Capitals Announce Several Roster Moves
The Capitals will be without a key forward for the next little while. Head coach Spencer Carbery told reporters including Sammi Silber of The Hockey News that center Connor McMichael is out week-to-week due to an upper-body injury, keeping him out through next month’s Olympic break. The team subsequently announced that he has been placed on injured reserve and in a corresponding move, forward Bogdan Trineyev has been recalled from AHL Hershey. Additionally, goaltender Charlie Lindgren has also been placed on IR with netminder Garin Bjorklund also being recalled from Hershey.
The 25-year-old had played in all 55 games this season before today’s news. McMichael isn’t producing at the same level as he was last season when he had a career-best 26 goals and 57 points but he was on pace to set a new personal best in assists. Overall, he has eight goals and 23 assists while moving back to playing center regularly after spending most of last season on the wing.
This is certainly an important season for McMichael, who is in the final year of his bridge deal that carries a $2.1MM cap charge, a number that also serves as his qualifying offer. With arbitration rights for the first time, he’ll be looking to land a long-term contract so getting healthy and bouncing back for the stretch run will be crucial, especially with Washington on the outside looking in at a playoff spot.
Meanwhile, Silber also relays that defenseman Matt Roy remains listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury. He was also moved to injured reserve today, creating the roster opening to keep goaltender Clay Stevenson up with the team as they used their last 48-hour emergency goaltender exemption to bring him up on Thursday. Roy last suited up last Saturday, meaning that if the Caps backdated his placement, he’ll be eligible to be activated as soon as Tuesday when they’re set to take on the Islanders.
As for Trineyev, this is his third recall of the season. The 23-year-old got into two games with Washington during his first two stints and is still looking for his first career NHL point. However, he has done well with the Bears, notching nine goals and 12 assists in 32 games, putting him one point shy of last year’s total in 30 fewer games. That was enough to earn him a two-year extension from the Capitals earlier this month. Either he or Sonny Milano will take McMichael’s place in the lineup today versus Carolina.
When it comes to the goaltenders, Lindgren was able to get through Thursday’s game against Detroit but needed assistance to get off the ice following the shootout. While there’s no word on how long he’ll be out, the placement means he’ll be out until after the Olympic break. Through 18 games this season, Lindgren has struggled, putting up a 3.37 GAA along with a .884 SV%, both well below the league average.
With Logan Thompson’s availability for tonight also in question, Bjorklund will serve as insurance if Thompson is unable to suit up. The 23-year-old has split his season between Hershey and ECHL South Carolina. In 11 games with the former, he has a 3.43 GAA and a .879 SV%. However, his numbers in seven contests with the Stingrays are much better, checking in at 2.37 and .929, respectively.
Following these five roster moves, Washington’s roster now stands at the maximum of 23.
Capitals Notes: Milano, Free Agency, McMichael, Goaltending
After missing all but three games due to an upper-body injury sustained in November, it appears that Capitals winger Sonny Milano will be good to go for training camp. Speaking with reporters today at the end of development camp (video link), GM Chris Patrick indicated that the veteran is now ready to start going through his normal offseason regimen and that he is expected to participate in training camp. This comes six weeks after Patrick wasn’t sure if Milano would be available to start next season. Milano had 15 goals in 49 games back in 2023-24 and could be a useful depth scorer heading into 2025-26. He has one year left on his contract with a $1.9MM cap charge.
More notes from Patrick’s presser:
- While declining to say who he went after, Patrick noted that he tried to do something big to add to their roster but that it didn’t come to fruition. It doesn’t appear to be related to a lower offer than the player was looking for either, as Patrick said that “It didn’t come down to the money or the offer or the term or any of that. It was a player picking what he thought was the best situation both on and off the ice.” There was speculation that the Capitals were one of the finalists for winger Nikolaj Ehlers who ultimately accepted a six-year, $51MM contract with Carolina while Washington brought back Anthony Beauvillier on a two-year, $5.5MM pact soon after. In the meantime, he wouldn’t rule out signing another free agent but noted that there are some prospects who could make a push for a roster spot as well.
- After spending most of last season on the wing, Patrick suggested that Connor McMichael could get another opportunity to line up at center next season. The 24-year-old is a natural center but with Dylan Strome and Pierre-Luc Dubois on the top two lines, the decision was made to put McMichael on the wing over playing him on the third line. It’s unclear if Patrick’s suggestion means that they’ll try that this season or if one of the other two will start on the wing to see how McMichael fares down the middle in the top six. Speculatively, it feels like something they’ll experiment with in training camp. Entering the final year of his contract, McMichael’s value would be higher next summer if he’s able to stay at center for the full season.
- While AHL Hershey starter Hunter Shepard departed in free agency (signing with Ottawa), Patrick indicated that they won’t be bringing in a replacement for him to take over as the starter. Instead, Clay Stevenson will get that role moving forward. Stevenson posted a 2.94 GAA and a .888 SV% in 33 outings with the Bears in 2024-25. At the moment, he would partner with Garin Bjorklund, Mitch Gibson, or prospect Antoine Keller, who is under contract with Hershey but has yet to sign with Washington.
Jets And Capitals Reportedly Discussed A Connor McMichael Trade
When Washington acquired Pierre-Luc Dubois from Los Angeles earlier this summer, it pushed Connor McMichael down the Capitals’ center depth chart with Dylan Strome entrenched in the top spot. Accordingly, the Jets were among the teams to inquire about his services; Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press relays that there was chatter at the draft that the two sides discussed a McMichael swap.
Winnipeg tried several internal options to serve as their second center behind Mark Scheifele last season. When those didn’t pan out as planned, they moved a first-round pick to Montreal for Sean Monahan in the days leading up to the trade deadline. While Monahan certainly helped stabilize that spot, the Jets couldn’t retain him in unrestricted free agency as he ultimately inked a five-year, $27.5MM contract with Columbus.
GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has since been unable to fill that role so as things stand, the internal options from last season (Cole Perfetti, Vladislav Namestnikov, and even Adam Lowry moving up from the third line) remain the choices to play behind Scheifele. Accordingly, it’s fair to suggest that Winnipeg is still on the lookout for help down the middle.
McMichael would be an interesting target on that front. The 23-year-old was a first-round pick by the Capitals back in 2019, going 25th overall. After spending most of 2021-22 in the NHL (when Winnipeg head coach Scott Arniel was an assistant in Washington), McMichael spent most of 2022-23 in the minors with AHL Hershey before playing a full-time role with the Caps last season. He got into 80 games with them, picking up 18 goals and 15 assists in just under 16 minutes a night of playing time. McMichael struggled at the faceoff dot though, winning just 42.4% of his draws.
With two years left on a bridge deal at a $2.1MM price tag, McMichael is someone who could fit on Winnipeg’s books. The team currently has just over $5.8MM in cap space, per PuckPedia, with Perfetti currently being a restricted free agent. If they went with a bridge deal for him, they should be able to afford both of them without needing to make any corresponding move to clear money.
Having said that, while McMichael is a good fit for Winnipeg, it’s less clear as to why Washington would consider moving him. While Dubois and his $8.5MM price tag would get the early nod ahead of McMichael down the middle, both players have also spent time on the wing in the NHL. It’s quite conceivable that head coach Spencer Carbery could elect to put one of those two on the wing, ensuring that both play in the top six.
With the moves they’ve made this summer, ones that brought in Dubois, Andrew Mangiapane, Jakob Chychrun, and Matt Roy, it’s fair to say that GM Chris Patrick and Director of Hockey Operations Brian MacLellan envision the Capitals getting back to the playoffs so subtracting McMichael from their roster would run counter to that idea at this point of the summer. They sit well over the cap right now on paper but Nicklas Backstrom is expected to remain on LTIR while T.J. Oshie could land there as well which would get them back into compliance so they’re not in a spot where they necessarily need to free up cap space.
Back at the draft, free agency was approaching and there were several centers on the open market so a futures-based return could have worked in theory, knowing there were options about to become available to replace him. (Speculatively, Rutger McGroarty, who has been in plenty of trade speculation lately, could have been a fit in a trade at that time.) But those free agents have since landed elsewhere and there isn’t a great McMichael replacement remaining. Accordingly, it stands to reason that they’d want an NHL-level asset in return which could complicate things if discussions were to get rekindled.
With their second center position needing to be addressed again, Cheveldayoff and the Jets are undoubtedly considering all their options. McMichael would have been an interesting one back at the draft but now, a move involving him looks less feasible so they’ll likely have turned their focus elsewhere.
Capitals Re-Sign Connor McMichael
The Washington Capitals have re-signed forward Connor McMichael to a two-year, $4.2MM contract. The deal will carry an annual cap hit of $2.1MM. McMichael was Washington’s last restricted free agent after the team traded Beck Malenstyn to the Buffalo Sabres.
McMichael stood as Washington’s biggest hurdle this summer. He played in all 82 games this season, recording 18 goals and 33 points, successfully besting the meager 18 points, split evenly, that he managed as a rookie in the 2021-22 season. McMichael gapped the two NHL years with a Calder Cup-winning season with the Hershey Bears, scoring 39 points in 57 AHL games along the way.
McMichael was selected 25th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft, following a 72-point season with the OHL’s London Knights. He quickly vindicated the selection, potting 102 points in just 52 games in his last season in the OHL. But he hasn’t gotten off to the smash start at the pro level that many hoped for. Instead, he’s starting to slowly find his footing as a centerman capable of being leaned on down the lineup. He’s a flashy, high-energy forward when he finds his stride, though those moments can sometimes be few and far between. A two-year deal will give McMichael, who’s still just 23, a chance to further solidify his NHL standing and craft an argument for a raise when he becomes a restricted free agent in 2026.
Capitals Notes: Oshie, Backstrom, Extensions, Bear
Veteran forward T.J. Oshie told the media on Tuesday that he’ll need reassurance that injuries won’t be an issue before he decides on if he’ll play next season, shares Monumental Sports’ Tarik El-Bashir in a video of the press scrum (Twitter link). Oshie has one season remaining on the eight-year contract he signed with the Capitals in 2017. He was limited to just 56 games this season, bearing with a nagging back issue that ended his season a few weeks early last year. Oshie also shared that he broke his left hand on a hit from New York Ranger Matt Rempe in Game 3 and played through the injury in Game 4.
Back injuries late in a career always deserve extra care, as most veterans can attest to. So it makes sense that the 37-year-old Oshie could hesitate to push himself much more. He’s done it all throughout his 16-year NHL career, winning the 2018 Stanley Cup and representing America at one Olympic Games and three World Championships or World Cups. He polished off his résumé by reaching the 1,000-game mark this season, a feat he was eager to achieve. Oshie seems open to working his way back to full health, though Caps fans will have to hope he’s able to overcome his long battle with his back injury.
Other notes out of D.C.:
- Oshie’s fellow assistant captain Nicklas Backstrom is also facing injury questions next season, with general manager Brian MacLellan saying he expects Backstrom to remain on LTIR, per NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link). Backstrom attempted to come back from back from hip resurfacing surgery this past season, but only managed eight games before his hip issues flared back up. The hip injury has forced Backstrom out of 152 games over the last three seasons, including ending his 2022-23 season in January. The Capitals will continue to receive $9.2MM in LTIR relief with Backstrom remaining sidelined.
- MacLellan also shared that the team has engaged forwards Beck Malenstyn and Connor McMichael in extension conversations, per Sammi Silber of The Hockey News (Twitter link). Both McMichael and Malenstyn carved out daily roles this season, playing in 80 and 81 games and scoring 33 and 21 points respectively. While they rotated around the lineup, especially in response to Washington’s injury bug, both players found a home on the team’s third line. They’re each set to become restricted free agents on July 1st, coming off deals that paid them just above the league minimum. They’re not likely to cost too much more on new deals, though the Capitals will still have to be careful with the money they hand out, with just $6.685MM in projected cap space this summer.
- Capitals defenseman Ethan Bear has exited the NHLPA Player’s Assistance Program, per Silber (Twitter link). Bear entered the program in late March, missing out on Washington’s last 11 regular-season games. After recovering from shoulder surgery, Bear signed a two-year contract with Washington in late December. He’ll look to vindicate that deal and its $2.0625MM price tag with a strong return next season.
Snapshots: Diamond Sports, Sharks, McMichael, Jagr, Beaudin, Golden Knights
Diamond Sports Group has reached a deal with the 11 NHL teams it has regional broadcast rights for to televise their games through the end of this season, sports business reporter Daniel Kaplan reports (Twitter link). With that agreement being made through bankruptcy court, it stands to reason that those affected will not be receiving the full value of their contracts, some of which lasted until 2030. After this season, the broadcast rights for those teams will revert to the league with future plans uncertain at this point. However, Amazon has held discussions with some MLB teams that are in similar situations (regional rights with Diamond for this season and reverting to the league after) so it’s possible that they could look to hold talks about NHL rights as well. Detroit, Columbus, St. Louis, Anaheim, Carolina, Los Angeles, Tampa Bay, Florida, Nashville, Dallas, and Minnesota are the teams that will be impacted by this news.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- After missing last night’s game, Sharks defensemen Jan Rutta (illness) and Calen Addison (lower-body injury) were both feeling better today and could suit up Thursday versus Arizona, relays Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now (Twitter link). Rutta has five assists and 43 blocked shots in 26 games so far this season, his first with San Jose after being acquired from Pittsburgh. Addison, meanwhile, has picked a goal and five helpers in 19 games since being picked up last month in a trade with Minnesota.
- Before tonight’s game against the Islanders, the Capitals announced (Twitter link) that forward Connor McMichael was a late scratch due to an illness. Matthew Phillips took his place. McMichael is off to his best start, notching six goals and seven assists through his first 28 games; last season, he was limited to just six NHL contests, being held off the scoresheet.
- Veteran forward Jaromir Jagr has officially started his 36th professional season, playing in his first game of the year with Kladno in his native Czechia, the team he owns. The 51-year-old played nearly 14 minutes, picking up an assist. Jagr’s participation in that game will delay his Hockey Hall of Fame eligibility by another season.
- The Canadiens will loan defenseman Nicolas Beaudin to Team Canada for the upcoming Spengler Cup, reports BPM Sports Radio’s Anthony Marcotte (Twitter link). The 24-year-old played in the event on a loan last year as well. Beaudin, a 2018 first-round pick by Chicago, has been in and out of the lineup with AHL Laval this season, recording six assists in 13 games so far.
- The Golden Knights announced (Twitter link) that goaltender Logan Thompson is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. To get a second netminder on the roster for Thursday’s game against Carolina, Isaiah Saville was recalled from AHL Henderson. Thompson has posted a .904 SV% in his first 19 games this season for Vegas while Saville, who was just activated from SOIR recently, has a .950 mark in three games with the Silver Knights.
Capitals Assign Two, Recall McMichael And Protas
The Washington Capitals have loaned Ivan Miroshnichenko and Riley Sutter to the Hershey Bears of the AHL and recalled Connor McMichael and Aliaksei Protas to the NHL roster. These moves don’t come as a surprise, as Washington needed to first place Max Pacioretty onto long-term injured reserve before they could finalize their opening night roster.
Of note, Hardy Haman Aktell did not get recalled in this transaction; likely a result of Joel Edmundson not being placed on LTIR to start the season. This is a good sign that Edmundson may not be out for much longer, but Washington will be starting the season with 13 forwards and seven defensemen as a result.
These roster moves are headlined by a pair of former First Round picks – McMichael the 25th selection in 2019 and Miroshnichenko the 20th choice in 2022. McMichael joined the Capitals organization a year after his draft day, playing his rookie season in the AHL during the 2020-21 campaign and scoring 27 points in 33 games. Those were impressive enough numbers to earn McMichael a full-time spot on the NHL roster in 2021-22, although he only managed 18 points in 68 games and ultimately earned a demotion to the AHL for last season. On the other hand, Miroshnichenko is brand new to North American pros, coming over from Russia for Washington’s training camp this year. The 19-year-old has been the focus of a lot of scrutiny when it comes to how he was deployed in Russia – finding himself constantly moving back and forth between the country’s second-tier league and their U21 league, the VHL, and MHL respectively, over the last three seasons. His assignment to Hershey will not only represent his first taste of professional hockey overseas, but it should also provide much-needed roster stability. Miroshnichenko was a highly-regarded prospect in his draft year, so attention will undoubtedly be on him as he begins working toward an NHL role.
Snapshots: Ehlers, Arizona, Anaheim, Washington
Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers will be healthy for the team’s opening game against the Calgary Flames. The star has been dealing with neck spasms and wore a non-contact jersey through part of training camp. Ehlers missed multiple pre-season games, calling into question his availability for opening night, although it seems he’s mounted a recovery in the second half of camp.
Ehlers has had a closer relationship with injured reserve in recent years, spending six weeks on the list with a hernia last season. He scored 38 points in the 45 games he did appear in during the 2022-23 season. This was a 69-point scoring pace, which would have been the most points of Ehlers’ eight-year NHL career. His career totals are up to 523 games, 176 goals, and 396 points. His scoring is an important attribute of Winnipeg’s top-six. The team will hope he’s moved on from his injury bug as he suits up for the start of their 2023-24 campaign.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Arizona Coyotes have shifted some players around as they trim down to a final NHL roster. Michael Kesselring, Victor Soderstrom, Vladislav Kolyachonok, and Zach Sanford have all been assigned to Tuscon in the AHL.
- Anaheim has assigned Andrew Agozzino and Alex Stalock, both NHL veterans, to their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls.
- The Washington Capitals have made a series of moves, assigning Max Pacioretty to long-term injured reserve, Joel Edmundson to injured reserve, and Hardy Haman Aktell, Aliaksei Protas, and Connor McMichael to Hershey in the AHL. They have also recalled Riley Sutter to the NHL roster.
Morning Notes: Hershey, Walsh, MacKenzie
Many on the East Coast woke up this morning to the news that the AHL’s Hershey Bears emerged victorious as the champions of the 2023 Calder Cup, outlasting the expansion Coachella Valley Firebirds on the road in a Game 7 overtime win. The Washington Capitals affiliate captured their league-record 12th championship thanks to the efforts of alternate captain and AHL veteran Mike Vecchione, who did get one game with the Caps in 2021-22.
It was a strong postseason for a few of Capitals prospects – namely 2019 first-round pick Connor McMichael, who led the team with six goals in 20 games. It was the team’s depth that carried them through the many tribulations a postseason brings, though, with seven players recording 10 or more points. 27-year-old Hunter Shepard, who excelled in his first full AHL campaign after signing with Hershey in 2020, won MVP honors after posting a 2.27 goals-against average, .914 save percentage, three shutouts, and a 14-6-0 record in 20 playoff games.
More from the hockey news cycle this morning:
- New Jersey Devils restricted free agent defenseman Reilly Walsh is set to lose his waiver-exempt status next season after three strong campaigns in the minors. In an interview with NJ.com’s Ryan Novozinsky, Devils assistant general manager Dan MacKinnon revealed the team is preparing to lose Walsh, either via trade early in the season or a possible waiver claim. A third-round pick of the team in 2017, Walsh has recorded back-to-back 40-plus point seasons with the AHL’s Utica Comets and notched an assist in his lone NHL appearance in 2021-22. With a logjam of elite defense prospects in the Devils organization that includes Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec, though, there isn’t a clear path to sustained NHL time for Walsh.
- The Nashville Predators have hired Derek MacKenzie as an assistant coach, the team said this morning. MacKenzie had previously worked with new Predators head coach Andrew Brunette for a three-year period with the Florida Panthers, concluding with a President’s Trophy win in 2021-22 with Brunette as head coach. MacKenzie had spent the 2022-23 campaign as head coach of the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves after the Panthers revamped their coaching staff last offseason, where he guided prospects such as forward Quentin Musty (who could be available with Nashville’s first-round selections) to high-end seasons.
Washington Capitals Loan Connor McMichael To AHL
The Washington Capitals announced they have loaned young forward Connor McMichael to the Hershey Bears, their AHL affiliate. No corresponding move was made. Of note, however, is that T..J. Oshie, who is currently on IR with a lower-body injury, was seen warming up at Capitals practice this morning in a regular jersey, as opposed to the non-contact jersey he had been wearing, according to NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. The Washington Post’s Samantha Pell suggests that not only Oshie, but also defenseman Dmitry Orlov could be ready for a return to action. Should both activated, the Capitals would have to send another player down. Washington next plays on Wednesday night at home against the Philadelphia Flyers.
The choice to loan McMichael to Hershey, especially if it is in fact to make room for Oshie, does make good sense. For one, McMichael, unlike many of his Capitals teammates, is exempt from waivers. On top of that, the forward hasn’t played much this season despite being healthy, getting into just six of the team’s 20 games to date. Having been considered one of Washington’s top prospects since they drafted him 25th overall in 2019, McMichael hasn’t been able to truly take the next step in his development as an NHLer, recording just 18 points in 75 career games.
Sending McMichael down today also makes sense for Washington with Hershey set to take on the Hartford Wolf Pack this afternoon at home. Although the Ontario native has already shown he can handle AHL hockey, putting up 27 points in 33 games in his only appearance back in 2020-21, the trip back to Hershey may simply be an opportunity for McMichael to skate in every game and receive important minutes in the process, something he had not been getting with Washington, as the NHL club looks to dig out of an early hole in the standings.