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Tom Wilson Undergoes Knee Surgery

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The Washington Capitals won’t have Tom Wilson for the start of the 2022-23 season. The team announced today that Wilson underwent a successful surgical procedure to reconstruct the torn ACL of his left knee. The current recovery timeline is set at six to eight months.

That would essentially rule Wilson out for all of training camp and the first month of the season at least, with the very real possibility of him missing a much bigger chunk of games. The seriousness of the surgery will also immediately draw speculation about Wilson’s effectiveness going forward, something that won’t be known for quite some time.

A player that is known for his power, speed, and physicality, Wilson has developed into quite an offensive threat for the Capitals. Selected 16th overall after scoring just nine goals in his draft season for the Plymouth Whalers, the 28-year-old forward now has three seasons with at least 21 goals and set a new career high of 52 points in 78 games this year.

He even scored on one of his three shifts against the Florida Panthers before exiting game one with an injury. Amazingly, Wilson actually skated with the team several times as the series continued–on what is now confirmed to be a torn ACL–but did not re-enter the lineup.

This news will come as a brutal blow to the Capitals as they try to reload for another Stanley Cup run in 2022-23. The team is already dealing with some uncertainty for Nicklas Backstrom as he deals with a serious hip injury and has an aging core led by Alex Ovechkin (36) and T.J. Oshie (35). While the Washington roster is still a good one, red flags are starting to wave.

For Wilson in particular, any loss of that full throttle speed and power could be devastating to his game. Always among the league leaders in hits, he has missed quite a few games throughout his career (even outside of the suspensions) and will now face a lengthy rehab.

MacLellan: Backstrom Continuing To Play Through Hip Injury In Its Current Form Not Sustainable

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Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom missed the first two months of the season with a hip injury and while he played the rest of the way, he wasn’t fully healthy.  Speaking to reporters at today’s end-of-season press conference, the veteran told reporters, including Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press, that his injured hip will never fully recover while GM Brian MacLellan indicated that Backstrom continuing to play through the injury in its current form will not be sustainable moving forward.  As a result, MacLellan indicated that the 34-year-old will be exploring his options.  The uncertainty surrounding Backstrom’s availability will make Washington’s offseason planning that much more difficult as a result.

Two Washington Capitals Defensemen Head To World Championship

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A pair of Washington Capitals defensemen are heading to Helsinki and Tampere, Finland, to participate in the 2022 IIHF World Championship. Youngster Martin Fehervary is joining Team Slovakia in Group A in Helsinki, while Michal Kempny will head to Team Czechia in Group B in Tampere.

Fehervary immediately becomes the only Slovak defenseman affiliated with an NHL team. While the team does also have projected 2022 top-five draft choice Simon Nemec, the team’s blue line is largely constructed of players from the Czech and Slovak Extraligas. Slovakia is off to a 1-1 start after defeating France 4-2 and losing to Germany 2-1. Their next game is tomorrow against the Canadians, a tough test for this squad.

The 22-year-old, who Washington selected 46th overall in 2018, forced his way into a full-time NHL role this season for the first time. Playing in 79 games, Fehervary worked his way up to the team’s top pairing alongside John Carlson, showing he could play against top competition. While neither his point totals (eight goals, nine assists, 17 points) nor his defensive metrics were particularly impressive, he did log some penalty-killing minutes as well and showed vast potential for improvement. The two-way defender will look at this tournament as a chance to continue his development on the international stage.

Kempny, now 31, got into only 15 games with the Capitals this season after missing all of 2020-21 with an injury to his Achilles tendon. He never found his way back into the lineup full-time, garnering a goal and assist in those 15 games, and spent 24 games with the AHL’s Hershey Bears. He will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He’ll join a Czech defense core highlighted by NHLers Filip Hronek, Radim Simek, and another projected top pick in 2022 in David Jiricek. Like the Slovaks, the Czechs have also split their opening games at the tournament, defeating Great Britain 5-1 before losing to Sweden 5-3.

Capitals Notes: Goaltending, Wilson, Laviolette

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Today was exit day for the Washington Capitals, and as part of that, Capitals GM Brian MacLellan spoke with the media. The biggest revelation coming from his media appearance regards the team’s goaltending situation, as he shed some light on how the team views their current tandem of goaltenders and what strategy they will take towards the position in the offseason. MacLellan said, as relayed by Samantha Pell of The Washington Post, that the team’s “top priority” regarding their goaltending is to acquire a veteran netminder. MacLellan also added that it’s “possible” that both of the team’s current goalies, Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek, (who are each eligible to become restricted free agents with arbitration rights) return next season, but that the priority is to add a veteran to the team.

Both Samsonov and Vanecek, who are 25 and 26 years old, respectively, had seasons to forget. For Vanecek, his regular season was solid (42 games played at a .908 save percentage) but he unraveled in the playoffs, not even making it to the end of game two before being pulled for Samsonov. Samsonov, on the flip side, had a poor regular season, posting only an .896 save percentage in 44 games. Although he did better in the playoffs (.912 in five games) he still failed to make the saves required for the Capitals to defeat the Florida Panthers. By virtue of both goalies needing a new contract, this offseason the Capitals are afforded the financial flexibility to choose a new direction in net. The Capitals intend on remaining competitive during the remaining years of Alex Ovechkin’s career, and MacLellan’s statements make it clear that the organization deems a veteran goaltender necessary to give their captain a chance at winning a second Stanley Cup. If their prior courtship of Marc-Andre Fleury is any indication, it seems MacLellan and the Capitals will be going fishing for a major addition to their crease this offseason.

Now, for some other notes regarding the Capitals:

  • Tom Wilson, one of the Capitals’ most important forwards, did not play very much in their short playoff run. He scored a goal but suffered a knee injury that MacLellan today said would have cost him the entirety of the Capitals’ playoff run, should they have made it into the next few rounds. Per Tom Gulitti of NHL.com, the team will make a decision in the next few days on whether Wilson needs surgery. Even with a potential surgery in mind, MacLellan did express optimism that Wilson would be ready to play by the start of next season. The Capitals rely on Wilson’s goal-scoring and physicality to win games, so if they want to hit the ground running for next season’s campaign getting Wilson back to full health will be a major priority for the team.
  • This season marks coach Peter Laviolette’s second behind the bench in Washington, and his combined 80-41-17 record over those two seasons is reflective of how well he has done in getting the most out of the Capitals’ players.  But despite that regular-season success, the Capitals have bowed out in the first round in both years of his tenure, and as a result, with Laviolette set to enter the final season of his contract, MacLellan was asked about Laviolette’s future in Washington. Per Gulitti, MacLellan made the point that he wanted to keep conversations regarding Laviolette’s contract situation private, but was complimentary about his coach’s work during this regular season and playoffs. While some more frustrated Capitals fans may want to see a change behind the bench after two straight early playoff exits, it seems that the organization has full faith in Laviolette being the right coach to bring the Capitals their second Stanley Cup.

Carl Hagelin’s Eye Injury Could Threaten Career

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Veteran forward Carl Hagelin was enjoying another solid season this year when suddenly it came to a screeching halt. The Washington Capitals winger suffered a mysterious eye injury at some point in early March, which was only disclosed once he underwent surgery on March 6. He was deemed out “indefinitely” and did not return this season. Speaking at the Capitals’ end of the year media availability today, Hagelin filled some of the gaps in his injury story and provided a glimpse into the future.

According to Hagelin, his eye injury was a “freak accident” that occurred in practice. A high stick caught him under the visor and hit him “right in the eyeball”. The incident ruptured the choroid in the back of his left eye, a collection of blood vessels responsible for the health of the eye. It has taken not one, but two surgeries to repair the injury. However, the repair is not complete. In fact, Hagelin states that he will never get full vision back in his eye and does not know how it will impact his attempt at a return next season.

Hagelin is signed through the 2022-23 season and hopes to honor that contract. He is optimistic that he can overcome his damaged vision and has been receiving support from Detroit Red Wings defenseman Marc Staal in his recovery. Staal, who was teammates with Hagelin with the New York Rangers, suffered a serious eye injury early in his career, but was able to return. Carl Soderberg is perhaps the greatest beacon of hope. The former NHLer suffered an even more serious injury to his left eye while still playing in Sweden early in his career. The injury required numerous surgeries over a months-long hospital stay and left Soderberg legally blind in that eye. Despite all that, Soderberg went on to have a full NHL career. Hagelin noted that he will learn from Staal and Soderberg, including copying their oversized visors if he does return, and hopes to find the same success in his recovery.

Washington Capitals Recall Pheonix Copley

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The Hershey Bears are out of the Calder Cup playoffs after losing on Monday to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, so the Washington Capitals are bringing up another goaltender. Pheonix Copley has been recalled to the NHL, while Hunter Shepard is officially assigned to the Bears, even though their season is over.

Copley, 30, will likely serve as the team’s emergency backup as they try to stave off elimination at home. The Capitals are down 3-2 in the series against the Florida Panthers and will try to force a game seven this evening, meaning any goaltending emergencies will be covered by a netminder with plenty of professional experience. Copley has 31 appearances in the NHL and was excellent for Hershey this year, posting a .913 save percentage in 35 regular season games.

Notably, Tom Wilson was back on the ice this morning for the Capitals as well, though he will not play tonight. The physical forward is dealing with a lower-body injury that has kept him out since game one when he saw just three shifts before exiting.

Joe Snively was also back with the group but he remains on long-term injured reserve for the time being.

Jamie Benn, Evgeny Kuznetsov Earn Fines

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The NHL Department of Player Safety has handed out a pair of fines today, sanctioning forwards Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars and Evgeny Kuznetsov of the Washington Capitals.

Benn earned a $5,000 fine, the maximum allowable under the league’s collective bargaining agreement, for high-sticking Calgary Flames forward Andrew Mangiapane in the Stars’ 4-2 win last night. The incident in question took place halfway through the second period. There was a scramble for the puck after a Jake Oettinger save, and Mangiapane, who was behind the net, was being held in place by Stars defenseman Ryan Suter. Benn appeared to poke Mangiapane’s face with his stick through the net, and although the incident was a bit difficult to see in the initial broadcast it was clear enough for the Department of Player Safety to fine Benn.

As for Kuznetsov, his fine is also for high sticking, with his victim being Panthers forward Noel Acciari. In his incident, which took place late in the first period, Kuznetsov and Acciari were engaged with one another in a typical after-whistle scrum, and in the incident, Kuznetsov raised his stick and hit the face of Acciari, an action that necessitates a fine.

In both of these instances, the player who was the victim of the infraction was not injured or subject to any major issues as a result of the fined actions. The actions that led to these fines were largely unnecessary and avoidable, so it’s likely that these punishments were handed down as a means of getting two star players to be more mindful of their after-whistle conduct.

 

Washington Capitals Reassign Brett Leason

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  • The Washington Capitals announced that they have reassigned forward Brett Leason to the Hershey Bears of the AHL. Leason has frequently transitioned between Washington and Hershey this season, drawing solid performances at both levels. The rookie did make his NHL playoff debut for the Capitals before being sent down. Because Leason was sent to the AHL on March 21st, he is eligible to play for the Hershey Bears in the Calder Cup playoffs.

Tom Wilson Out For Game Three

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  • The Capitals will be without winger Tom Wilson once again for their game this afternoon against Florida, notes Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press (Twitter link). Wilson suffered a lower-body injury in the opening period of the series back on Tuesday, a big loss for Washington with the 28-year-old coming off a career year offensively that saw him pot 24 goals and 28 assists in 78 games, good for fourth on the team in scoring.  There will be at least one lineup change for the Capitals, however, as Ilya Samsonov will start in goal for that one.

Washington Capitals Recall Hunter Shepard

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After the team’s 5-1 loss in game two against the Florida Panthers, increased attention has been paid to the goaltending situation of the Washington Capitals. Starter Vitek Vanecek struggled and was eventually given the hook by coach Pete Laviolette after two periods of play in that game. The Capitals have opted to make a move in net, albeit not the one many fans may have been expecting. The team announced today that they have recalled goaltender Hunter Shepard from the Hershey Bears.

This likely comes as a move to shore up their third goalie spot, given that they sent down goaltender Zachary Fucale yesterday. Shepard, 26, is an undrafted product who has shuffled between the Capitals’ AHL and ECHL affiliates this year. The former Minnesota-Duluth star has had a strong career in the Capitals’ organization since going pro after his 2019-20 campaign. His .917 save percentage in the ECHL this season is his lowest in any year as a professional, and albeit with limited action he has posted above a .920 save percentage in 21 ECHL games last season and nine AHL games this season. Despite that success, though, he was unable to get into more starts than the two goalies above him on the Capitals’ organizational depth chart-Fucale and Phoenix Copley, despite their .896 and .913 save percentages, respectively.

This move is unlikely to be of any major consequence for the Capitals barring any major injuries or extreme underperformance, but it is notable for the Hershey Bears. They are down 1-0 in their first-round best-of-three series against the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, and the swap of Fucale and Shepard indicates that the Capitals are willing to have a goalie lower on their organizational depth chart act as their third goalie on hand in order for the Bears to have the goaltending tandem that served them for most of their season.

 

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