- Capitals winger Sonny Milano will miss at least a week with an upper-body injury, relays Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 26-year-old has had a nice first season with Washington, picking up 11 goals and 21 assists in 58 games, a nice return on a league minimum contract. He has already signed a three-year extension that begins next season with a $1.9MM AAV.
Capitals Rumors
John Carlson Expected To Return For Washington Capitals
The time has come. After nearly half a season on injured reserve, John Carlson will be back in the Washington Capitals lineup tonight. To make room to activate him from LTIR, the Capitals have loaned Zachary Fucale and Gabriel Carlsson to the AHL.
Carlson missed 36 games after taking a Brenden Dillon slapshot to the head in late December. The veteran defenseman suffered a fractured skull, and was ruled out indefinitely. As the Capitals pointed out in their announcement today, things may have gone very differently had Carlson not been sidelined for so long.
In the 30 games he did play, the team went 18-10-2, a winning percentage that would have them securely in the playoff picture had it continued all year. Instead, the Capitals sit six points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final wildcard spot with just ten games to play.
While it isn’t over just yet, Washington essentially threw in the towel at the trade deadline, by sending Dmitry Orlov, Garnet Hathaway, Marcus Johansson, Erik Gustafsson, and Lars Eller to contending clubs in exchange for (mostly) draft picks. Carlson’s return likely won’t be enough to get them to the playoffs this season, but it will be good to see him back on the ice taking part in an NHL game after such a scary injury.
Unless he does something spectacular in the next few weeks, Carlson will likely miss the Norris Trophy ballot for the first time since 2017. He finished in the top 12 in each of the last five years, including a second-place spot in 2020. A full season in 2022-23 will be a huge step toward the Capitals’ returning to the postseason.
John Carlson Close To Returning
- Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic reports that John Carlson is close to returning for the Washington Capitals, but won’t play tonight. The injured defenseman was spotted in a regular jersey for the first time yesterday and is expected to make his long-awaited return this week. Carlson has been out since suffering a skull fracture back in December.
Evgeny Kuznetsov Injured Against Minnesota
- Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov was injured in today’s game against Minnesota. Roman Stubbs of the Washington Post relayed (Twitter link) that there was no word following the contest about how long he might be out. The 30-year-old has 12 goals and 39 assists in 70 games so far this season.
Darcy Kuemper Will Not Dress Today For Washington Capitals
Washington Post reporter Roman Stubbs is reporting that the Washington Capitals will be without starting netminder Darcy Kuemper today when they battle the Minnesota Wild. Kuemper left the Capitals practice yesterday with what is being called an upper body injury. He is now listed as day-to-day. Charlie Lindgren will start in Kuemper’s place.
This recent development is a tough break for the Washington Capitals as they currently sit five points back of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Capitals have just 12 games remaining on the season and need to scoop up every point they can if they want to leapfrog the Florida Panthers and the Penguins to grab the final wild card spot.
The Capitals were conservative sellers at the trade deadline after recognizing the precarious position they were in. Despite moving on from several players they have managed to tread water in the difficult Eastern Conference. Should Kuemper be out for any length of time one would have to think that the Capitals will be unlikely to qualify for the postseason.
Kuemper has had a challenging first year in Washington after signing a five-year contract in the offseason on the heels of a Stanley Cup run with the Colorado Avalanche. The Capitals had hopes that he could stabilize their goaltending situation after years of uncertainty between the pipes. Kuemper’s play has been uneven this season as his save percentage has dropped from .921 to .910, while his goals saved above expected has gone from 21 last season to just 7.9 this season. He’s been okay for the Capitals, but given the contract they handed out last summer, his play has been underwhelming.
Washington Capitals Recall Zachary Fucale
Following up on an earlier report from Tom Gulitti of the NHL announcing that Darcy Kuemper is out with an upper-body injury, the Washington Capitals have recalled goaltender Zachary Fucale from their AHL affiliate Hershey Bears. Fucale was last recalled to the Capitals on an emergency loan back in December of 2022, also filling in after Kuemper sustained an injury.
So far this season in the AHL, Fucale has managed to produce a record of 19-10-2, with a .899 SV% and a 2.57 GAA. Leading a Bears team that looks poised to make the playoffs, Fucale’s win totals are good for the sixth highest in the minor leagues. In his absence, goaltender Hunter Shepard will likely receive much of the starting minutes between the pipes.
Fucale’s only action in the NHL in his career came last year with the Capitals, posting a 1-1-1 record, with a .924 SV% and a 1.75 GAA. Famously, Fucale became the first goalie in team history to record a shutout in his first-ever start, stopping all 21 shots in the team’s victory against the Detroit Red Wings.
Darcy Kuemper Injured At Practice, Bogdan Trineyev Assigned To AHL
Capitals netminder Darcy Kuemper left practice early today after sustaining an upper-body injury, notes NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link). At this point, it’s unknown if he’ll be available to play on Sunday in Minnesota. If he does miss time, it will be the second time that the 32-year-old has been out with an injury this season as he missed eight games back in December. Despite that, Kuemper has had a decent first year with Washington, posting a 2.77 GAA with a .910 SV% and a league-high five shutouts in 48 starts. If Kuemper can’t play, Charlie Lindgren will take over as the interim starter for the Caps.
- Still with Washington, the Capitals have re-assigned forward Bogdan Trineyev from KHL Dynamo Moscow to AHL Hershey, per a team release. The 21-year-old had 13 points in 39 games during the regular season while adding a pair of assists in the KHL playoffs before being eliminated. Trineyev got into two games with Hershey in the playoffs last season and should have a chance to see more action with them this time around.
John Carlson Recovering From A Skull Fracture
Capitals defenseman John Carlson revealed to Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic (subscription link) that the upper-body injury that has kept him out close to three months was a small skull fracture above his right ear and a severed temporal artery. Back in January, his ear had to be partially reattached, likely due to that severed artery. The veteran has started skating and is believed to be targeting Thursday’s game against Chicago as a potential return date. Carlson’s absence has played a big role in Washington’s decline this season and while his suiting up won’t change their fortunes now, it’ll still be important for him to get back and show that he has indeed fully recovered.
Capitals Issue Updates On Nick Jensen, Sonny Milano
Washington Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette gave updates today on some of his injured players, noting that defenseman Nick Jensen will be a game-time decision tonight against the St. Louis Blues. He also mentioned that forward Sonny Milano will draw back into the lineup after missing two games with a non-COVID illness.
Washington Capitals Reassign Joe Snively
March 15: Two days later, the Capitals have returned Snively to the AHL. Ovechkin proved he was at full strength last night by taking home the first star and scoring career goal 817.
March 14: The Washington Capitals announced they have recalled Joe Snively from the Hershey Bears. The 5-foot-9 forward has split this season between the Capitals and Bears and looks to be getting another shot at the NHL lineup.
Signed by the Capitals in 2019 following an outstanding college career at Yale, Snively has played eight games with the Capitals this season, scoring one goal and three points. He has become a key contributor for the Bears where he has scored seven goals and 16 points in 20 games this season. The 27-year-old left winger scored 38 points in 35 AHL games in 2021-22 and had seven points in 12 NHL contests that season.
Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports this recall could have something to do with Sonny Milano missing practice yesterday due to an illness. If Milano is unable to play, it appears Snively could slide into the lineup to replace him. Alex Ovechkin also missed practice yesterday but that was just a maintenance day which usually means the player is still ready for game action.
The Capitals face the New York Rangers tonight and though they were sellers at the trade deadline, the Caps are just five points back of the final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference.