The Capitals have recalled veteran center Michael Sgarbossa from AHL Hershey, per general manager Chris Patrick. Defenseman Matt Roy, absent since the season opener after sustaining a lower-body injury, was placed on injured reserve to open up a spot for Sgarbossa on the active roster.
The news doesn’t delay Roy’s return to the lineup – he’s been out for more than seven days so that he can come off IR at any time. In fact, the 29-year-old made a big step in his recovery today, as Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post relays he participated in practice wearing a non-contact jersey for the first time since exiting the lineup.
Signed to a six-year, $34.5MM deal in free agency, Roy logged a -2 rating and two shots on goal in 8:39 of ice time against the Devils back on Oct. 12. The Detroit native averaged 20:54 per game for the Kings last season, recording a career-high 20 assists with a +21 rating and 42 PIMs in 81 games. Washington brought in the 6’1″, 205-lb defender to serve as their No. 2 right-shot option behind John Carlson, replacing Nick Jensen, who the Caps traded to the Senators for Jakob Chychrun as part of a significant offseason remodel of their defense corps.
Meanwhile, Sgarbossa will likely draw in for Hendrix Lapierre, who has no points and a -5 rating in seven games this season, tomorrow against the Rangers, per Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. Sgarbossa, 32, has been with the Caps since the 2018-19 season, usually serving as a top-six fixture in the minors for AHL Hershey. He’s been a productive regular-season player, posting 249 points in 269 games since arriving there six years ago. However, he has barely played in postseason action the past few years as Hershey has marched to back-to-back Calder Cup championships.
After not seeing NHL ice in 2022-23, Sgarbossa played 25 games for the Capitals last season, his most since splitting the 2016-17 season between the Ducks and Panthers. He scored four goals and added three assists for seven points, averaging 10:58 per game and winning 46% of his draws. He’s appeared in 42 NHL contests for Washington over the past six years and 90 NHL games in total, making his big-league debut with the Avalanche back in 2012-13. He’s also spent time under contract with the Jets and Sharks but never got into an NHL game for either club.
Sgarobssa is off to a hot start for Hershey this season, posting a goal and eight assists in his first seven games. He had seven goals and 43 points in 44 games for the AHL club last season. He’s in the back half of a two-year, two-way deal that pays him a hefty $525K minor-league salary and is ticketed for unrestricted free agency next summer.