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Backstrom, Wilson, Orlov, Kuemper Skating; Fehervary, Alexeyev Not

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It’s been a tough season thus far for the Washington Capitals, who sit three points out of the New York Rangers and a Wild Card spot in the East and six points back of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes for a spot in the Metropolitan Division. No team will ever make excuses, however injuries have been unrelenting for Washington even before the puck dropped on the 2022-23 season. The organization expected a tough go of it early on without some of their stars and all things considered, 30 points in 29 games is not half bad. They’ll have to have a strong season the rest of the way to get into the postseason, but as of right now, injury updates look positive.

Earlier today, the Capitals placed defenseman Alexander Alexeyev and goaltender Darcy Kuemper on IR and recalled defensemen Lucas Johansen and Dylan McIlrath. For Kuemper, that’s not expected to be much of an issue, eligible to come off of IR as soon as Tuesday, and according to NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti, the netminder participated in the team’s morning skate today for the first time since suffering the injury. Also from Gulitti, veteran Dmitry Orlov, who has not played since November 5th due to a lower-body injury, also skated this morning. Perhaps the best news, even if nothing is imminent, is forwards Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson skated this morning in non-contact jerseys, traveling with the team on the road for the first time this season, which appears to be the norm going forward. Both core pieces of this generation’s Capitals squad, getting either back in the lineup would be a massive boost not only to on-ice production, but to off-ice morale too. Still, one bit of bad news, both Alexeyev and Martin Fehervary did not skate this morning, and fellow defenseman Erik Gustafsson left practice early, head coach Peter Laviolette telling Gulitti the Capitals and Gustafsson are “working through some things.”

  • The Winnipeg Jets will be without forward Saku Maenalanen and defenseman Logan Stanley when they take on the Capitals this evening says Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun. No update beyond that was given by associate coach Scott Arniel. Billeck adds that the Jets are trying to get an additional player called up from the Manitoba Moose to join the Jets at home this evening. Billeck adds the Moose, who actually share an arena with the Jets, are on their way to Calgary, however getting a player back from Calgary to Winnipeg by tonight shouldn’t be an issue. As for the injured players, Maenalanen has impressed in a depth role for the Jets this year, recording six points in 25 games, averaging 11:30 a night, his first NHL action since a stint with the Carolina Hurricanes back in 2018-19. Unfortunately for Stanley, who missed a-month-and-a-half, was able to play just two games after coming back before being forced out of the lineup once again.

Washington Capitals Place Alexeyev, Kuemper On IR; Recall Johansen, McIlrath

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11:28 am: According to NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti, the Capitals have indeed made those corresponding moves. Alexeyev, as well as goaltender Darcy Kuemper, have both been placed on IR. Kuemper’s IR placement shouldn’t come as too much of a concern, as it is retroactive to December 3rd, meaning he could come back as soon as Tuesday when the team is in Chicago to take on the Blackhawks.

10:44 am: The Washington Capitals announced they’ve recalled a pair of defensemen in that of Lucas Johansen and Dylan McIlrath from the Hershey Bears, their AHL affiliate. While no other corresponding moves were formally announced, the Capitals’ roster is already full at 23 players. The moves could signal an IR stint for defenseman Alexander Alexeyev, who suffered an upper-body injury in Friday night’s game against the Seattle Kraken. Despite being at 23 skaters, the Capitals had just six defenseman before the recalls, which included Alexeyev.

Notably, these two recalls seem to cap off a morning of defenseman shuffling in the Capitals organization. Earlier, the Hershey Bears announced they’ve recalled defenseman Martin Has from the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL. That recall came not only with Johansen and McIlrath’s recalls in mind, but after the Bears lost defenseman Bobby Nardella during the first period of last night’s game with an undisclosed injury. For Has, 21, he could have a chance to take the next step in his development after a solid start to this season in the ECHL with three points in 14 games. This is the defenseman’s first professional season in North America, spending last season with the Shawinigan Cataractes of the QMJHL.

Johansen, 25, is a former first-round pick of the Capitals back in 2016, but has played in just two NHL games to date, one in each of the last two seasons. He may not have hit the ceiling expected of him as a first-round selection however he has turned into a solid defenseman at the AHL level. Given Washington’s injury issues on defense this season, which include Alexeyev and Dmitry Orlov, both left-handed, the left-handed Johansen may get a chance to shine.

McIlrath, 30, is a longtime veteran of the AHL and NHL as well. The former 10th-overall pick back in 2010 to the New York Rangers, has played in 66 NHL games total, spread over six different seasons between the Rangers, Florida Panthers, and Detroit Red Wings. The veteran hasn’t played in the NHL since 2019-20, when he got into 16 games with Detroit. This is McIlrath’s second season with Hershey, recording just five assists in 22 games to start this season, but does have a respectable 36 penalty minutes in that span, playing the role of physical shutdown defenseman.

Interestingly, McIlrath did appear to have a two game NHL suspension awaiting him upon his recall. He had been suspended during the 2021 preseason for two preseason games and two regular season games, but hadn’t played in the NHL, during the regular season, since. However, as NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti reports, according to the Capitals organization, the NHL and NHLPA reached a settlement agreement this fall that allowed McIlrath’s two regular season games to be served during this preseason. Thus, McIlrath should be eligible to play tonight against the Winnipeg Jets, should Washington choose to dress him. Gulitti was also the first to raise the question about the suspension.

Tom Wilson Joins Capitals Practice

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Morning skate for the Washington Capitals was rather encouraging today, as several injured players were on the ice. Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic reports that Tom Wilson, Nicklas Backstrom, and Dmitry Orlov were all skating with their teammates, though none are ready to return just yet.

For Wilson, it’s the first time he’s joined the group since undergoing ACL surgery last spring. Coming off a career-best 24-goal, 52-point season, the physical winger is one of the most important players on the club, and has been sorely missed through the early part of the year. The Capitals are 12-12-4 on the year and have struggled to find much consistency from the lower half of their forward group, with Wilson, Backstrom, and Connor Brown all out.

Backstrom has joined the team a few times as he deals with his own rehab and is optimistic he will return at some point this season after hip surgery. There is no clear timeline for either player, but getting them around practice again will be sure to lift the team’s spirits, given how important a role they play on the ice and in the dressing room.

Orlov, meanwhile, has been out for more than a month with a lower-body injury. He too is coming off a career year, with 12 goals and 35 points, and had been averaging a ton of ice time through the early part of the season. If the Capitals are able to keep their head above water until they get these reinforcements back, they will still have a shot at the playoffs. As it stands right now, they are sixth in the Metropolitan Division, ahead of only the Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets.

Washington Capitals Recall Hunter Shepard

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After Darcy Kuemper was forced to leave the game for the Washington Capitals over the weekend, the team recalled Hunter Shepard from the AHL to serve as an extra goaltender. Kuemper is listed as day-to-day.

Shepard, 27, has never appeared in an NHL game and is only in his third season of professional hockey, but has been outstanding for the Capitals organization to this point. Starting in the ECHL, he dominated in 2020-21 for the South Carolina Stingrays, and went 3-0 during a short AHL stint. He was back in the ECHL for most of last season as well, but once again was outstanding whenever called up to the Hershey Bears, this time posting a .922 save percentage in nine appearances.

This year, as a full-time member of Hershey, he has a .932 in eight games, failing to lose a single one in regulation. Overall, since turning pro, Shepard has a .919 in the ECHL and a .934 in the AHL – not bad for an undrafted free agent goaltender who didn’t sign an NHL deal until he was 25.

Still, losing Kuemper for any length of time would leave the Capitals in a tough situation. Backup Charlie Lindgren has not been good this season, and the team is already struggling to stay relevant in the Metropolitan Division playoff race. Washington is 10-12-4 on the year and sit sixth in the division, having allowed 83 goals in 26 games.

Orlov Skating, Return Not Imminent; Kuemper, Fehervary Day-To-Day

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After a long period of sustained success, many expected that the Washington Capitals would have to take a step back sooner or later, and it appears that might be happening here in 2022-23. The team currently sits four points back of a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference after 26 games, nearly one-third of the season. There is room for optimism though, not just because there’s 56 games left in their season, but much of their struggle can be blamed on injury issues in the first part of the season. While some players have come back, some are still missing and there is, of course, plenty more opportunity for more injuries.

The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir spoke with Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette earlier this afternoon to get updates on a number of Washington injuries. On defenseman Martin Fehervary and goaltender Darcy Kuemper, who both sustained upper-body injuries last night in Calgary, Laviolette tells El-Bashir that both are considered day-to-day. As discussed earlier, this may necessitate a goalie recall from the Hershey Bears, Washington’s AHL affiliate, and El-Bashir later confirmed that Fehervary will not play tomorrow in Edmonton. Finally, on Dmirty Orlov, who’s missed 12 games, the defenseman did skate today with the other Capitals scratches, but is unlikely to play tomorrow, according to El-Bashir. Overall, this seems to be good news for the Capitals, Orlov perhaps inching closer, discussed earlier as well, with Fehervary and Kuemper seemingly not expected to miss too much time.

Hershey Bears Sign Justin Kapelmaster To PTO After Darcy Kuemper Suffers Upper-Body Injury

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  • The Hershey Bears, the AHL affiliate of the Washington Capitals, announced this afternoon that they’ve signed goaltender Justin Kapelmaster to a PTO ahead of their game today. Normally, we’d put this news in a Minor Transactions piece, however NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti makes an interesting observation with impact on the Capitals. As Gulitti writes, the PTO could mean that one of Hershey’s goaltenders is headed to Edmonton to meet the Capitals after starting netminder Darcy Kuemper left last night’s game with an upper-body injury. Washington currently has Zachary Fucale and Hunter Shepard under contract and playing for the Bears, along with Charlie Lindgren already on the NHL roster.

Capitals Notes: Trade Possibilities, Injury Updates, Miroshnichenko

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The Washington Capitals have not had the start to their season that they likely had in mind. Despite entering the season with the intention of being a serious contender, a 10-12-4 record to start the year has left the Capitals with more questions than answers. Washington GM Brian MacLellan spoke to the media yesterday to issue updates on the state of his team, and as part of that availability, he spoke on the possibility completing a significant trade in order to jump-start a climb in the standings.

As relayed by The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir, MacLellan said that the presence of Tom Wilson and Nicklas Backstrom on long-term injured reserve makes the possibility of a major deal highly unlikely. (subscription link) To use his exact words, MacLellan said:

To help our team you would have to add a high-end guy, top-six guy but they are $5 million, $6 million. You can’t add that player while you are bringing two guys back from LTI.

Some other notes regarding the Capitals:

  • As part of his comments to the media, MacLellan also issued updates on several injured Capitals players. MacLellan said that Backstrom was “progressing well,” but that there is no firm timeline on a return. He also said that the team will have a “better idea” on Wilson’s return by mid-December, and said that while Dmitry Orlov’s injury has “lingered on a lot longer than anyone anticipated,” he is nonetheless “headed in a positive direction.” For the Capitals to have any hope of Stanley Cup contention, getting Wilson, Orlov, and perhaps even Backstrom back onto the ice will be extremely important.
  • When the Capitals drafted dynamic Russian forward Ivan Miroshnichenko in the first round of the 2022 draft, some saw it as a risky move due to the uncertainty related to the forward’s recovery from Hodgkin Lymphoma. But thankfully all signs have been that Miroshinchenko’s recovery process has gone well, and today he took an important next step on his path to the NHL. Miroshnichenko made his KHL debut today, and while MacLellan did say that the forward is likely still “a few years” away from the NHL, this remains an undoubtedly positive development for all interested in seeing Miroshnichenko thrive.

Vancouver Canucks Recall Phillip Di Giuseppe

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Nov 30: With Mikheyev fully back in the fold, Vancouver returned Di Giuseppe to Abbotsford Wednesday night, per the team.

Nov 29: After opting to waive him over a month ago, the Vancouver Canucks are bringing forward Phillip Di Giuseppe back up to the NHL. General manager Patrik Allvin announced his recall from the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks Tuesday night.

Di Giuseppe comes to the NHL to potentially relieve Ilya Mikheyev, who could miss tonight’s game against the Washington Capitals with an illness. Both Di Giuseppe and Mikheyev were on the ice for warmups ahead of the game.

Now 29, Di Giuseppe is in his second year with the Canucks organization. He’s yet to score a goal this season in Abbotsford but does have five assists through seven games after approaching a point-per-game pace last season.

He has 201 games of NHL experience split between Carolina, Nashville, and the New York Rangers, and his a capable fourth-line plug-in when required.

As he has not spent more than 30 days on an NHL roster since clearing, Di Giuseppe will not require waivers again when the team opts to return him to Abbotsford.

Dan Belisle Passes Away At 85

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Former Detroit Red Wings front office member Dan Belisle has passed away at age 85. The team released a statement announcing his passing Wednesday night.

While his name may not be well-known across hockey circles now, Belisle helped put together one of the greatest modern-day dynasties we’ve seen in the turn-of-the-century Red Wings. While Belisle last served as an assistant coach for the Red Wings in 1987, he stayed on with the team’s front office as a pro scout. He was vital in adding players via free agency that bolstered the 1997, 1998, and 2002 Stanley Cup-winning teams.

Belisle was also the head coach of the Washington Capitals for 1978-79 and part of the 1979-80 season. He also suited up in four NHL games, all in 1960-61 with the New York Rangers, scoring two goals.

PHR sends its best wishes to the Belisle family during this time.

Dmitry Orlov Could Return On Road Trip

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  • Washington Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov could join the team on their current road trip, according to The Washington Post’s Samantha Pell, which lasts another five games and 11 days. The veteran defenseman suffered a lower-body injury prior to a game on November 7 and has been day-to-day since. One of six Capitals on injured reserve, Orlov had five assists through 13 games and his +3 rating remains tied for the best on the team.
  • According to a team tweet, the New Jersey Devils lost forward Nathan Bastian partway through last night’s game to an upper-body injury. Bastian left the game during the first period after taking a hit from Capitals forward T.J. Oshie. The 24-year-old is a good defensive presence in the bottom six and is an adept penalty killer. With no extra forwards on the active roster, the team will have to make a recall from AHL Utica if Bastian misses any time.

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