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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.

 

Zach Fucale Re-Assigned To AHL

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  • The Washington Capitals, now at home for the next two games, have re-assigned Zach Fucale to the Hershey Bears. The AHL squad kicks off their first-round series this evening, while Washington doesn’t play again until tomorrow afternoon, meaning he could still serve as the emergency backup at that point. Fucale, 26, had a .896 save percentage in 31 appearances for the Bears this season.

14 Teams Face Bonus Overages For 2022-23

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In the flat cap world, nearly every team in the league is dealing with situations that require every last dollar under the ceiling. More than half the league was using long-term injured reserve relief at some point this season, a decision that sometimes comes with some attached risk. One of those risks is the performance bonuses from entry-level contracts, which can cause overage penalties if achieved by the end of the season, should the team not have the cap space to fit them in. Those penalties are then applied to the following season’s cap, meaning they have less room to work with moving forward.

CapFriendly has calculated the overage penalties for the entire league, finding 14 of 32 teams that will face them next year. Notably, these penalties lower the cap ceiling for a team and therefore cannot be covered up by going into long-term injured relief again. The penalties are as follows:

Carolina Hurricanes: $112,500
Chicago Blackhawks: $237,500
Colorado Avalanche: $25,000
Dallas Stars: $675,000
Edmonton Oilers: $896,000
Florida Panthers: $637,500
Los Angeles Kings: $637,500
Montreal Canadiens: $1,132,500
New York Islanders $245,796
Philadelphia Flyers: $295,000
St. Louis Blues: $1,000,000*
Toronto Maple Leafs: $212,500
Vancouver Canucks: $1,250,000
Washington Capitals: $100,000

*Can still increase

Details on how each number was reached can be found on CapFriendly’s Twitter thread but the vast majority are from Schedule A performance bonuses for time on ice and games played. While some would argue that it is worth the penalty, as it means a young player has been a strong contributor, it can also be quite impactful moving forward. The Oilers, for instance, are facing a cap charge of nearly $900K, significantly more than the league minimum salary. It could very well mean they aren’t able to carry the maximum of 23 skaters for at least parts of next season while they are still trying to compete, thanks to the bonuses owed to Evan Bouchard this year.

It’s the Islanders that are perhaps the most interesting case since they did not finish in LTIR relief and in fact, were more than $2MM under the $81.5MM ceiling at the end of the year. While most of the other bonuses were on entry-level contracts, theirs included games played bonuses for Zach Parise, Zdeno Chara, and Andy Greene. That means despite being well out of the race, the Islanders will have a little less room to work with next season.

The Blues meanwhile could still face an additional overage, as their penalty is based on the bonuses given to Tyler Bozak. He can still earn $100K if the Blues win the first round and another $150K if they win the second round, which each would also be applied to next year’s cap.

Tom Wilson Out For Game Two, Listed As Day-To-Day

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  • Tom Wilson is officially out for tonight’s game, but Washington Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette didn’t want to speculate on the big forward’s availability for game three when he spoke with reporters including Samantha Pell of the Washington Post. Wilson, who opened the scoring for Washington in game one before leaving early, is one of the hardest players in the league to replace, given his almost unique mix of size, aggression, skating ability, and skill. Brett Leason, who at least brings some of those things, will enter the lineup on the fourth line after being recalled this morning. Wilson is officially listed as day-to-day.

Washington Capitals Recall Brett Leason

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With the status of Tom Wilson still in question, the Washington Capitals have recalled a bit of size. Brett Leason is on his way up from the Hershey Bears, a meaningful recall, given the AHL team plays their own playoff game tomorrow night.

Leason, 23, played in 36 games this season for the Capitals, scoring three goals and adding six points. Perhaps more importantly, the winger stands 6’5″ and at least comes close to maintaining the level of physicality that Wilson brings every night. Selected in the second round just three years ago, Leason actually has three full seasons of professional experience already, and although still a rookie, is more seasoned than most.

Of course, Washington would certainly rather have Wilson in the lineup if possible. The team announced that he would be a game-time decision yesterday and are already carrying two extra forwards, but apparently needed an extra body as they head into game two with the Florida Panthers. After taking game one in stunning comeback fashion, Washington will have to continue to try and hold off the elite offense of the Panthers.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Tom Wilson Will Be Game-Time Decision For Game 2

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Washington Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette announced today that forward Tom Wilson is a game-time decision for tomorrow’s Game 2 against the Florida Panthers.

Wilson tried skating twice after originally leaving the game 7:47 into the first period after trying to hit Panthers defenseman MacKenzie Weegar but ultimately did not return. T.J. Oshie slid up the depth chart, taking Wilson’s place on the second line alongside Marcus Johansson and Nicklas Backstrom.

Washington jumped out to a surprise 1-0 lead in the series with an impressive 4-2 on the road against the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Panthers in Game 1 on Tuesday. Wilson played just 1:31 but still managed to draw a penalty and score the first goal of the game. Wilson’s playoff-suited game looked extremely strong before the injury, so the Capitals obviously hope he’s able to play tomorrow to boost their shot of taking a 2-0 series lead on the road.

Wilson had a career year this season, setting career-highs in goals (24), assists (28), points (52), +/- (13), and average time on ice (18:35).

Vincent Iorio Assigned To AHL

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The Washington Capitals have provided their AHL affiliate with a little bit more firepower, recalling Vincent Iorio to the Hershey Bears. Iorio had been playing with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL but was ousted from the playoffs on Sunday.

Selected 55th overall in 2021, the 19-year-old defenseman experienced a breakout season for Brandon this year. In 60 games he registered 11 goals and 44 points, numbers that eclipsed the totals from his first three WHL seasons. The puck-moving upside that made him such an interesting prospect has started to come more consistently and the points have followed.

With Hershey set to start their first-round series on Friday night, Iorio represents another option for head coach Scott Allan, and one he’ll likely become very familiar with in the coming years. While there’s still work to be done before the young defenseman reaches the NHL level, this season especially has proven that a future with the Capitals is definitely possible.

Despite joining the ranks of professional hockey, Iorio’s three-year entry-level contract will not kick in for this season. Instead, it will slide forward and keep him under wraps through 2024-25.

Washington Capitals Sign Bogdan Trineyev

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The Washington Capitals have finished a bit of business before starting their first-round playoff series, signing Bogdan Trineyev to a three-year entry-level contract. The deal will carry an average annual value of $859,167.

Trineyev, 20, was a fourth-round pick of the Avalanche in 2020 and has barely even played at the KHL level. He spent most of this season in the MHL with Dynamo Mosco, scoring 18 points in 21 games. Despite his lack of experience though, he was involved in this year’s KHL playoffs, where he recorded his first point at that level. A member of the 2020 Hlinka-Gretzky team that won gold, it will be interesting to see just what Trineyev can bring to the Capitals system, given how little professional action he has to this point.

There’s plenty of time for him to develop though, as Washington certainly isn’t rushing a prospect like this to NHL minutes. The team already has 13 forwards signed to one-way contracts for next season, with several youngsters in the mix on their entry-level deals. The team is always looking for some additional depth, but a young player like Trineyev will have time to establish himself, should he come to North America next season.

East Notes: Ekblad, Ovechkin, Maple Leafs

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Most people have forgotten that despite the Florida Panthers’ torrid pace over the past few months, defenseman Aaron Ekblad has been rehabbing a lower-body injury for about the past six weeks. Team head coach Andrew Brunette said today that Ekblad was a full participant in today’s practice and that the team remains hopeful he returns at some point during the First Round series against the Washington Capitals. There’s even a possibility Ekblad is ready to go for Game 1 on Tuesday night if all goes smoothly for him.

It’s likely just adding insult to injury at this point for Washington, who’ll now have to face the Presidents’ Trophy winner and the hottest team in the East with another added All-Star component in the lineup. Ekblad was playing nearly 25 minutes per game prior to his injury, notching 57 points in 61 games, which still has him at ninth in the NHL among defensemen despite the injury. He’ll slide right back into a nightmare top pairing for opponents with MacKenzie Weegar, who’s flourished in the no. 1 defenseman role since Ekblad’s injury.

  • Alex Ovechkin was a full participant at Capitals practice today, and AP’s Stephen Whyno reports it’s looking like he’ll dress for Game 1 against the Panthers. This is obviously an indescribable boost to Washington’s chances in this series, as they’ll need everyone firing on all cylinders in order to pull off one of the largest possible upsets in these playoffs. His 50 goals leads the time by a wide margin, and it looks like he’ll get a chance to add to his 71 career playoff goals and 135 career playoff points.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs got some mixed injury news at practice today. Ondrej Kase, who hasn’t played in six weeks, was a full participant in practice today and it appears he’ll be in the lineup for Game 1 tomorrow against the Tampa Bay Lightning. However, while Michael Bunting practiced for the first time since sustaining an injury against Tampa last week, he wasn’t a full participant and left practice halfway through. He’s extremely doubtful for Game 1.

Update On Alex Ovechkin

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  • Coach Peter Laviolette issued an update (relayed by Dan Rosen of NHL.com) on the status of Alex Ovechkin today. The Capitals’ captain has been out with an upper-body injury and did not play in the team’s season finale against the Rangers. But although he didn’t play in today’s game, it does seem that he is on track for a relatively soon return. Ovechkin skated this morning and had a “good day,” according to Laviolette, so it’s likely that he’ll be ready in time for the Capitals’ playoff series.

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