Washington Capitals Claim Matthew Phillips Off Waivers
The Washington Capitals have reclaimed forward Matthew Phillips off waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. After spending 18 days with the Penguins organization, Phillips will return to Washington.
Signing a one-year, $775K contract with the Capitals on July 2nd last summer, Phillips was looking for a fresh start with a new organization. Unable to make his way up the depth chart with the Calgary Flames, Phillips was able to crack Washington’s active roster after an impressive preseason performance.
In his first four games with the Capitals, Phillips got off to a quick start, scoring one goal and three points overall. Unfortunately, in his next 23 games for Washington, Phillips was only been able to muster two assists, leading to his placement on waivers by the team only a few weeks ago.
Only suiting up in three games for Pittsburgh, the Capitals will now have the ability to send Phillips down to their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, without having to place him back on waivers. As they attempt to defend their Calder Cup title, the Bears are well positioned to repeat, sitting in first place across the league in the AHL standings by a margin of 13 points.
Capitals Issue Multiple Injury Updates
The Capitals had multiple injury updates from Tuesday morning’s practice, per Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network. Namely, winger T.J. Oshie skated for the first time since sustaining a non-contact upper-body injury on Feb. 22 against the Lightning. The 37-year-old has missed five games and remains week to week, but signs are pointing toward the 2018 Stanley Cup champ coming off injured reserve before the end of the regular season.
Capitals Reassign Pierrick Dube
The Capitals have returned winger Pierrick Dube to the AHL’s Hershey Bears, per a team release issued Monday. The 23-year-old’s first NHL call-up ends after three games played over the last two weeks.
An undrafted free agent signed by the Caps last summer, Dubé has exploded to lead the league-dominating Bears with 24 goals in 50 games. GM Brian MacLellan nabbed his services with a two-year, entry-level contract worth $1.9MM.
The right-winger played three straight contests to close out February but was a healthy scratch in Washington’s last two games. The French youngster recorded a +1 rating, 2 PIMs, and three shots on goal, averaging 9:20 per game.
Dubé remains waiver-exempt and can be assigned to Hershey at the Capitals’ discretion. Assigning him to the minors leaves them with an open roster spot and $3.74MM in cap space. He’ll likely remain high on the list of call-up options for the Caps down the stretch run should injuries or trades force them to rely on their AHL depth.
He rejoins a Hershey squad that’s torn through the AHL this year with a 41-10-4 record, sitting in first place in the league. However, they’ve dropped their last two games by a score of 1-0 and could sorely use his offense to get back in the win column.
Capitals’ Evgeny Kuznetsov Clears Waivers, Loaned To AHL
3/3: Kuznetsov has officially cleared waivers and been loaned to the AHL’s Hershey Bears, per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, who shares that Kuznetsov is one of the league’s highest-salaried players of all time.
3/2: Earlier today, Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov was cleared to resume practicing with the team and has entered the follow-up phase of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, per a league announcement. However, he won’t be getting that opportunity as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that Washington has placed the veteran on waivers.
Notably, Kuznetsov has not been cleared to return to game action through the program yet which makes the timing of this placement a little surprising. The 31-year-old entered the Player Assistance Program last month and hadn’t been counting against Washington’s books since then; that will be changing and his $7.8MM AAV will soon be back on their books.
In his prime, Kuznetsov was a legitimate top-line center and even just two years ago, he was hanging around the point-per-game mark. However, his production dipped from 78 points to 55 points last season and this year, the drop-off has been even sharper. Despite seeing his average ice time go up from a year ago, Kuznetsov has been limited to just six goals and 11 assists in 43 games with Washington while logging a little under 19 minutes a night. Those numbers won’t be going up anytime soon as a result of this placement.
Kuznetsov has one year left on his contract after this one at that $7.8MM price tag so it’s hard to envision a scenario where he gets claimed. Assuming he clears waivers on Sunday at 1 PM CT, he can be assigned to AHL Hershey, a move that would free up a pro-rated $1.15MM in salary cap space.
Speaking with reporters following the placement including Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press (Twitter link), GM Brian MacLellan indicated that this move is about getting Kuznetsov a fresh start. With a waiver claim being unlikely, that fresh start will either have to come through a trade or buyout.
Washington could look to move Kuznetsov where they could retain up to 50% of his cap hit and salary, a move that might get them some takers as a low-risk flyer. If that doesn’t happen, buying Kuznetsov out would cost $3.8MM against the cap next season and $2MM in 2025-26. With the buyout charge and cost at 50% retention being pretty much the same for 2024-25, it wouldn’t be surprising to see MacLellan push to get something done on the trade front with the buyout being a last resort. Either way, it looks like Kuznetsov’s time with the Capitals is about to be over.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Dowd Resumes Skating As He Works His Way Back From UBI
- Capitals center Nic Dowd skated today in a non-contact jersey as he works his way back from an upper-body injury, relays NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link). The 33-year-old was injured a little less than two weeks ago and while he won’t play tomorrow against Arizona, he could return sometime next week. Dowd has eight goals and eight assists in 45 games so far this season while ranking second on the team in faceoffs taken.
Tom Wilson, Nick Jensen, Sonny Milano In Lineup Friday
- All three of the Capitals’ questionable players for tonight’s practically do-or-die game against the Flyers will be in the lineup, head coach Spencer Carbery said (via Tom Gulitti of NHL.com). Tom Wilson (personal leave), Nick Jensen (lower body), and Sonny Milano (illness) had all missed recent practices or games. Wilson returns to a top-line role alongside Alex Ovechkin while youngster Hendrix Lapierre gets a chance down the middle between them, while Milano, who’s struggled to stay healthy with 11 points in 27 games this year, occupies a second-line role alongside Max Pacioretty and Dylan Strome. Jensen returns to his normal role, anchoring the team’s second pairing behind John Carlson.
Capitals Sign Zac Funk To Entry-Level Contract
The Capitals have nabbed one of the top undrafted free agents hitting the market today, signing WHL leading goal-scorer Zac Funk to a three-year, entry-level deal. In a team release, the Capitals confirmed the contract will carry a cap hit of $810K, equivalent to his NHL salary, and $82.5K in the AHL.
Funk, 20, has exploded for 56 goals and 99 points in just 58 games with the Prince George Cougars, sitting third in the league in points behind Kraken prospect Jagger Firkus and Wild prospect and Prince George teammate Riley Heidt. The 6-foot, 209-lb Funk can play both wings and has NHL-ready size.
He’s unlikely to crack Washington’s NHL roster next season, but he will join one of the best minor-league franchises in the world in the AHL’s Hershey Bears. The defending Calder Cup champions are on a roll again in 2023-24, boasting a league-best 41-9-3 record.
Their success stems mainly from more veteran minor-leaguers. Still, they will likely continue to be staffed by top Capitals prospects Ivan Miroshnichenko and Vincent Iorio next season, giving Funk a solid core of young players to grow with.
Funk will be an RFA when his deal expires in 2027. He will require waivers after playing three professional seasons or skating in 80 NHL games, whichever comes first.
Washington Capitals Share Multiple Injury Updates
Washington Capitals team reporter Tarik El-Bashir with the Monumental Sports Network has shared a string of injury updates following the team’s Thursday morning skate. Per El-Bashir, Nick Jensen and Sonny Milano are expected to return to the lineup, recovering from a lower-body injury and illness respectively. The team also saw progress in Nic Dowd’s return from an upper-body injury and Martin Fehervary’s lower-body injury, though both players are set to remain out – as is veteran T.J. Oshie. Finally, Tom Wilson’s return is still undetermined, as he deals to personal matters. Washington’s next game is on Friday when they’ll host the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Capitals are being forced to stay flexible with their forward group while they grapple with the absences of four different players. This has given Michael Sgarbossa an extended look in the lineup, scoring four points in 11 games as a de facto injury fill-in. It’s the most Sgarbossa has played in the NHL since the 2016-17 season when he appeared in 29 games and scored seven points with the Florida Panthers. Sgarbossa has instead spent much of his career as a top AHL option, totaling 436 points in 574 career games. That includes six seasons and 262 games with the Hershey Bears.
Sonny Milano is also benefiting from an open lineup, likely set to take on a notable role quickly after his return. The 27-year-old winger has played in just 27 games this season, scoring 11 points. He missed nearly two months of action with an upper-body injury sustained in early December and has also lost games to being a healthy scratch at multiple points this season. Milano will battle with Aliaksei Protas and Beck Malenstyn for a role in the team’s top six, if they remain without Oshie on Friday.
Sonny Milano, Nic Dowd, Nick Jensen Return To Ice
After a loss to the Detroit Red Wings last night, the Washington Capitals should see the return of several players back into the lineup. Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network is reporting that Sonny Milano, Nic Dowd, and Nick Jensen have all returned to the ice for practice.
The return of Jensen from a lower-body injury adds to the team’s already above-average defensive depth, and may even make the team more comfortable moving out pending unrestricted free agent Joel Edmundson before the March 8th trade deadline. In regards to the return of Milano and Dowd, the Capitals will be able to return Michael Sgarbossa and Pierrick Dube to their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, where they have each spent most of the year up to this point.
In eight games leading up to last night’s loss, Washington began building some serious momentum toward a playoff berth, putting together a 5-1-2 record. After yesterday’s game, the Capitals are now six points back of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, with only three games remaining until the trade deadline.
- Blocking a total of five shots in last night’s game against the Capitals, Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider was in visible pain for much of the game. Heavily utilized by Detroit, Seider has averaged 22:14 minutes a night throughout this season, but would only play in about 18 minutes of yesterday’s contest. In positive news, the team announced that there is no injury concern for their top defenseman, and he will be good to go tomorrow.
Capitals Place T.J. Oshie On IR, Out Week To Week
Capitals winger T.J. Oshie has been placed on injured reserve and is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury, Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports. The move opens up the necessary roster spot to recall winger Ivan Miroshnichenko from AHL Hershey, which was announced by the team earlier Monday.
Oshie, 37, left Thursday’s game against the Lightning after a non-contact injury late in the third period. Initially suspected as a lower-body injury based on the way he fell, his injury designation has changed to upper-body, generating some concern the ailment could be related to the back issues that have hampered him over the past few years. While he’s only been ruled out of Washington’s next two contests, he’ll likely miss a significant chunk of time.
The Capitals have kept Oshie in a top-six role this season, but age is catching up to the veteran winger, and his production has dipped as a result. He was on a tear before the injury, with six points in his last six games, but that rush only brought him up to 10 goals and 18 points in 38 games on the season. He’s bounced around various line combinations this season, recording a middling CF% of 47.2 at even strength. However, he hasn’t graded out as a particularly strong possession player for a few years.
It’s still a tough break for the Capitals, who need all the help they can get to make up ground in the Eastern Conference playoff race. It’s even more concerning for Oshie’s long-term health, as he’s already missed two significant chunks of the season with upper- and lower-body injuries. The 2005 first-round pick of the Blues is four games short of 1,000 in his career and has one season remaining on his eight-year, $46MM extension signed with the Caps in 2017.
The Caps are eight points behind the Lightning with four games in hand for the last wild-card spot in the East, although they’ve only won four of their last 10 games. Their -31 goal differential is also third-worst in the conference, only ahead of the Canadiens and Blue Jackets.