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Capitals Place Rasmus Sandin On IR

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After recalling forward Ethen Frank earlier this morning, the Washington Capitals needed to make one corresponding roster move to maintain roster compliance. Defenseman Rasmus Sandin will move to the injured reserve with an upper-body injury, according to Tom Gulitti of NHL.com.

Sandin’s move to the IR should be considered positive news for the Capitals. He has missed the last two games due to an upper-body injury and would be eligible to return on Halloween against the New York Islanders, assuming the IR placement is made retroactive to October 21st.

The expectation is that Sandin will be ready to play in that game, or the one immediately after that. Earlier today, Gulitti reported that Sandin returned to the ice for Washington’s practice, though he was skating in a non-contact jersey.

Further, it can only be considered positive news regarding Dylan Strome’s injury status. Strome left the Capitals’ most recent game with a lower-body injury, and there was some concern in the organization regarding his immediate availability.

Bailey Johnson of the Washington Post shared this morning that although Strome won’t play in Washington’s next game against the Dallas Stars, he’s only considered day-to-day. He would have missed the Capitals’ next three games had he been placed on injured reserve. Since the team decided not to place him on IR, it indicates that he is expected to return by the end of the week.

In his seven games before suffering the upper-body ailment, Sandin had continued as a reliable top-four blueliner for the Capitals. He’s tallied two assists in those games, averaging 19:24 of ice time while maintaining a 97.9% on-ice save percentage at even strength.

Washington Capitals Recall Ethen Frank

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According to a team announcement, the Washington Capitals have recalled forward Ethen Frank from the AHL’s Hershey Bears. Washington reassigned Frank only a few days ago when the team activated Pierre-Luc Dubois from the injured reserve.

Unfortunately, it appears that Frank’s recall is linked to another injury to a Capitals center. In Washington’s recent loss to the Ottawa Senators, first-line center Dylan Strome exited the game with a lower-body injury, and those within the organization are concerned about the severity of the injury.

Given that the Capitals already have a full 23-man roster, they’ll have to make a corresponding move to keep Frank on the roster. The assumption is that due to Strome’s injury, the team will place him on the injured reserve at the very least. This means that Strome is guaranteed to miss Washington’s next three games. He wouldn’t be eligible to return until November 5th against the St. Louis Blues.

The team may also expect a longer-term absence for Strome. Shortly after announcing Frank’s recall, the team shared they had signed Brett Leason and quickly waived him for potential reassignment. There have not been any reports directly linking the two transactions. However, the Capitals may have acquired Leason for AHL depth if they’re anticipating a longer-term stay in the NHL for Frank.

Through the first couple of weeks of the regular season, Frank only appeared in two games for the Capitals, registering one assist while averaging 12:34 of ice time per night. Since Washington will likely move each of their remaining centers up one spot in the lineup, Frank should center the team’s fourth line between Brandon Duhaime and Anthony Beauvillier.

If the team feels more comfortable with Nic Dowd and Justin Sourdif in their current spots, Washington could potentially squeeze more value out of Frank on the second line. He’s been relatively productive with AHL Hershey, scoring 82 goals and 127 points in 164 games over the past five years.

Capitals’ Mitch Love Relieved Of Duties

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Earlier today, Capitals assistant coach Mitch Love had been suspended by the NHL for the remainder of the 2025-26 season following their investigation into allegations of domestic abuse against him, according to Frank Seravalli of Bleacher Report and Victory+. This afternoon, the Capitals updated that Love has been immediately relieved of his duties.

The Capitals announced shortly before training camp that they had placed Love on “team-imposed leave” after the league informed them that an investigation had been initiated based on complaints they received directly over the offseason. Later in training camp, they promoted AHL assistant coach Patrick Wellar from the minor-league bench to replace Love’s duties with Washington’s defensemen.

Love was a finalist for multiple head coaching vacancies across the league during the offseason. The 41-year-old was a finalist for the Penguins’ vacancy and was viewed as the frontrunner until they made a seemingly last-minute pivot to Dan Muse. He was similarly deep in the running to become the next coach of the Kraken and Bruins. It’s unclear if the league’s investigation began early enough in the summer to have any bearing on their decisions.

Shortly after Seravalli’s note, the Capitals announced that Love has been relieved of his duties effective immediately. The organization emphasized that they are “committed to maintaining the highest standards of conduct and accountability”.

Dylan Strome Injury Called "Concerning"

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The Washington Capitals’ solid early-season momentum was placed at risk last night as first-line center Dylan Strome suffered a lower-body injury. After the game, Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery called the injury “concerning,” and The Washington Post’s Bailey Johnson noted that while Strome will be evaluated today, the fact that the Capitals have an off day means that we likely won’t receive an update on Strome’s status until Monday at the earliest.

Carbery is likely far from the only person concerned at the prospect of losing Strome for a period of time due to injury. While franchise face Alex Ovechkin set all-time records last season, it was Strome who quietly led the club in scoring with a career-best 82 points in 82 games. The 2015 third-overall pick ranks second in scoring on Washington this season, behind only rugged forward Tom Wilson. Should Strome miss time, the Capitals may elect to shift Connor McMichael back to the center position, where he has spent time previously. He dressed as the club’s second-line left winger yesterday on a line centered by Pierre-Luc Dubois.

Evening Notes: Strome, Granlund, Ellis

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Washington Capitals centerman Dylan Strome exited Saturday night’s game after sustaining a lower-body injury in the opening minutes. The injury occured after Strome got tangled up with teammate Jakob Chychrun and tumbled hard into the endboards. He made a brief return to the ice during a TV timeout later in the game – but didn’t stick around after taking a few small laps.

The chance to see Strome already testing out his injury will be a silver lining for the Capitals, who could be losing their second-highest scorer with this news. Strome has racked up 10 points in eight games this season, all scored across a five-game point streak he was riding entering Saturday night. He led the Capitals in scoring with 82 points in 82 games last season.

Nic Dowd earned the most ice time of Washington’s centers following Strome’s absence. He was already in an elevated role to support Pierre-Luc Dubois, who made his return from a five-game absence. Dowd and Justin Sourdif should be the biggest beneficiaries, though both behind Dubois, should Washington need to fill-in Strome’s minutes.

Other later-night notes:

  • Anaheim Ducks forward Mikael Granlund also exited his team’s game, in the first period, with a lower-body injury. It’s not exactly clear when Granlund’s injury occured, though he appeared in discomfort away from play and headed towards the locker room after just six minutes of ice time. Granlund is tied with Leo Carlsson for the Ducks’ scoring lead with eight points in seven games. He’s in his first year in Anaheim, after spending last season split between the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars. He scored 66 points in 83 games between the two teams, his most since he scored 67 points in the 2017-18 season. Now playing for his sixth NHL club, Granlund has continued to prove he can be a flexible scorer in any lineup. His absence would leave Anaheim with a big role to fill. The Ducks would likely lean on Carlsson, Mason McTavish, and Nikita Nesterenko to fill in.
  • The Buffalo Sabres intended to start Colten Ellis in Saturday’s overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, but opted to rest the rookie after he woke up with tightness in his back, head coach Lindy Ruff told Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic. Ellis made 29 saves on 31 shots, and recorded a win, in his NHL debut on Wednesday. He was strong throughout, carrying over the same sharp movement that earned him a .922 save percentage in 42 AHL games – sixth-highest in the league – last season. Ellis is another promising young goaltender in Buffalo’s system, and could get a chance to compete with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen for a role behind Alex Lyon, should the Sabres continue carrying three goalies. Ellis should be back to game-readiness soon.

Capitals Activate Pierre-Luc Dubois Off IR, Assign Ethen Frank To AHL

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The Capitals have made a pair of roster moves in advance of their game tonight against Ottawa.  The team announced that they have activated center Pierre-Luc Dubois off injured reserve.  To make room for him on the roster, the team has returned winger Ethen Frank to AHL Hershey.

Dubois wound up missing a little more than two weeks with a lower-body injury that was originally hoped to be a day-to-day issue.  Instead, he wound up missing five games.  Dubois has been held off the scoresheet in his three appearances this season but is coming off a career season in his first campaign with Washington.  Last season, he had 20 goals and 46 assists in 82 games, showing flashes of being the impactful top-six center that made him the third-overall pick in 2016 and led to an eight-year, $68MM contract two years ago.

Dubois will presumably return to a role in Washington’s top six in his return.  Hendrix Lapierre skated on the second line last game and is the logical fit to cede his spot to Dubois with Lapierre then returning to the fourth line in place of Frank.

As for Frank, he got into a pair of games with Washington while on recall, picking up an assist in 12:34 per game of ice time.  That brings his NHL point total to eight in 26 outings after getting into 24 games with the Caps last season.  The 27-year-old also has a pair of goals in two appearances with the Bears in 2025-26 and is a strong candidate to be brought back up whenever the next injury arises up front for the Capitals.

Capitals, Sheldon Rempal Mutually Terminate Contract

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Oct. 24: Rempal has cleared waivers and will have his deal terminated as he pursues an opportunity overseas, per Friedman.

Oct. 23: The Capitals have placed forward Sheldon Rempal on waivers, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports Thursday. Rempal was previously on assignment to AHL Hershey after clearing waivers earlier in the month, so it’s presumed he’s on unconditional waivers for the purposes of a mutual contract termination.

Rempal has only been in the Washington organization for a few months after the Caps signed him to a two-way deal early in free agency. The minor-league veteran was returning to North America after spending 2024-25 in Russia with Salavat Yulaev Ufa, lighting up the Kontinental Hockey League circuit with 31 goals and 61 points in 68 games. Through four games with Hershey, he had a goal and an assist with a minus-two rating.

He likely has a better-paying opportunity lined up overseas, and with the Caps having plenty of young talent in their system, it was unlikely Rempal had a more than marginal chance of a recall this season. He was due a $450K salary if he spent all year in the minors. In the likely event he’s not claimed by another team in the next 24 hours, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent tomorrow.

Rempal, 30, has 21 career NHL appearances to his name with two goals and one assist. He hasn’t seen time at the top level since February 2024 and has suited up for four different teams – the Kings, Hurricanes, Canucks, and Golden Knights. Los Angeles was the one to sign him as an undrafted free agent out of Clarkson in 2018. The 5’10”, 165-lb winger has since overcome his smallish frame to have offensive success at the minor-league level, keeping up a 109-145–254 scoring line in 332 career AHL appearances. While he’s racked up plenty of penalty minutes in the minors, spotty defensive work – plus the fact he never recorded a single hit in his NHL looks – made him a one-dimensional threat in most teams’ eyes.

Rempal’s departure robs the Caps of an experienced call-up option but paves a longer runway for under-22 forwards Andrew Cristall, Eriks Mateiko, Ivan Miroshnichenko, and Ilya Protas to climb up the depth chart throughout the season. It’ll also free up a contract slot for Washington, leaving them with seven open ones.

Capitals Place Pierre-Luc Dubois On IR

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Oct. 19: The Capitals have now placed Dubois on IR to activate defenseman Dylan McIlrath in his place, as expected, according to NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. Dubois has already missed seven days due to his injury, so he can be activated at any time. He remains in a non-contact jersey but is practicing with the club.

Oct. 14: Capitals center Pierre-Luc Dubois will not play tonight against the Lightning due to a lower-body injury, head coach Spencer Carbery confirmed (via Sammi Silber of The Hockey News). He’s listed as day-to-day and has not landed on injured reserve.

If he does, the Caps will be able to backdate his placement to Oct. 12. He left Sunday’s 1-0 win over the Rangers late in the third period for something that required additional evaluation, Carbery said, but it’s not clear when he sustained the injury. If the Caps create a roster spot by placing him on IR, he would be ruled out for Washington’s next two games, including tonight’s, before being eligible for activation against the Canucks on Oct. 19. They have ample cap space to make a recall if they do so, a likely scenario given they don’t have an extra healthy forward with him sidelined.

Dubois began the season in the spot where he enjoyed much success last year – anchoring the Caps’ second line between Aliaksei Protas and Tom Wilson. In their three-game sample size, though, their two-way play has trailed off a bit from 2024-25. While the trio has outscored opponents 3-0 at even strength and won the Corsi battle 31-29, they’ve only controlled 41.9% of expected goals – the lowest quality share among Washington’s forward lines so far, according to MoneyPuck. As for Dubois individually, he’s still looking for his first point of the year but has a +1 rating while averaging 17:22 per game and going 15-for-41 on faceoffs for a 36.6% win rate. Last year, he had two points through his first three games en route to his career-high 46 assists and 66 points.

Connor McMichael is a natural choice to step down and shift back to center after spending time as their top-line right wing with Alex Ovechkin and Dylan Strome to begin the year. That’s exactly what the Caps will go with, at least for tonight, according to Silber. Hendrix Lapierre, who was scratched Sunday after appearing in Washington’s first two games, will re-enter the lineup as the Caps’ lone healthy extra and will do so as the third-line anchor between Ryan Leonard and Sonny Milano. The latter practiced in Dubois’ spot on Washington’s top power play unit this morning as well.

Evening Notes: Dubois, Marchessault, Lowry

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Washington Capitals centerman Pierre-Luc Dubois donned a non-contact jersey for a second-straight practice on Friday. He won’t be ready for Washington’s Sunday matchup against the Vancouver Canucks, but could return on Tuesday, head coach Spencer Carbery told Washington Post’s Bailey Johnson. Dubois has been day-to-day with a lower-body injury for much of the last week.

Dubois appeared in three games before sustaining his injury. His only notable stat changes came in the form of five shots on net, two hits, and a plus-one. He continued to serve as a top-six center for the Capitals, centering Aliaksei Protas and Tom Wilson. Washington has turned towards Connor McMichael to fill that role in Dubois’ absence. McMichael has one point – his first of the year – and a plus-one in the relief role. That scoring surely won’t be enough to command Dubois’ spot once he’s back to full health. Dubois should be expected to return in the coming week, and continue his hunt for his first score of the year.

Other notes from around the NHL:

  • Winger Jonathan Marchessault sat out of the Nashville Predators’ Saturday matchup against the Winnipeg Jets. He is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, per a team announcement. Nashville opted to ice seven defensemen in the matchup – pulling defender Nick Blackenburg into the lineup. They went on to lose by a score of 1-4. Marchessault is tied for the Predators’ lead in scoring with four points through five games this season. He finished second on the team in scoring last season, with 56 points in 78 game placing him behind only Filip Forsberg, who scored 76 points in 82 games. That standing will make Marchessault’s absence quickly felt, even if he’s only out for the short term.
  • On the other side of that matchup, Winnipeg received a bit of positive injury news when captain Adam Lowry returned to practice in a no-contact jersey on Saturday, per NHL.com’s Mitchell Clinton. Lowry has been recovering from hip surgery he underwent in late May. He is still working back to full health this season, but did manage 13 appearances and scored four goals in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs. He also scored 34 points in 73 regular season games. Lowry is a core piece of Winnipeg’s lineup when healthy, offering stout two-way play from a middle-six center role. He will be slotted back into a busy role as soon as he’s ready to make his season debut.

Carlson Would Prefer Early Extension, Doesn't Plan To Retire After Season

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Veteran defenseman John Carlson is in his 17th NHL season, all with the Capitals.  He’s in the final year of his contract, making him extension-eligible but the team informed him early that they didn’t want to engage in extension talks but rather want to see how the year plays out first.  Speaking with NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti earlier this week, the 35-year-old acknowledged that he’d much rather prefer to have the security of a new contract in place but understands the business side of why they want to wait as well.  Carlson is making $8MM per season on this contract and with the likelihood of his role starting to decrease over the next few years, his next deal should come in at least a little below that price tag.  But if Washington decides not to bring him back, Carlson is already ruling out retiring and in that scenario, he’d be looking elsewhere in free agency next summer.

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