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Injury Notes: Capitals, Terry, Seider, Soucy, Joshua

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After a loss to the Detroit Red Wings last night, the Washington Capitals should see the return of several players back into the lineup. Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network is reporting that Sonny Milano, Nic Dowd, and Nick Jensen have all returned to the ice for practice.

The return of Jensen from a lower-body injury adds to the team’s already above-average defensive depth, and may even make the team more comfortable moving out pending unrestricted free agent Joel Edmundson before the March 8th trade deadline. In regards to the return of Milano and Dowd, the Capitals will be able to return Michael Sgarbossa and Pierrick Dube to their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, where they have each spent most of the year up to this point.

In eight games leading up to last night’s loss, Washington began building some serious momentum toward a playoff berth, putting together a 5-1-2 record. After yesterday’s game, the Capitals are now six points back of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, with only three games remaining until the trade deadline.

Other injury notes:

  • According to Derek Lee of the Sporting Tribune, Anaheim Ducks forward Troy Terry was practicing today in a non-contact jersey and will travel with the team for their upcoming road game against the San Jose Sharks. Thankfully, Terry has only been out a total of four days, so it does not sound like the upper-body injury will keep him out of the lineup long-term. Enjoying a mildly healthier season than last year, Terry has skated in a total of 54 games for the Ducks this season, scoring 17 goals and 45 points in the process.
  • Blocking a total of five shots in last night’s game against the Capitals, Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider was in visible pain for much of the game. Heavily utilized by Detroit, Seider has averaged 22:14 minutes a night throughout this season, but would only play in about 18 minutes of yesterday’s contest. In positive news, the team announced that there is no injury concern for their top defenseman, and he will be good to go tomorrow.
  • In an update on a couple of injured members of the Vancouver Canucks, Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet reports that defenseman Carson Soucy will see the team doctor today, and that forward Dakota Joshua will see the team doctor later this week. In his first year with the organization, Soucy has seemingly been injured for much of the year, already having missed half the season with still 20 games to go. The team will be hoping for positive news coming out of the meeting with the team doctor, as the Canucks would like to get Soucy back into the lineup in preparation for the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Capitals Recall Hendrix Lapierre

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The Capitals summoned 2020 first-round pick Hendrix Lapierre from AHL Hershey on Friday, per a team release. Washington must open a roster spot to execute this recall, meaning either Nic Dowd or T.J. Oshie has likely been placed on IR. Dowd has been out for the last three days with an upper-body injury, while Oshie sustained a non-contact lower-body injury against the Lightning yesterday and is still undergoing evaluation, head coach Spencer Carbery said. Sammi Silber of The Hockey News reports that Dowd will be the one heading to IR, ruling him out of Washington’s next two games.

Lapierre, 22, skated in 25 games for the Capitals earlier this season, scoring twice and adding five assists with a -3 rating while averaging a paltry 9:34 per game. He’s been in Hershey for the last month, where he’s taken a leap forward in his development with 17 points in 21 on the AHL’s best team.

Viewed as a top prospect heading into the 2020 draft, serious injuries limited his draft stock and allowed him to slip out of the top 15. He’s rebounded nicely, averaging over a point-per-game in juniors after his draft and demonstrating linear growth with Hershey.

Lapierre is a projected scratch for tomorrow’s game against the Panthers, although he may slot into the lineup in a bottom-six role if the Capitals opt not to have another recent call-up, Pierrick Dubé, make his NHL debut.

The Gatineau, Québec, native remains waivers-exempt in the second season of his entry-level deal. He carries a cap hit of $863.3K and will be an RFA in 2025.

Snapshots: Perunovich, Fehervary, Dowd, Grant

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St. Louis Blues head coach Drew Bannister has named defenseman Scott Perunovich as a game-time decision for the team’s Thursday evening game against the New York Islanders, per team reporter Matthew DeFranks. Perunovich has been out since January 28th, nursing a lower-body injury that earned him a retroactive injured reserve placement earlier in the week. This season has marked Perunovich’s official rookie year in the NHL, although he did play in 19 games during the 2021-22 season. But persistent injury, including pre-season shoulder surgery, limited Perunovich to just 22 AHL games last season. He has 12 points, all assists, in 31 games this season. The scoring brings his career totals up to 18 points in 50 combined games, with Perunovich still searching for his first NHL goal.

Perunovich has undergone three different surgeries since the 2021-22 season. The constant rehab has kept him from fully finding his footing at the top level, though he’s flashed signs of strong potential. Perunovich won the NCCA’s Hobey Baker Memorial Award in the 2019-20 season, the league’s top honor. He earned the award after scoring four goals and 40 points in 34 games with the University of Minnesota-Duluth, serving in an all-purpose role for the Bulldogs that saw him play top-pair minutes, special teams, and forward at a few points in the season. Perunovich made his professional debut in the subsequent season and has since totaled 42 points across 39 AHL games, adding to his totals in the NHL. His return likely bumps Calle Rosen out of the lineup. Rosen has played in St. Louis’ last six games, recording just one point, taking over the role of sixth-man from Tyler Tucker.

The Blues will need to send one of Tucker or Rosen back to the minor leagues in order to activate Perunovich off of injured reserve. They could also send down extra forwards Sammy Blais or Nikita Alexandrov, if they prefer hanging on to extra defensive depth. That could be the case, as St. Louis is also down Justin Faulk, who was moved onto long-term injured reserve on Tuesday.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Washington Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary has been moved to injured reserve with a lower-body injury sustained in the team’s February 17th game. He was previously announced as week-to-week with the injury and will now be required to miss at least one week of action. Fehervary has appeared in 47 games this season, scoring two goals and 12 points while averaging roughly 19 minutes of action a night.
  • Fellow Washington Capital Nic Dowd is day-to-day with an upper-body injury and won’t travel with the team on their two-game road trip to Florida. His next opportunity to play will be Washington’s Monday matchup against the Ottawa Senators, per team reporter Bailey Johnson. Aliaksei Protas is expected to step into a center role in Dowd’s absence, with call-up Pierrick Dubé filling Protas’ role on the wing. Dubé, 23, will be making his NHL debut in Dowd’s absence. He has 24 goals and 34 points in 50 AHL games this season.
  • Veteran NHL forward Derek Grant has signed a one-year extension with the ZSC Lions of the National League, Switzerland’s top league. Grant, 33, is in his first season in Switzerland after not landing an NHL deal this summer. He has 13 goals and 30 points through his first 45 games in Switzerland. Grant spent the last 10 seasons in the NHL, playing with seven different organizations. He totaled 427 career games in that span, netting 57 goals and 132 points. His career-year came in 2021-22, when he scored a career-high 15 goals and 29 points in 71 games with the Anaheim Ducks.

Snapshots: Maple Leafs, Dowd, Harris, Broberg

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The Maple Leafs have shown interest in Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro and forward Luke Kunin, reports The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta.  It’s believed that Toronto doesn’t want to part with a first-round pick for a rental but Ferraro has two years left on his contract at a $3.25MM cap charge while Kunin is controllable for one more year if he’s tendered a $3MM qualifying offer.  Ferraro is logging nearly 23 minutes a night on San Jose’s back end and would certainly give Toronto a boost in their top four while Kunin has struggled offensively, scoring just eight times in 50 games so far.  With Toronto’s interest, it’s worth noting that cap space is quite tight at the moment and as things stand, they can’t afford the full contract of one of those players let alone both.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • The Capitals announced (Twitter link) that center Nic Dowd suffered an upper-body injury in tonight’s game against New Jersey. The 33-year-old has become a reliable bottom-six middleman in recent years and has 16 points through 45 games while taking the second-most faceoffs on the team.  Signed for another year at a $1.3MM price tag, Dowd has been a speculative trade candidate in a center market that is quite thin now.
  • Canadiens defenseman Jordan Harris has been cleared to return, notes RDS’ Luc Gelinas (Twitter link). The blueliner also confirmed that the upper-body injury he was dealing with was a concussion, the second of his career.  Harris has played in 31 games so far this season, picking up a goal and five assists while averaging a little over 17 minutes a night.
  • One of Edmonton’s possible trade chips is defenseman Philip Broberg. However, the blueliner hasn’t played in the last ten days and it appears as if he’ll be out for a little while longer as Ryan Holt, the broadcaster for their AHL affiliate, relays (Twitter link) that Broberg’s injury appears to be more of a week-to-week case.  The 22-year-old is in the final year of his entry-level deal and has 19 points in 29 games with the Condors but has been held off the scoresheet in ten games with the Oilers this season.

Capitals Make Multiple Roster Moves

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The Washington Capitals recalled winger Nicolas Aubé-Kubel and goaltender Hunter Shepard from the AHL’s Hershey Bears on Friday, per a team release. In two corresponding transactions, center Nic Dowd was activated from IR, while Anthony Mantha was placed on IR.

Aubé-Kubel, 27, could make his season debut tonight when the Capitals face the New Jersey Devils. As a winger, he’s a more direct replacement for Mantha, who will be out for at least one week after taking a puck to the ear in Wednesday’s game against the Florida Panthers.

The gritty forward was a surprise omission from the Capitals’ opening-night roster, passing through waivers unclaimed early in October. Washington signed him to a one-year, $1.225MM extension last March after claiming him off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs early in the 2022-23 season.

Aubé-Kubel provided solid depth production after the waiver claim in the nation’s capital, notching four goals and 12 points in 47 contests while averaging 11:39 per game. 2023-24 hasn’t been kind to the 2022 Stanley Cup champion, who has just three points in 11 games with AHL Hershey this season.

Shepard comes up without a clear injury designation to starter Darcy Kuemper or backup Charlie Lindgren, although Lindgren did not participate in an optional skate yesterday, per Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. The 28-year-old made one appearance for the Capitals earlier this season, stopping 18 of 22 shots for his first NHL win against the Devils on October 25.

He’s also off to a solid start with Hershey, recording a .910 SV% and a 4-1-0 record through five games. Shepard’s .914 SV% and three shutouts in 20 postseason games last year earned him the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy for the AHL’s Calder Cup Playoffs MVP, helping the Bears to a league championship.

Dowd will return tonight from an upper-body injury that’s kept him out since the team’s second game of the season, causing a nine-game absence. The veteran center did not record a point in two games this year but is coming off a career-best 13 goals and 25 points in 2022-23. The 33-year-old from Alabama is in the second season of a three-year contract with a $1.3MM AAV. 21-year-old Hendrix Lapierre seems a likely choice to sit after going pointless in four games this season, averaging just 7:28 per night.

The Capitals confirmed Thursday that Mantha would miss at least the next two games with an upper-body injury, meaning his move to IR is no surprise. Mantha, 29, had registered three goals and one assist through ten games.

Injury Notes: Capitals, Horvat, Forbort, Tuch

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The Washington Capitals have shared a slew of injury updates. Anthony Mantha, Joel Edmundson, and Trevor van Riemsdyk will all miss the team’s upcoming two-game road trip, while Nic Dowd’s availability is to be determined.

Mantha is facing an upper-body injury after taking a shot to the ear on Wednesday. Dowd and Edmundson (hand) are also listed with upper-body injuries, while van Riemsdyk has a lower-body injury.

Mantha and van Riemsdyk have both appeared in 10 games for the Capitals this season. Mantha has scored three goals and four points while averaging just under 13 minutes of ice time. He’s been the focus of a handful of conversations through the early season, facing a healthy scratching earlier in the year and continuing to appear in trade rumors. Mantha is in his third full season in Washington, where he’s totaled 62 points in 128 games. van Riemsdyk is also in his fourth year with the club, although he’s managed to carve out a bit more of a role with the club. The 32-year-old defenseman only has one point this season but recorded a career-high 23 points in 75 games last year. He’s continuing to serve in his modest role with the club this season, averaging 17 minutes of ice time.

Dowd has only played two games this year, while Edmundson has yet to make his Capitals debut, as both players are dealing with nagging ailments.

Other injury notes from around the league:

Washington Places Dowd On IR, Recall Lapierre

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The Washington Capitals have placed forward Nic Dowd on injured reserved and recalled 2020 First Round pick Hendrix Lapierre from the Hershey Bears. Dowd has been out since the team’s October 18th game with an upper-body injury and will now miss an additional week of action, at least.

And while Washington was able to fill in for Dowd’s injury, they are also anticipating Sonny Milano to miss action with illness. This means the team will need to recall one more forward to ice a full lineup, as they’re not currently carrying any extra forwards. One possible option for this recall could be top prospect Ivan Miroshnichenko, who garnered a lot of attention during Washington’s training camp but narrowly missed the mark for the roster. He has five points through his first seven career AHL games.

Lapierre’s recall is an enticing one for Capitals fans anticipating what the former 22nd-overall selection could become. His only NHL action came in the 2021-22 season when Lapierre played six games and scored one goal. Last season was his first full year of professional hockey, with the winger netting 15 goals and 30 points in 60 regular season games and three goals and six points in 20 playoff games. Lapierre has three points in six AHL games this year, continuing his modest minor-league scoring.

Aliaksei Protas has slotted into the lineup in place of Dowd, recording one assist in six NHL games while averaging just shy of nine minutes of ice time. The 22-year-old forward was drafted in the third round of the 2019 NHL Draft and has 97 career NHL Games under his belt, with 25 career points.

Nic Dowd Out With An Injury

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The Washington Capitals announced that center Nic Dowd wouldn’t dress for tonight’s game against the Ottawa Senators due to an upper-body injury. There is no information as to when Dowd suffered the injury, or how long the 33-year-old will be out of action. Dowd played over 15 minutes in Washington’s 3-2 shootout win over the Calgary Flames just two nights ago, although he did block seven shots in the Capitals first two games of the season.

Dowd missed practice yesterday in what the Capitals referred to as a maintenance day, he did suit up this morning for the team’s optional skate but didn’t dress for the game tonight.

Dowd has been a mainstay in Washington’s bottom six since signing with the team as a free agent in July 2018, however, he has dealt with multiple absences due to injury in nearly every season. Dowd did play in 65 games last season, his highest total since becoming a Capital. In those games, Dowd posted a career-high 13 goals and 25 points, while registering 61 blocked shots, also the most in his career.

While little is known about Dowd’s injury thus far, the Huntsville, Alabama native did have offseason core surgery and spoke during training camp about injuries becoming part of his reality as an aging NHLer. It’s also a reality the Capitals have had to deal with over the last two seasons as the second-oldest team in the NHL. Last year Washington had the fourth most man games lost due to injury and this season they could fare even worse if their current injury pattern continues. The Capitals are already without defenseman Joel Edmundson, goalie Charlie Lindgren and forward Max Pacioretty.

Oilers Notes: McLeod, Centers, Bouchard

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Kurt Leavins of The Edmonton Journal writes that he has been hearing that the Edmonton Oilers and restricted free-agent center Ryan McLeod were closing in on a new contract, but that the goalposts might have moved. What exactly that means is unclear and Leavins doesn’t speculate in the article, however, according to Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun, the Oilers have been trying to sign McLeod to a contract with a cap hit of around $2MM and with the arbitration ruling for Philipp Kurashev, they might be looking at a higher number. Kurashev received $2.25MM in his arbitration ruling and given McLeod’s track record he has a good case for a number north of that.

Couple that piece of information with the news that Leavins believes that the Oilers could be looking to bring in some centers on PTOs before training camp and it is a development that isn’t overly encouraging for Oilers fans. However, it doesn’t change the fact that McLeod and the Oilers are set to go to arbitration on August 4th and there are no guarantees of a higher salary for McLeod. He will be pencilled into the lineup once that ruling comes down, meaning there isn’t a threat of him not being signed.

McLeod hasn’t exactly set the world on fire in his first three seasons in the league, but this past season was his best thus far as he posted 11 goals and 12 assists in 57 games while posting a Corsi For % of 53.8%, meaning that the Oilers were controlling the puck more than half the time McLeod was on the ice. The 23-year-old has improved in every season since he started in the NHL and could be just scratching the surface of what he can be.

In other Oilers notes:

  • As mentioned above Leavins believes the Oilers are looking at improving their center depth, and while bringing in centers on a PTO is an option, Leavins also thinks that Edmonton will look at a possible in-season trade as another solution. The Oilers won’t have a ton of cap space (if any) after they sign their remaining restricted free agents, which is likely why Leavins mentions Jake Evans of the Montreal Canadiens and Nic Dowd of the Washington Capitals as possible targets. Dowd has two years left on his current deal at $1.3MM while Evans also has two years remaining and is owed $1.7MM in each of the next two years.
  • Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun writes that he believes the Oilers have dodged a bullet and he doesn’t expect an offer sheet to come this late in the off-season for restricted free-agent defenseman Evan Bouchard. That’s good news for Oilers fans, but it also isn’t all that surprising given the rarity in which offer sheets are utilized. Leavins wrote today that he believes the Oilers and Bouchard are close to a deal but doesn’t give any details. Given the Oilers tight cap situation it does seem highly likely that they will sign a bridge deal with their budding defenseman which could open the door for him to sign a very lucrative extension soon should he continue to quarterback the league’s best power play. Bouchard had eight goals and 32 assists this past season in 82 games, but just 13 of his 40 regular season points came with the man advantage. In the playoffs, it was a different story as Bouchard had four goals and 11 assists on the power play in just 12 playoff games.

Capitals Notes: Draft Rights, Fehervary, Dowd, Sandin

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Many NHL-drafted but unsigned players are set to become free agents today if they don’t sign within the next four hours. Today, The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir confirmed two Capitals prospects will hit the open market: Czech defenseman Martin Has and Canadian defender Dru Krebs.

Krebs, the brother of Buffalo Sabres forward Peyton Krebs, was selected in the sixth round of the 2021 NHL Draft. While he had a strong year in 2020-21 in limited action due to COVID, the 2021-22 campaign was nightmarish for him, finishing with just 19 points in 66 games with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers and a staggering -58 rating. He rebounded nicely this season, but the 20-year-old’s flaws displayed after his draft year likely signal an NHL future isn’t in the cards.

Has, 22, was a member of Washington’s 2019 draft class. The fifth-round pick played unsigned in the Capitals organization this year, registering 12 points in 50 games as a member of the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays.

  • Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan told reporters today that the team hasn’t begun speaking to pending restricted free agent defenseman Martin Fehervary about an extension yet, but “expects discussions to pick up soon.” Fehervary, Washington’s second-round pick in 2018, is coming off his entry-level deal. In his sophomore season with the Caps, the 23-year-old consistently played a top-four role and posted 16 points in 67 games.
  • MacLellan also said center Nic Dowd underwent core surgery recently, aiming to fix an ailment that was bugging him near the end of the season. Dowd is expected to recover in time for training camp in September. The 33-year-old bottom-six center has two seasons remaining at a cap hit of $1.3MM and is coming off a career-high 13 goals.
  • Lastly, in more positive news for Washington, MacLellan revealed the injury Swedish defenseman Rasmus Sandin sustained near the end of this year’s Men’s World Championship isn’t serious and carries no long-term concern. Sandin was electric for Washington after coming over from Toronto near the end of the season, posting 15 points in 19 games and averaging nearly 23 minutes per game. The 23-year-old former first-round pick will look to step into a consistent top-four role with the Caps next season, potentially alongside John Carlson.

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