Ice Save % drop over his time with Washington.

It is unknown how severe the current injury sustained by Oshie is, but it was enough to relieve him of his duties for the rest of the evening. Over the next couple of days, the Capitals will give more clarity as to his short- and long-term status.

Kuznetsov Still Out With Illness

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Latest On Martin Fehérváry

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Washington Capitals defenseman Martin Fehérváry has returned to practice in a normal jersey, according to team reporter Tarik El-Bashir. This is an important development for both Fehérváry and the Capitals, as the defenseman has missed the team’s last three contests with a lower-body injury.

Fehérváry is a top-four defenseman in Washington, averaging 18:19 time-on-ice per game. He also takes regular shifts on head coach Spencer Carbery’s penalty kill. Should he be ready to return to the ice, he would need to be activated off of injured reserve. The Capitals currently have a full 23-man roster, so to activate Fehérváry a player may need to be sent to the AHL’s Hershey Bears.

Evgeny Kuznetsov Returns To Practice

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  • From one country’s capital to another, Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov returned to practice Monday morning, per Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. Kuznetsov was absent from the team’s Saturday game against the Blue Jackets and its preceding practice with an undisclosed illness. The Russian center is in the seventh season of an eight-year deal carrying a $7.8MM cap hit, and his offensive production is off to a mediocre start for a second straight season. Playing over 21 minutes per game, Kuznetsov has three goals and eight points in 14 contests in 2023-24.

Capitals Activate Joel Edmundson Off LTIR, Assign Dylan McIlrath To AHL

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The Capitals are set to welcome back one of their offseason acquisitions as they announced that they have activated defenseman Joel Edmundson off long-term injured reserve.  The previously reported activations of Anthony Mantha and Trevor van Riemsdyk were also confirmed.  In a corresponding move, Dylan McIlrath has been assigned to AHL Hershey.

Edmundson was acquired just as free agency was starting this summer, coming over in a trade from Montreal in exchange for a third-round pick and a seventh-round selection, both in 2024.  As part of the swap, the Canadiens held back half of Edmundson’s $3.5MM cap hit.

The 30-year-old suffered a hand injury early in training camp and has yet to play this season.  Staying healthy has been a challenge for Edmundson who has also battled back issues over the past couple of seasons.  Last year, he had 13 points along with 149 blocks and 112 hits in 61 games while averaging 19:34 of ice time and should push for a top four spot on Washington’s depth chart before too long.

Getting off to a strong start and staying healthy will certainly be important for Edmundson.  It’s a contract year so he’ll be looking to prove that he can be serviceable and durable as he gets set to test free agency in the summer.

As for McIlrath, he was recalled last Saturday and got into one game, suiting up for the Caps on Tuesday.  The 31-year-old has spent the bulk of the season with the Bears, picking up three assists and 23 penalty minutes in 11 games.

Capitals Loan Hardy Häman Aktell To AHL; Activate Two Off IR

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The Capitals assigned rookie defenseman Hardy Häman Aktell to the AHL’s Hershey Bears on Friday, per a team release.

Häman Aktell, 25, didn’t make the Capitals’ opening night roster this season after signing a one-year, $870K entry-level contract in free agency. However, the former Predators prospect earned a recall just a handful of days into the year after notching a goal in two games with AHL Hershey and has remained on the roster since. The Swedish two-way puck mover had a strong preseason but earned only a limited look at the NHL level during his call-up, notching an assist and a -2 rating in six contests while averaging 10:38 per game.

Washington opted to sign Häman Aktell in free agency after he won two Swedish Hockey League championships in the last three seasons with Växjö Lakers HC, finishing second on the team in points with 36 in 51 games last year. As he does not require waivers, he was a logical choice to take off the 23-man roster, with both Anthony Mantha and Trevor van Riemsdyk being activated from IR ahead of tomorrow’s game versus the Blue Jackets, per Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press.

Mantha, 29, had missed the past three games after taking a puck to the ear on November 8 against the Panthers and is projected to play a fourth-line role with Nic Dowd and Beck Malenstyn. Signed to a $5.7MM cap hit on an expiring deal, Mantha’s had another rough go of things to start 2023-24, recording just four points in ten games and seeing his ice time dip below 13 minutes per game. The 6-foot-5, 234-pound winger has played just 128 games with the Capitals since they acquired him via trade from the Red Wings three seasons ago, recording 62 points.

Meanwhile, van Riemsdyk is also returning to the 23-man roster after missing the past four contests with a lower-body injury sustained on November 4 against the Blue Jackets. The 32-year-old signed a three-year, $9MM extension to remain in D.C. last March and has one assist and a -1 rating through ten games, averaging 17:35 per contest. The nine-year veteran will form the right side of the team’s third pairing tomorrow with 2018 first-round pick Alexander Alexeyev on his left flank.

Martin Fehervary Close To Return

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At this morning’s practice before the team’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets tomorrow night, Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network reports that defenseman Martin Fehervary is doing some light skating for the Washington Capitals, but is not expected back for tomorrow’s game. Ferhervary has been out with a lower-body injury since the team’s win against the New Jersey Devils last week.

After an incredibly slow start through the team’s first five games of the regular season, the Capitals have turned things around dramatically, producing a 7-1-1 record since that time, moving up to second place in the Metropolitan Division. If the team hopes to continue the hot streak, they will need to sustain relative health through the end of the calendar year.

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