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Jakub Vrana

Capitals Activate Burakovsky From LTIR

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Andre Burakovsky, sidelined since February 9th with a hand injury, has been activated from LTIR by the Washington Capitals and is expected to be in the lineup tonight as the team travels to Tampa Bay to play the Lightning, reports Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post.

The 22-year-old winger was injured blocking a shot by Brendan Smith during a game against Detroit and has missed the last 15 contests as a result. On the season, Burakovsky has tallied 11 goals with 18 assists in 52 games while posting a +15 plus/minus rating. In 184 career regular season contests, the Capitals 2013 first-round pick has netted 37 goals and 89 points.

Burakovsky’s return was expected following the team’s reassignment of rookie forward Jakub Vrana to Hershey of the AHL. That transaction left the Capitals with just 11 healthy forwards and suggested that Burakovsky was on the verge of a return.

Vrana has appeared in 21 contests for Washington during his freshman campaign and has tallied three goals and three helpers. The 21-year-old winger was chosen in the first round of the 2014 entry draft by Washington and is considered to be one of the team’s top prospects. For now he heads to Hershey, where he will provide the Bears with an offensive jolt. In 36 AHL games this season, Vrana has 14 goals and 26 points and should help Hershey in their quest to lock up a playoff spot.

Morning Notes: Vrana, Burakovsky, Josephs

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The Hershey Bears are in a dog fight for a playoff position in the AHL, and they’re going to get some help. The Washington Capitals have sent Jakub Vrana back to Hershey where he will be a welcome addition for this weekend when they will play back-to-back-to-back games Friday through Sunday. With three teams tied at 77 points in the Atlantic Division, this weekend will mostly likely decide the Bears fate.

Vrana has spent this season split between the two clubs, scoring 26 goals in 36 games at the minor league level. The former 13th-overall pick has excellent scoring ability and has proven it since coming over from the Swedish leagues in 2015. Last spring, he contributed 14 points in 21 playoff games as the Bears went all the way to the Calder Cup finals.

  • Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press thinks that Vrana’s demotion means good things for Andre Burakovsky in regards to Saturday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Burakovsky has missed almost six weeks with a hand injury but is scheduled to rejoin practice fully today. The team will welcome him back, as they’ve lost five of their last six games and just barely hold their grip on the Metropolitan Division.
  • The Penguins have signed another college prospect, but this time to an AHL contract. Troy Josephs of Clarkson University has inked a minor league deal for the 2017-18 season, and will join the WBS Penguins on an amateur deal for the rest of this year. Josephs was a seventh-round pick of the Penguins back in 2013, but decided to head to Clarkson for the full four years. Now that he’s graduated, he’ll join the pro ranks and try to continue his scoring dominance. This year saw him score 20 goals and 33 points in just 37 games, playing often with Sam Vigneault, the newest Columbus Blue Jacket.
  • Carolina will send Lucas Wallmark back to the AHL after just three games. The 21-year old forward made his NHL debut this week, and even scored his first point. With 39 points in 59 games in his rookie year at the AHL level, the ’Canes look like they’ve found a gem in the fourth round. The 97th overall pick in 2014, he’s one of only two players from that round to register a point in the NHL—the other, Viktor Arvidsson, has 67, including 51 this season.

Minor Transactions: 02/28/17

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At the rate the NHL is going, there will be nothing left to do on trade deadline day but write about how good the Washington Capitals are. After acquiring the best player available in Kevin Shattenkirk, teams scramble to keep up with the best team in the league.

Stanislav Galiev On The Trade Block

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As predicted in our Washington Capitals Deadline Primer, the team is indeed ready to move on from young forward Stanislav Galiev. The Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan reports that the Russian winger is likely to be moved ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline this Wednesday. Galiev has 15 goals and 11 assists in 33 games with the AHL’s Hershey Bears this season, but has yet to earn a call-up to the Caps in 2016-17.

No one is doubting that Galiev is a skilled hockey player. The 25-year-old had 45 points in 67 games in the AHL in his first pro season in 2014-15 and then spent the entire season in Washington last year. However, he recorded just three assists in 24 NHL games in 2016-17. The Capitals did not want to use a roster spot on that production again this season and opted again to send Galiev back to Hersey, by way of clearing waivers. With the likes of Zachary Sanford and Jakub Vrana getting the bulk of the recalls this season, along with Washington’s astonishing streak of being healthy, Galiev has not had any opportunity to earn NHL minutes again.

Rather than frustrate the young forward any further and force him back to Russia, it sounds as if the Capitals’ brass had decided to move on from Galiev and get what they can for him. Unlike the Ottawa Senators and Curtis Lazar, it seems likely that Washington could simply settle on their best offer rather than wait to be blown away. Whether they trade Galiev straight up for a pick or prospect or throw him into a deal for a veteran forward or third-string goalie, it seems as if the young winger’s time with the Capitals is soon coming to a close.

Afternoon Transactions: Oilers, Hurricanes, Blues, Wild, Capitals

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Assorted transactions from around the NHL this afternoon:

  • The Oilers announced (via Twitter) that they have assigned defenseman Jordan Oesterle to the Bakersfield Condors. The 24-year-old was recalled to the NHL earlier this month. In two games with the Oilers this season, Oesterle hasn’t recorded a point, although he has compiled three goals and 15 assists in 26 AHL games.
  • The Hurricanes announced that they have recalled forward Phil Di Giuseppe from the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. The 23-year-old has recorded one goal and one assist in 18 games with the Hurricanes this season, and he’s collected 20 points in 33 games with the Checkers.
  • The Blues have assigned forward Kenny Agostino to the AHL, reports Norm Sanders of the Belleville News-Democrat (via Twitter). The former fifth-rounder has played in seven games with St. Louis this season, compiling one goal and two assists. In 48 AHL games, Agostino collected 18 goals and 42 assists.
  • The Wild announced that they have returned right winger Alex Tuch back to Iowa of the AHL.  Minnesota’s first round pick (18th overall) back in 2015 has played in six games with the big club this season, being held off the scoresheet while averaging 10:42 of ice time per night.  He’s having a strong rookie year at the minor league level though, scoring 12 goals and 13 assists in 36 games with Iowa.
  • The Capitals announced they assigned center Jakub Vrana to Hershey of the AHL.  He was recalled on Friday but didn’t play over the weekend.  The 20 year old has a goal and two assists in 12 games with the Capitals this season and has put up 25 points in 33 games with Hershey.  Washington is off until Wednesday and there’s a good chance they’ll recall Vrana before that time but they will save a bit of cap space in the meantime by sending him down for a few days.

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