Dubois Resumes Skating But Won't Return Until After Olympics
Capitals center Pierre-Luc Dubois has started skating as he continues to work his way back from abdominal surgery two months ago, reports Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post (Twitter link). The original recovery timeline for the procedure was three to four months so he’s past the halfway point now. However, head coach Spencer Carbery quickly mentioned that the 27-year-old won’t return until after the Olympic break next month. Dubois got off to a slow start before the injury and was held without a point in his first six games but he was a key contributor last season, tallying a career-high 66 points. He’ll certainly be a welcome addition for Washington for the stretch run.
Cole Hutson To Return For Quarterfinals
Still, it’s curious that Hockey Canada has opted for Schaefer being the next man up rather than Washington Capitals blueliner Jakob Chychrun. The former 16th overall pick has been one of the most underrated defensemen in the league this season, scoring 15 goals and 30 points in 40 games while managing a 23:16 ATOI. Additionally, Chychrun’s underlying metrics are better than Schaefer’s, with a 56.0% CF% and 91.8% oiSV% at even strength.
- In the World Juniors Championship, the United States is expected to return an important defenseman for their upcoming quarterfinal matchup against Finland. This afternoon, Mike G. Morreale of the NHL wrote that Cole Hutson, who hasn’t played since being hit in the head with a puck in the round robin matchup against Team Switzerland, is expected to return to the lineup tomorrow. The Capitals prospect has already registered two assists in two games with a +5 rating.
Evening Notes: Hutson, Plante, Sherwood, Leddy
Washington Capitals defense prospect Cole Hutson and Detroit Red Wings prospect Max Plante are both dealing with day-to-day injuries with Team USA at the 2026 World Junior Championship per NHL.com’s Mike Morreale.
Hutson was injuried when a stray puck hit him in the back of the head in Saturday’s game against Switzerland. It was a scary moment that ended with Hutson being carted off the ice and transported to the hospital. Luckily, he left the hospital later that night avoided the worst case scenario. He returned to Team USA’s practice on Monday morning.
Plante hasn’t yet returned to practice after sustaining an injury in the second period of Monday’s game against Slovakia.
Both players sat out of USA’s Wednesday matchup against Team Sweden. The Americans lost that matchup 3-6. Hutson led the 2025 World Juniors in scoring with 11 points in seven games. Plante led the NCAA in scoring before leaving for this tournament. He has 30 points in 20 games. The two are major pillars of the American lineup. Their day-to-day status will be a silver lining as the Americans eye a tough elimination round.
Other notes from around the league:
- The San Jose Sharks have expressed interest in Vancouver Canucks scorer Kiefer Sherwood per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in a recent interview on the FAN Hockey Show. The 30-year-old winger would be an interesting buy for a Sharks club well outside of playoff contention. He has offered Vancouver a unique mix of goal-scoring and heavy-hitting. Sherwood recorded 19 goals, 40 points, and an NHL record 462 hits in 78 games last season. He is continuing in that line this year, with 16 goals and 184 hits in only 39 games. Those numbers put him on pace for 34 goals and 387 hits in 82 games this season. Bringing in that impact could help San Jose protect their young stars and add a bit more veteran shooting to the mix as they eye cheap additions to the lineup.
- Sticking in San Jose, young defender Shakir Mukhamadullin rotated back into the lineup for Nick Leddy in Wednesday’s shootout win over the Minnesota Wild per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. He recorded two shots on goal and no points. The Sharks have rotated between the two defenders over their recent stretch. Mukhamadullin has managed six points, 10 hits, and 21 shot blocks in 21 games. Leddy has three assists and 20 shot blocks in 15 games. The two will continue rotating while San Jose waits on Timothy Liljegren‘s nearing return.
Latest On Cole Hutson
9:30 p.m.: Instead of waiting until tomorrow, USA Hockey has provided an official update on Hutson already. It appears the injury looked worse than it actually was, with USA Hockey sharing that Hutson is only considered day-to-day. Given that Team USA doesn’t play again until Monday, there’s a legitimate chance Hutson could return for that game.
9:10 p.m.: Before much of the NHL action had kicked off tonight, there was a scary moment in the World Junior Championship matchup between Team USA and Team Switzerland. Defenseman Cole Hutson (USA), brother of Montreal Canadien Lane Hutson, was stretchered off the ice after being hit by a puck in the back of the head.
Shortly after he game had restarted following the injury, the NHL’s Jon Morosi reported that Hutson had been taken to a hospital and was being evaluated. Morosi added in his initial report that Hutson never lost consciousness while on the ice and appeared alert when he exited the stadium.
Fortunately, Morosi shared the best news of the evening, that Hutson had been discharged from the hospital and had rejoined his teammates in St. Paul. Team USA’s staff is expected to continue evaluating Hutson through the evening, and his status for the remainder of the tournament will be decided then.
Regardless of the potential on-ice ramifications for Team USA without a defenseman of Hutson’s caliber, it’s objectively positive that he was able to leave the hospital on his own accord only a few short hours after the injury. Including today’s contest against Team Switzerland, Hutson has registered two assists in two games already, with a +5 rating.
His status as a top-tier defensive prospect began last year after a standout freshman performance at Boston University and an incredible showing at last year’s World Junior Championships. He scored 14 goals and 48 points in 39 games for the Terriers throughout the 2024-25 NCAA season. Furthermore, he added three goals and 11 points in seven games, helping Team USA to its second consecutive gold medal.
Finishing with the most points in last year’s tournament, the Washington Capitals prospect was expected to deliver a similar punch to Team USA’s lineup this year. Despite the fortunate news that he’s left the hospital, his status for the rest of the tournament is certainly in question.
Capitals Activate Ryan Leonard, Reassign Ivan Miroshnichenko, Two Out
5:45 p.m.: Wilson has been downgraded to out after being designated as a game-time decision earlier in the day per Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. Sonny Milano will step onto the fourth-line, while Leonard will takes Wilson’s spot on the second-line in his return from injury. Washington will also be without defenseman Rasmus Sandin, who is out with an upper-body injury per Silber. He will be replaced by Declan Chisholm.
4:30 p.m.: The Washington Capitals will get a big piece back in Tuesday night’s game against the New York Rangers. Winger Ryan Leonard has been activated off of injured reserve after missing the last seven games with upper-body injuries sustained on December 5th. He was originally expected to miss three-to-four weeks, a timeline he falls right in line with. To make room for Leonard’s return, the Capitals have also assigned winger Ivan Miroshnichenko back to the AHL’s Hershey Bears.
Leonard’s return could be a big boost to the Capitals offense. The 21-year-old winger was finding another step in the NHL before he went down with injury. He scored seven points in his last five games, including the first four-point game of his NHL career. Leonard is now up to seven goals and 18 points in 29 games this season, putting him on pace for 47 points if he plays out the rest of the season. The rookie has been a major addition to a Capitals team that was already firing on all cylinders. Washington ranks 10th in the league in goals scored this season, and could rise up those ranks with the return of a player who scored 30 goals in 37 games in the NCAA’s Hockey East last season.
Meanwhile, Miroshnichenko will return to the AHL after playing two games in Leonard’s absence. He recorded three shots on net and four hits in those contests. Miroshnichenko is still searching for his groove at the top flight after posting 10 points in 39 NHL games over the last two seasons. He’s been a much bigger factor for Hershey, where he’s climbed into a top-six role and has nine points and 21 penalty minutes in 12 games this season. Miroshnichenko entered the season with 67 points in 100 AHL games to his name. He will continue to serve a scoring role in the minors, and hope for better outcomes next time he’s called up.
How Washington’s lineup will look on Tuesday still isn’t entirely clear. Both Leonard and winger Tom Wilson were designated as game-time decisions by head coach Spencer Carbery, per NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. No word has come through on Wilson’s availability. Leonard will step into Miroshnichenko’s spot in the bottom-six.
Ryan Leonard Upgraded To Day-To-Day
- Washington Capitals forward Ryan Leonard has not played since Dec. 5 due to an upper-body injury, but he’s now considered only day-to-day and appears to be nearing a return to the lineup, per The Washington Post’s Bailey Johnson. Leonard, 20, is one of the key young forwards on the Capitals, and has 18 points in 29 games this season. The 2023 No. 8 overall pick was playing on Washington’s third line alongside Nic Dowd and Ethen Frank for the game in which he suffered his injury.
Capitals Recall Ivan Miroshnichenko, Reassign Bogdan Trineyev
The Capitals announced they’ve recalled winger Ivan Miroshnichenko from AHL Hershey and returned winger Bogdan Trineyev to Hershey in the corresponding move. Washington’s active roster remains at the 23-player limit.
The Caps have been dipping into the minor-league depth since Ryan Leonard went down with a shoulder injury earlier this month. Trineyev was the name to get recalled in the immediate aftermath. Although he’s remained on the active roster since, his playing time has been limited with just two appearances.
Those games, a Dec. 13 showing against the Jets and yesterday’s outing against the Maple Leafs, were the first two outings of Trineyev’s NHL career. The 23-year-old was a fourth-round pick in 2020 and had notched 50 points and a +32 rating in 143 career appearances for Hershey before the recall.
Trineyev held his own in a fourth-line role but didn’t really move the needle. Averaging 10:32 per game, he managed three shot attempts, two blocks, and a hit, but didn’t get on the scoresheet. He was part of a dominant defensive effort with linemates Brandon Duhaime and Nic Dowd, only allowing 1.06 xGA/60 at 5-on-5.
Perhaps there’s a place for the 6’3″, 203-lb winger down the line as a cheap fourth-line option, but he’s not a roster lock yet. He’ll return to Hershey, where he’s tracking for a career year offensively with 12 points in 16 games.
Miroshnichenko, Washington’s first-round pick in 2022, gets his first NHL look of the season in his countryman’s wake. The 6’1″ sniper has gotten lengthy looks on the Caps’ roster in each of his first two seasons in North America, logging 21 appearances in 2023-24 and 18 last year. He’s got a 3-7–10 scoring line and a -3 rating to show for it across 39 games.
The 21-year-old has been a top-scoring presence for Hershey since his arrival over two years ago, and that hasn’t changed in 2025-26. Miroshnichenko missed half their schedule with an injury but has been productive when in the lineup, notching four goals and nine points in 12 games. He’ll look to keep that momentum up in a familiar depth scoring role, presumably until Leonard returns in the next couple of weeks.
Capitals Activate Charlie Lindgren, Assign Garin Bjorklund To AHL
The Capitals have made a pair of roster moves between the pipes heading into tonight’s game against Winnipeg. The team announced that goaltender Charlie Lindgren has been activated off injured reserve. To make room on the active roster, Garin Bjorklund has been assigned back to AHL Hershey; the roster remains full at 23 players.
Lindgren was placed on injured reserve back on Sunday, retroactive to December 5th so he winds up missing just the minimum amount of action. The 31-year-old has played in 10 games so far this season, putting up a 2.90 GAA and a .893 SV%, numbers that are slightly worse compared to a year ago. His best season came back in 2023-24 when he had a 2.67 GAA, a .911 SV%, and a league-best six shutouts in 50 games but was relegated to backup status when Washington acquired Logan Thompson at the 2024 draft.
As for Bjorklund, he received his first NHL recall on Monday but ultimately didn’t see any game action. The 23-year-old is in his fourth professional season with the first three primarily being spent with ECHL South Carolina. That hasn’t been the case this year, however, as he has only played for Hershey so far, posting a 3.01 GAA along with a .895 SV% in nine games.
Capitals Place Ryan Leonard And Charlie Lindgren On IR, Recall Two
12/11/2025: The Capitals issued an official update to Leonard’s status today, writing that Leonard “sustained a shoulder injury” during the Dec. 5 game against the Ducks, and that “his projected recovery time is approximately 3-4 weeks.” The Hockey News’ Sammi Silber called it a “positive update” for the Capitals, due to the fact that it does not appear Leonard will need surgery.
12/7/2025: The Washington Capitals this morning announced a series of transactions: they have placed forward Ryan Leonard and netminder Charlie Lindgren on IR, and recalled forward Bogdan Trineyev and goalie Clay Stevenson from their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears.
Both IR placements are retroactive to Friday, meaning the earliest they’ll be able to return is Dec. 12.
The biggest name in these transactions is that of Leonard, the No. 8 overall pick at the 2023 draft and one of the Capitals’ top young players. Leonard was on the wrong end of a hit from Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jacob Trouba in the team’s game Dec. 5, and appears to have suffered an upper-body injury as a result. Head coach Spencer Carbery said today that Leonard will miss “an extended period of time” with his injury.
Since the game, members of the Capitals, including Carbery and star forward Tom Wilson, have expressed frustration at Trouba’s hit on Leonard. Carbery said today of the hit: “it looks old school to me, like hunting a player that’s in a vulnerable spot.”
Wilson was critical of Trouba, saying the Ducks veteran “knows exactly what he was doing” and adding that Leonard was “in a vulnerable spot” when he was hit. Wilson has himself been suspended multiple times in the past for illegal checks, including a 20-game suspension for an illegal hit to the head delivered in a 2018 preseason contest.
Losing Leonard to IR as a result of Trouba’s hit is an unfortunate development for the Capitals. The rookie has impressed to start 2025-26, scoring 18 points in 29 games. His blend of competitiveness and skill is one many teams covet, and a combination of traits the Capitals have benefited from greatly whenever he’s been on the ice.
The forward the Capitals recalled to fill Leonard’s spot on the roster, Trineyev, isn’t likely going to be able to match what Leonard is able to contribute on a nightly basis. The 23-year-old has yet to make his NHL debut. He scored 22 points in 62 AHL games last season, but has seen his production tick upward so far this year. Trineyev has 12 points in 16 games for Hershey so far in 2025-26. Standing 6’3″, 206 pounds, Trineyev may at least be able to replace some of the physical edge Leonard provides, even if he is less likely to match Leonard’s offense.
Lindgren last played Dec. 3 and has been dealing with an upper-body injury. The 31-year-old is in his fourth season in Washington, and has established himself as a quality full-time NHLer in the American capital. He played a career-high 50 games in 2023-24, posting a .911 save percentage. His performance that season earned him a third-place Vezina Trophy vote and a fifth-place Hart Trophy vote, coming from The Hockey News’ Sammi Silber who covers the Capitals.
Lindgren hasn’t been quite as good since that point, ceding the No. 1 role in Washington to Logan Thompson. Lindgren has a .893 save percentage in 10 games this season and posted an .896 in 39 games last year. Lindgren’s replacement on the NHL roster while he’s on IR is Stevenson. Stevenson is part of a tandem with Garin Bjorklund in Hershey, and has impressed thus far in his AHL career.
He has a .910 save percentage in 11 games this season, and while he was not as good in 2024-25, he had a .922 in 36 starts as an AHL rookie in 2023-24. Stevenson has played in one career NHL game to this point, an April 17 contest last season where he made 33 saves in a loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Carlson Could Return Thursday
- Capitals defenseman John Carlson has missed the last three games due to an upper-body injury sustained last Tuesday. However, it appears that the games missed count won’t go any higher. Sammi Silber of The Hockey News relays that the veteran was a full participant at practice today on the top pairing which suggests he could be cleared to suit up Thursday against Carolina. In his 17th season, all in Washington, Carlson has been quite productive so far in 2025-26, tallying six goals and 17 assists in 26 games while averaging nearly 23 minutes per game of playing time.