Capitals Sign Bogdan Trineyev To Two-Year Extension
Earlier this season, Capitals winger Bogdan Trineyev made his NHL debut. Between that and a solid showing in the minors, he has shown enough to earn a longer look from the team. The Caps announced that they’ve inked the winger to a two-year, $1.8MM contract extension. The deal will be a two-way deal in 2026-27, paying $850K in the NHL and $225K in the minors before converting to a one-way salary of $950K for the 2027-28 campaign.
The 23-year-old was a fourth-round pick by Washington back in 2020, going 117th overall. It took until the 2022-23 campaign for him to become a full-time player in the KHL when he was in the first season of his entry-level deal. Trineyev managed just two goals and 11 assists in 39 games with Dynamo Moskva but he has been a bit more productive offensively since making the jump to North America full-time for the 2023-24 campaign.
That year with AHL Hershey, Trineyev had 16 points in 63 contests before upping his output to 22 points in 62 games last season before adding seven more in eight playoff outings. That was enough to earn him a one-year, two-way deal for this season and he has made the most of it. Trineyev has played in 30 games so far for the Bears in 2025-26, picking up nine goals and 11 assists while already setting a new personal best in the latter category. That earned him a two-game stint with Washington last month although he’s still looking for his first NHL point.
Assuming that Trineyev gets into 78 more NHL games between now and the end of the 2027-28 season, he will remain eligible for restricted free agency with salary arbitration rights. If he doesn’t get into that many outings at the top level, he will instead become eligible for Group Six unrestricted free agency at that time.
Washington Capitals Activate Tom Wilson
According to Sammi Silber of DC Backcheck, the Washington Capitals have activated forward Tom Wilson from the injured reserve. Additionally, Silber shared that the team has reassigned forward Ivan Miroshnichenko to the AHL’s Hershey Bears in a corresponding roster move.
Wilson’s return has been a long time coming for the Capitals. He has resumed skating for the last several days, but Washington’s medical staff was unwilling to give a green light for his return until now.
The former Stanley Cup champion had been nursing a lower-body injury since the beginning of January. In a game against the Chicago Blackhawks, Wilson fell awkwardly into the boards after being on the receiving end of a reverse hit from defenseman Connor Murphy, seemingly hurting his ankle in the process.
Washington will warmly welcome back their leading scorer this season. Named to Team Canada for the upcoming Winter Olympics, Wilson has scored 22 goals and 42 points in 41 games for the Capitals this season with a +20 rating.
Although there is an argument for defenseman Jakob Chychrun, Wilson has been the Capitals’ most complete player this season. Besides being tied with Alex Ovechkin for the team lead in scoring, Wilson is leading Washington in hits (110) and CorsiFor% at even strength (56.8%).
Meanwhile, Miroshnichenko, 21, will return to a familiar place. The former first-round pick was originally recalled five days ago. He appeared in two games for the Capitals over that stretch, going scoreless with a +1 rating, averaging 11:16 of ice time per game.
Outside of a few appearances in the NHL this year, Miroshnichenko has continued his streak of quality play in the AHL. He’s currently eighth on the Bears in scoring with six goals and 16 points in 20 games.
Capitals Have Started Extension Talks With John Carlson
Heading into the season, the Capitals weren’t planning on holding extension talks right away with their longest-tenured blueliner, John Carlson. The thought was that both sides would see how things go at the start and reassess from there.
It appears those assessments have been completed. Speaking at Friday’s press conference (video link), GM Chris Patrick indicated that he has had some discussions with Carlson and his agent about the possibility of sticking around beyond this season and that those talks will continue.
The 36-year-old has spent his entire 17-year NHL career with Washington, who drafted him 27th overall back in 2008. In his prime, he reached the 70-point mark three times, topped by a 75-point effort in 2019-20 that saw him finish as the runner-up in Norris Trophy voting. While his eight-year, $64MM contract looked expensive at the time, it’s fair to say that it has aged rather well for the Caps.
In recent years, his offensive numbers have dipped a bit but he still entered this season coming off back-to-back years of more than 50 points. Still, with Jakob Chychrun beginning the first season of his eight-year, $72MM pact, it felt like the torch was being passed and that Chychrun would take over from Carlson as the undisputed top defender.
That hasn’t entirely happened, however. While Chychrun already has 15 goals (second-most among NHL rearguards), Carlson is actually three points ahead of him with 36. Meanwhile, Carlson is still second on the team in playing time at just under 23 minutes a night and still plays a key role on both special teams units. He may not be the player he was in his prime but he’s showing that he’s still an impactful defender.
But given his age, it’s fair to wonder how much longer that will be the case. Carlson has a lot of mileage under his belt (1,269 NHL games between the regular season and playoffs with heavy usage) and it’s unlikely he will sustain playing at a top-pairing level well into his next deal. Accordingly, even with a rising cap and a rather thin list of pending unrestricted free agent defensemen, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Patrick trying to get Carlson to sign below his current price tag. This is one of those situations where adding years could get the AAV to a more reasonable amount but would also carry more risk toward the back end of the deal.
The Capitals have ample cap space heading into next summer with $36.5MM in projected room, per PuckPedia. A big chunk of that comes from Carlson and Alex Ovechkin’s expiring deals so there’s a path for Patrick to reshape his core or keep it together. While Ovechkin isn’t ready to decide on his future yet, it appears Patrick intends to keep his veteran group intact with these efforts to get Carlson extended.
Capitals Reassign Brett Leason, Activate Justin Sourdif
Jan. 19th: According to Sammi Silber of DC Backcheck, Sourdif will be the one coming off the IR for today’s game against the Colorado Avalanche. Sourdif was informally placed on IR on January 16th, but has not played since January 11th after taking a puck to the face.
Jan. 18th: The Washington Capitals announced today that forward Brett Leason has been reassigned to their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears.
The move opens a roster spot for the Capitals, a notable development as the team has three forwards on IR who would need to be activated before they can return to the lineup: Tom Wilson, Justin Sourdif, and Pierre-Luc Dubois. Dubois is expected to be out long-term, but Wilson or Sourdif could return on a shorter timeline.
The Washington Post’s Bailey Johnson wrote that Leason’s reassignment is a “good indication” that Wilson “is getting close to returning,” perhaps as soon as Monday against the Colorado Avalanche.
While Wilson’s impending return is undoubtedly good news for the Capitals — the 31-year-old has scored 22 goals and 42 points in 41 games this season, and was named to Canada’s Olympic roster — it’s more difficult news for Leason, whose most recent stint in the NHL has now concluded.
Leason, 26, was recalled on Jan. 7 and ended up playing in six games for the Capitals. While he wasn’t able to land on the scoresheet, his size and heft (he stands 6’5″, 220 pounds) earned him a small amount of power play time in three separate contests.
It’s not the most common occurrence for bottom-six call-ups to get any look on an NHL power play, so Leason at the very least got a more significant opportunity than many other players in similar situations.
In total, Leason averaged 8:34 time on ice per game, registering 10 hits in six games, but just one shot on goal. Washington went 2-4-0 with Leason in the lineup. He’ll now return to Hershey, the team where he made his professional debut as a second-round pick in 2019-20.
Leason has scored a healthy 14 points in 20 games for the Bears, a solid scoring rate and one to be expected for a player who has mostly played in the NHL over the last few years. Washington lost Leason on waivers to the Anaheim Ducks in 2022, and Leason went on to skate in 184 NHL games for the Ducks.
The Ducks non-tendered Leason after he scored 17 points in 62 games last season, leading to the player’s return to the Capitals organization. Leason signed with Washington on Oct. 27 after spending the preseason on a PTO with the Minnesota Wild and a brief stint on an AHL PTO with the Charlotte Checkers.
This year is a significant one for the pending UFA, especially from a financial perspective. While he made $1.05MM on his most recent Ducks contract, the deal he signed with the Capitals after being non-tendered not a one-way contract. Leason’s one-year, two-way deal carries a $775K NHL salary and a $250K AHL salary. Undoubtedly, Leason will want to continue his level of production for the Bears in order to earn as many recalls back to Washington as possible this season.
Not only will recalls back to the NHL hold an immediate financial benefit, but the more time he can spend in the NHL, the better-positioned he’ll be to get back to a one-way contract as a free agent in the summer.
Capitals Looking To Add Skilled Winger
With the trade deadline now two months away and a soft deadline coming in the form of a trade freeze before the Olympics, teams are starting to make calls to see who could be out there to fill their needs. The Capitals are no exception and speaking with reporters today (video link), GM Chris Patrick indicated what he’d like to add to his roster.
Specifically, that would be a skilled winger to play at the top of their lineup, something that Patrick said they are “actively pursuing”. It’s an area of need that has been around going back to last season but they weren’t able to fill it either via trade or free agency over the summer.
Patrick and the Caps will be hard-pressed to do so as things stand with the market largely bereft of sellers at this point of the season due to the standings being quite jumbled. As a result, they may have to wait until closer to the March 6th deadline for more options to potentially become available.
At first glance, Rangers winger Artemi Panarin could be a logical fit. With the Rangers moving into a retool that will involve not re-signing him, he’s likely to be moved over the next six weeks. Washington has ample regular season cap space to acquire him at his full price tag ($11.643MM). They don’t have enough playoff cap room to fit him in with a fully healthy roster but if New York retained on his contract, that could be workable. That said, plenty of contending teams will be going after Panarin, who stands to be one of the top players moved (if not the top player dealt) before the deadline.
Despite not having their full lineup available to them for the bulk of the season with Pierre-Luc Dubois out since mid-October and several other key pieces missing time, Washington is eighth in the league in goals heading into tonight’s action. That should allow Patrick ample time to be patient and let the market develop in the hopes of some options becoming available over the coming weeks.
Wilson A Full Participant In Practice Friday
- Capitals winger Tom Wilson (lower body) was a full participant in practice today. However, head coach Spencer Carbery indicated to reporters (video link) that he couldn’t confirm if the veteran would be back in the lineup on Saturday. Sidelined for the last five games, Wilson remains Washington’s scoring leader with 22 goals and 20 assists in 41 contests.
Capitals Recall Ivan Miroshnichenko, Place Justin Sourdif On IR
According to a team announcement, the Washington Capitals have recalled Ivan Miroshnichenko from the AHL’s Hershey Bears. In a corresponding roster move, the Capitals placed Justin Sourdif on the injured reserve with an upper-body injury.
Miroshnichenko’s story in Washington is well known at this point. The Capitals selected Miroshnichenko with the 20th overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft, and he spent the following season with the KHL’s Avangard Omsk, scoring three goals and one assist in 23 games.
Despite the tepid scoring output, Washington brought Miroshnichenko to North America beginning in the 2023-24 season. He’s been a terrific scorer with AHL Hershey, but has failed to break out in any meaningful way with the Capitals.
In his first professional season in North America, Miroshnichenko finished with two goals and six points in 21 games with Washington, typically placed in a middle-six role while averaging 12:08 of ice time per night. Still, he showed quality production with the Bears, scoring nine goals and 25 points in 47 games. Additionally, after scoring seven goals and 12 points in 20 postseason contests, Miroshnichenko helped Hershey win its second consecutive Calder Cup championship.
Since then, he’s been largely isolated to an AHL role. He’s scored one goal and four points in 20 games for the Capitals over the last two years, usually being confined to a bottom-six role. Regardless, he’s kept up his strong performance in the AHL, scoring 29 goals and 58 points in his past 73 games.
Meanwhile, Sourdif formally heads to the IR after missing Washington’s last several games. He took a puck to the face in the Capitals’ recent loss to the Nashville Predators on January 11th. It was unfortunate timing for Sourdif, who had scored six goals and 12 points in 13 games leading up to the injury.
Latest On Justin Sourdif
The struggling Anaheim Ducks will be especially short handed tonight, as Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, and Troy Terry are all absent, per Derek Lee of The Hockey News. The team updated that Carlsson has a lower-body injury and Gauthier is ill, along with Terry’s known upper-body injury.
Terry was considered a game-time decision, clearly unable to go, while Carlsson and Gauthier were last minute surprises. Lee went on to add that as a result of being down three forwards, Anaheim will have to go into an 11-forward, 7-defensemen configuration, but defender Ian Moore may slot in as a forward.
After a great start to the season, the Ducks have faltered recently, with just one regulation win in their last 10 games, and a five game losing streak. Carlsson, Gauthier, and Terry rank in order as the team’s top three scorers, so all of them out of the mix against the league’s second best team, Dallas, will make an especially formidable challenge.
In such situations, sometimes teams give undersized puck moving defenders the opportunity to move up, but if Moore plays forward, he is known as a more stay-at-home player with size. Regardless, tonight may be a night to remember for the 24-year-old.
Updates on the status of Anaheim’s three top forwards will be watched closely, as the group is back in action Friday and Saturday, with a home-and-home against their in-state rivals from Los Angeles.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Things will also be unusual in Anaheim from the other side, as the Dallas Stars announced that defenseman Miro Heiskanen will not play due to a personal matter. The 26-year-old had yet to miss a contest prior to tonight, posting 36 points in 46 games. In place of their #1 defender who averages just over 26 minutes a night, Ilya Lyubushkin will return to the lineup, who has skated 33 games this season.
- Washington Capitals forward Justin Sourdif missed tonight’s game, as he’s day-to-day with an upper-body injury, reported by Sammi Silber of The Hockey News earlier today. It marks just the second game of the campaign that Sourdif has not dressed. The 23-year-old came to Washington in a summer trade from Florida as a primary AHLer with just four NHL games under his belt. Since then he has earned a real role as a middle six forward under Head Coach Spencer Carbery. Sourdif has 19 points on the year, including a three-goal, five-point effort on January 5, and hopefully will return Thursday against San Jose. In his absence, the Capitals defeated Montreal in overtime.
Chychrun Scratched Due To Illness
- The Capitals announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Jakob Chychrun was scratched from tonight’s game against Nashville due to illness. The 27-year-old is in the middle of a breakout season, collecting 15 goals and 17 assists in 45 games. That puts him on pace to surpass his previous personal best in points (47) set last season. Washington has been carrying eight defensemen on their roster for most of the year so Chychrun’s absence didn’t necessitate a recall from the minors to fill his spot.
Tom Wilson Remains Day-to-Day With Injury
- Washington Capitals winger Tom Wilson, who remains out with a lower-body injury, skated in the team’s practice today with a non-contact jersey, per Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post. Consequently, Wilson is not expected to be available for Washington’s game against the Predators tonight. Wilson hasn’t played since Jan. 5 due to his injury, missing three games. The 31-year-old has 42 points in 41 games this season.