Capitals goaltender Darcy Kuemper has been limited to eight games so far due to injuries and it might be a bit before that number goes up. NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti relays that the netminder had to be helped to the dressing room after taking a shot to an unpadded area during practice today. Head coach Spencer Carbery didn’t have a direct update at the time but noted that Kuemper’s situation was not ideal. The 33-year-old has a 3.07 GAA with a .892 SV% so far this season and was already working his way back from an undisclosed injury. Charlie Lindgren has been the starter while Kuemper was out and that will continue to be the case while they determine how long this latest issue will keep the veteran out.
Capitals Rumors
Afternoon Notes: Mantha, Grzelcyk, Avalanche
NHL.com writer Tom Gulitti tweeted today that Washington Capitals forward Anthony Mantha suffered a ruptured ear drum when an Evgeny Kuznetsov shot bounced off a defender’s stick and hit Mantha in the ear. The injury happened November 8th in a game against the Florida Panthers and led to the 29-year-old being placed on the injured reserve.
Mantha reportedly lost hearing in that ear for six days and has only now started to get it back. He reported feeling dizziness initially, but according to Tarik El-Bashir, he should be well enough to play on Saturday when he is eligible to come off the IR.
Mantha has three goals and an assist in ten games this season with the Capitals and has been a healthy scratch at times as he hasn’t been able to find his game in Washington. He had two of his goals in the Panthers game when he suffered the injury but was knocked out of the game before he could complete the hat trick.
In other notes:
- Boston Globe writer Conor Ryan is reporting that Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery told the media today that he expects defenseman Matt Grzelcyk to be cleared to return to the Bruins lineup by this Saturday. The 29-year-old has been out of the lineup since October 30th when he suffered an upper-body injury in an overtime win against the Florida Panthers. Grzelcyk played just 3:29 in that game and left during the third period of the win. The native of Charlestown, Massachusetts has dressed in nine games this season and has a single assist but has looked off his game when in the lineup. His average ice time is down, as are many of his defensive numbers which could lead one to speculate if he was dealing with a nagging injury prior to sitting out these past few weeks.
- The Colorado Avalanche have announced that they’ve essentially reversed yesterday’s roster moves. The Avalanche sent Sam Malinski and Caleb Jones to the Colorado Eagles yesterday and today decided to recall both players. No word yet on why Colorado opted to change course, but both players are back on the Avalanche’s NHL roster as of this morning. Jones has an assist in his one NHL game this year while Malinski is pointless in one game.
Shepard Recalled By Capitals
- One of the most important defensemen for the New York Islanders, Adam Pelech, missed the team’s last game against the Washington Capitals just two days ago. In an update from Andrew Gross of Newsday, Pelech is officially listed as a game-time decision for their matchup against the Edmonton Oilers tonight but should be expected to play. Even though the Islanders have not gotten off to a terrific start to the season, Pelech still holds a 91.1% oiSV% in 10 games played on the year.
- In what will go down as another ’paper’ transaction on the season, the Capitals sent down goaltender Hunter Shepard and recalled him today in a separate transaction (X Link). Largely due to an injury to Charlie Lindgren, Shepard has played in two games for Washington this year, winning both, and posting a .915 SV% with a 2.50 GAA.
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Capitals Notes: Fehervary, Oshie, Pacioretty, Edmundson
Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post is reporting that Washington Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary didn’t practice this morning and will not play in tomorrow night’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights. Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery also told reporters that Fehervary is a maybe for Saturday night’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Fehervary is currently on injured reserve and wouldn’t have been eligible to return tomorrow even if he was healthy enough to play but is eligible to play Saturday if he can. The 24-year-old has had a decent start to the year and has been very good on the Capitals’ penalty kill. While he has just two assists in 12 games, he has been much more effective at even strength this year despite starting most of his shifts in the defensive zone.
In other Capitals notes:
- Bailey Johnson also reported that Capitals forward T.J. Oshie took a maintenance day today and did not practice with the team. Oshie has had a brutal start to the season with just one assist in 13 games thus far and it appears the Capitals are hoping that some rest can help kickstart some offense for the 36-year-old. Oshie has seen over three minutes of powerplay time per game this season which is about the same average time he saw last year, but even with the work on the first powerplay unit he has been unable to find the back of the net.
- The NHL Network’s Tarik El-Bashir is reporting that Capitals forward Max Pacioretty skated on his own this morning before the team’s practice as he attempts to ramp back up to return to game action. The 34-year-old faces a long battle back after tearing his right Achilles for the second time this past January and there is no timetable for his potential return. Both the Capitals and Pacioretty appear to be very cautious in their approach to a return which makes sense given how difficult the past 15 months have been for the six-time 30-goal scorer.
- Bailey Johnson tweeted that Capitals defenseman Joel Edmundson is getting closer to a return after he was a full participant in practice today. Edmundson is trying to work his way back from a hand injury and was dressed in a non-contact jersey during this morning’s practice. The 30-year-old has yet to make his debut in Washington after he was acquired in July for two draft picks. He injured his hand in preseason and required surgery which has ultimately delayed the start to his Capitals career. A return to action would be good news for Washington as they are currently without defensemen Fehervary and Trevor van Riemsdyk.
Capitals Place Martin Fehervary On IR, Recall Dylan McIlrath
Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary left last night’s game with a lower-body injury last night and it appears the injury will keep him out for a little while. NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti relays (Twitter link) that Washington has placed the blueliner on injured reserve. In a corresponding move, blueliner Dylan McIlrath was recalled from AHL Hershey.
Speaking with reporters postgame on Friday (video link), head coach Spencer Carbery didn’t provide any specifics about Fehervary’s injury, only saying that it was not ideal. That’s certainly a fair assessment as the 24-year-old went into last night’s contest averaging over 19 minutes a game while holding down a spot in their top four.
So far this season, Fehervary has a pair of assists in a dozen appearances along with 20 hits and 29 blocked shots. He also takes a regular turn on Washington’s second penalty killing unit so his absence will be hard to fill internally. Alexander Alexeyev was the reserve blueliner on Friday so it stands to reason that he’ll get the first chance to do so while Lucas Johansen and Hardy Haman Aktell will each have to cover more minutes as well.
As for McIlrath, the 31-year-old is in his third season in Washington’s system. He got into six games with the Caps last year, his first taste of NHL action since the 2019-20 campaign when he was with Detroit. McIlrath is best known for his physicality but he does have three assists in 11 games so far with the Bears this season, along with 23 penalty minutes. Last year in the minors, he had 13 helpers in 60 contests plus 102 minutes in the box.
Snapshots: Darcy Kuemper, Carter Hart, Patrik Laine
Washington Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery shared that Darcy Kuemper got banged up in the team’s last game. He will sit out of the team’s Friday game with an undisclosed injury. The Capitals recalled Hunter Shepard in response. He will serve as the backup behind Charlie Lindgren on Friday.
Kuemper has been in and out of the lineup to start the season, appearing in eight games with the Capitals. He’s managed a 3-3-2 record through that span, recording a .892 save percentage. That’s a step down from the .902 save percentage that he ended the 2022-23 season with – a mark he set en route to a 22-26-7 record in 57 games.
Charlie Lindgren has found himself with the best save percentage on the team, currently sitting with a .929 through the two games he’s appeared in, saving 65 of the 70 shots that he’s faced so far. Shepard also stepped in for one game, allowing four goals on 22 shots but nevertheless managing his first NHL win.
Other notes from around the league:
- Carter Hart will miss the Philadelphia Flyers’ Friday night game with illness. Samuel Ersson is set to start in his place. Ersson has recorded a .830 save percentage and 1-3-1 record through five games this season. Hart has tallied a .913 save percentage and 4-3-0 record in eight games.
- Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Pascal Vincent shared that star winger Patrik Laine could return from his concussion at some point this weekend. The Jackets play on both Saturday and Sunday. Laine has managed two points and a -2 through four games this season.
Capitals Make Multiple Roster Moves
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.
Washington Capitals Place Trevor Van Riemsdyk On IR
The Washington Capitals have placed defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk on injured reserve, and loaned veteran center Michael Sgarbossa back to the AHL’s Hershey Bears. With the Capitals embarking on a two-game road trip, team reporter Tarik El-Bashir wrote on X to “expect a call-up ahead of tomorrow’s game at NJD.”
Van Riemsdyk, 32, is out dealing with a lower-body injury. He last played on November 4th against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and has been a regular defensive defenseman for the team.
Alexander Alexeyev has taken up the third right-side slot on Washington’s defense with van Riemsdyk out, and is likely to continue in that role while van Riemsdyk recovers.
As for Sgarbossa, he’s been a top center for the Hershey Bears for the last few years. The two-time AHL All-Star has gotten off to a strong start with Hershey, scoring 12 points in 11 games. With Hershey set to play Saturday and Sunday, getting Sgarbossa back to the team will significantly improve their odds of winning.
Injury Notes: Capitals, Horvat, Forbort, Tuch
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:
- New York Islanders head coach Lane Lambert declared Bo Horvat a game-time decision for the team’s Thursday night game against the Boston Bruins. He’s facing a lower-body injury after blocking a shot off his ankle in the team’s Saturday matchup against Carolina. The 28-year-old has nine points through 10 games this season.
- Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery shared that Derek Forbort is “probable” to play the Islanders. He is also battling a lower-body injury. Montgomery said that the team will use warmups as the indicator of if Forbort can play.
- Buffalo Sabres forward Alex Tuch has been announced as day-to-day, with the Sabres hopeful that he can play in their Friday bout with Minnesota. He missed practice on Thursday with an upper-body injury. Top draft pick Matthew Savoie took line rushes with Tage Thompson and Jeff Skinner in Tuch’s place.
Washington Capitals Recall Michael Sgarbossa, Place Backstrom on LTIR
The Washington Capitals have recalled Michael Sgarbossa and placed top center Nicklas Backstrom on long-term injured reserve. Backstrom took a leave of absence from the Capitals on November 1st and it was quickly revealed that his availability for the remainder of the year was uncertain. The 35-year-old centerman was attempting to return from a hip injury that required resurfacing surgery in June 2022. The surgery limited Backstrom to only 39 games last season and it seems complications are carrying into this year.
Centerman Sgarbossa joins the team in Backstrom’s wake, after appearing in 11 games with the AHL’s Hershey Bears this season. The 31-year-old netted 12 points in those games, maintaining the high scoring that he’s become accustomed to in the minor leagues, netting 58 points in 60 games. Sgarbossa has been a plug-and-play option for NHL teams for the last decade, making his debut with the Colorado Avalanche in the 2012-13 season. He’s played with four NHL clubs since then, never recording more than 30 games in a single season. Sgarbossa’s most prolific NHL tenure came in 2016-17 when he tallied seven points in 29 games with the Florida Panthers. He also received 10 games with the Capitals during the 2021-22 season, scoring four points. He’s a veteran professional, with 541 career AHL games under his belt and a strong 405 points in those matchups.
Sgarbossa will bring competition to the team’s center depth, including Hendrix Lapierre, who has gone without a point through his first three games of the season. The Capitals only have two players with more than six points through their first 10 games and rank second-to-last in terms of goals scored through the early season. With Sgarbossa adding depth, they will look to turn their season around, despite Backstrom’s absence.