Capitals Reassign Michael Sgarbossa

Nov. 7: Washington sent Sgarbossa back to Hershey today, this time accompanied by a team announcement. That could indicate a more permanent demotion, potentially opening up a roster spot for Jakob Chychrun to come off injured reserve in the coming days.

Nov. 5: Sgarbossa is back up with the Caps today, per the AHL. It ended up being a temporary move to extend the veteran’s waiver-exempt period.

Nov. 4: The Capitals returned center Michael Sgarbossa to AHL Hershey on Monday, per the league’s transactions log.

Washington recalled the 32-year-old last week to give themselves another option in their bottom six. He played back-to-back games, posting a +1 rating and going 5-for-12 in the faceoff circle while averaging just 8:18 per game. He’d sat in the press box for their back-to-back contests against the Blue Jackets and Hurricanes over the weekend, though, suggesting he likely wasn’t going to stick around long-term.

Sgarbossa is now in his seventh season with the Capitals organization. He’s spent most of that time on assignment to AHL Hershey, where he’s been their leading scorer since the 2018-19 campaign with 246 points (87 G, 159 A) in 269 appearances. The Ontario native has also made 44 appearances with the Caps, scoring six goals and seven assists for 13 points with a +6 rating. He’d previously recorded 10 points in 48 games for the Avalanche, Ducks and Panthers before arriving in the District of Columbia.

The Capitals are left with an open roster spot after the demotion. They’ll likely use it for defenseman Matt Roy, who’s nearing a return from the lower-body injury that’s kept him out since the season opener and is almost ready to come off injured reserve. Roy was moved to IR last week to make room for Sgarbossa’s call-up.

Sgarbossa cleared waivers during the preseason. He can stay on the NHL roster for 23 more days or play in eight more NHL games before he requires waivers again to return to the minors.