Metropolitan Notes: Capitals Rookies, Oshie, Hunwick, Boychuk

One of the more thrilling moments for rookies in the NHL is when the team tells them to move out of the hotel and find a place of their own to live.  As Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post notes, the Capitals have told three of their four rookies just that as defensemen Madison Bowey and Christian Djoos, as well as center Chandler Stephenson, got the news that they’ll be sticking around for the foreseeable future with the big club.

Interestingly enough, the lone rookie who did not receive that notification is Jakub Vrana who has played in all but one of Washington’s games so far this season and sits fourth overall on the team with eight goals.  However, given that the Capitals have very limited cap room and Vrana remains exempt from waivers, perhaps they will look to send him back and forth a bit as the season progresses to free up a bit more space.

More from the Metropolitan Division:

• Still with the Capitals, winger T.J. Oshie resumed skating for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury on December 4th, reports Tarik El-Bashir of NBC Sports Washington. However, he has already been ruled out of their game on Monday as he did not make the trip to Brooklyn where they will play the Islanders; a team spokesperson told El-Bashir that Oshie remains listed as day-to-day.
• Although he joined the Penguins in free agency, defenseman Matt Hunwick had received an offer from his former team in Toronto, Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock told Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun. While Babcock didn’t specify what had been offered, his comments suggested the three-year term that Pittsburgh gave him was more than what Toronto was offering.  Hunwick has three goals and an assist with the Penguins this season while averaging slightly more ice time than he had in 2016-17 (18:27 versus 17:59).
• Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk is improving as he recovers from a lower-body injury sustained on Tuesday but his status remains questionable for Monday’s game against Washington, notes Newsday’s Arthur Staple. He has missed the last two games with the issue.