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Snapshots: Aho, Pacioretty, Rangers Injuries

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The New York Islanders have activated defenseman Sebastian Aho off of injured reserve and are expecting him to return for the team’s Wednesday night game. Aho has missed the team’s last eight games with an upper-body injury.

The Islanders are facing a slew of injuries to their blueline, recalling Grant Hutton to the NHL lineup on Wednesday to replace Scott Mayfield, who was announced as day-to-day with an injury of his own. Mayfield joins Ryan Pulock and Adam Pelech on the list of inactive Islanders’ defenders. The team also acquired Robert Bortuzzo via trade, adding to their depth on the back end.

Aho’s return gives New York a small boost. The 27-year-old defenseman has appeared in 19 games this season, netting four assists, six penalty minutes, and a -3. While Aho made his NHL debut in the 2017-18 season, it wasn’t until last year that he played in more than 40 games in one season. He totaled 23 points, 22 penalty minutes, and a +9 through 71 games in the 2022-23 season, ranking fourth among Islanders defenders in scoring.

Other notes from around the league:

Washington Capitals Have Deal In Place For New Arena

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  • After a vote last night from Virginia lawmakers, all reports are indicating that the vote proposal has passed and that the Washington Capitals will be leaving Capital One Arena for Northern Virginia (X Link). Capital One Arena initially opened the season of the Capitals’ first run to the Stanley Cup Final during the 1997-98 season and is currently the 14th oldest active stadium in the NHL.

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Washington Capitals Sign Clay Stevenson To Three-Year Extension

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The Washington Capitals have signed netminder Clay Stevenson to a three-year, $775k AAV contract extension.

According to the team release, the financial structure of the contract is as follows:

2024-25: two-way, $775k NHL salary, $200k AHL Salary
2025-26: one-way, $775k salary
2026-27: one-way, $775k salary

This contract provides Stevenson, 24, with a significant amount of financial security as he enters his mid-twenties. The six-foot-four undrafted goaltender played one season of college hockey at Dartmouth, where he was named to the ECAC Third All-Star team and All-Rookie team, before joining the pro ranks with the Capitals organization.

The Capitals signed Stevenson to a two-year entry-level contract and then stashed him with their ECHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays. He had a strong 2022-23 in South Carolina, posting a .916 save percentage in 36 games played. Stevenson also got into three AHL games last year, posting a 3-0-0 record and .924 save percentage.

That strong form in his debut pro year meant the Capitals could go into 2023-24 with confidence that Stevenson could be part of a strong tandem with their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears.

He’s done more than form a strong tandem, though, he’s surged to the best start of any goalie in the AHL and has firmly supplanted Calder Cup-winning goalie Hunter Shepard as the team’s most reliable option, at least at this early point in the season.

In 13 AHL games, Stevenson has a 1.70 goals-against-average and a stellar .934 save percentage. He’s looked utterly dominant at times, and he has already posted four shutouts in his relatively small sample of games played.

By signing him to this contract extension, the Capitals have accomplished a few things. First and foremost, they now have assured cost certainty for Stevenson for the next three seasons after this one.

Should he continue to play like one of the top goalies in the AHL, Stevenson could very well become the Capitals’ number-two goalie by the time Charlie Lindgren hits unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2025. He’s slated to cost the bare minimum cap hit for the next three seasons, meaning if he can reach the NHL he’ll likely provide the Capitals with a solid bargain.

So given how many positives there are in this extension for Washington from a salary cap perspective, it’s fair to question why Stevenson, such a fast-rising goalie, would lock himself into such an affordable deal for the next three years after this one.

Just as the Capitals have gotten financial certainty, so has Stevenson. Although his NHL cap hit on his entry-level deal was $855k, Stevenson has not yet made the NHL. His salary in the minors has been $80k, meaning a $200k minors salary as soon as next season and then $775k for the following two years, regardless of what level he plays at, is an attractive financial package.

For as strong as Stevenson has played so far, his resume of AHL success consists of just 16 total games. While Stevenson is surely confident that he’ll continue being a strong AHL netminder, sustaining his push towards NHL call-up consideration, it’s also worth noting that sports can be extremely fickle.

By signing this contract, Stevenson financially protects himself in the case that he suffers an injury or some unforeseen steep decline in form. Could he have risked things, signed only a one-year extension, and then been in a strong position to cash in if he sustained league-best statistics for a full AHL campaign? Probably, but that’s an immense risk to take.

And in any case, if Stevenson can continue his rise he’ll nonetheless be in a position to cash in when he’s still in his twenties, which is far from old for a goaltender.

Possible New Arena Plan For Capitals?

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  • A group of Virginia state lawmakers voted Monday for a deal that would bring the Capitals and NBA Wizards to a new arena in Northern Virginia, report Teo Armus, Laura Vozzella, Sam Fortier, and Gregory S. Schneider of the Washington Post. If the plan received approval from the General Assembly and other local officials, the two teams would play in an arena in Alexandria’s Potomac Yard neighborhood.  Monumental Sports and Entertainment, the group that owns the Caps and Wizards, would lease the new facility under this plan.  Capital One Arena, where the team plays now, is one of the older buildings in the NHL having been built back in 1997.

Capitals Activate T.J. Oshie, Assign Hendrix Lapierre To AHL

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The Capitals will welcome back winger T.J. Oshie to their lineup tonight against the Rangers as they announced that he has been activated off injured reserve.  To make room for him on the active roster, Washington has assigned center Hendrix Lapierre to AHL Hershey.

Oshie has missed the last six games with an upper-body injury.  However, prior to the injury, things had not been going well for the 37-year-old.  Oshie had just one goal and one assist in his first 17 games of the season despite averaging 16:40 per night, nearly the identical ice time compared to a year ago when he collected 35 points in 58 games.

He’s hardly the only veteran Capital to struggle to score this season.  Washington enters tonight’s action dead last in the NHL in goals with 56 despite returning most of the same group from last season which finished 20th in the league in scoring.

As for Lapierre, he has spent the bulk of the season so far with Washington following a late-October recall, going in and out of the lineup when needed.  Overall, he has played in 11 games with the Caps, collecting a goal and two assists while logging just over ten minutes a night.  The 2020 first-rounder also has three assists in six contests with the Bears.  As one of only a handful of waiver-exempt players on the roster, he winds up drawing the short straw to return to the minors this time around.

Pacioretty Two Weeks Away At Least, Oshie Could Play Saturday

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  • Capitals winger Max Pacioretty skated daily last week as he continues his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon, relays NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link). However, the veteran is still at least two weeks away from returning according to head coach Spencer Carbery.  Pacioretty signed a one-year contract with Washington this summer, one that carries a base cap hit of $2MM while he can add up to $2MM more in games played incentives.  He was limited to just five games last season but had 37 points in 39 appearances in 2021-22 with Vegas.  When he returns, Washington will be hoping he can get back to that level of production.
  • Still with the Capitals, Gulitti relays in a separate tweet that winger T.J. Oshie took part in practice today in a non-contact jersey as he works his way back from an upper-body injury. The next step is a full skate in a contact sweater which could come tomorrow, paving the way for a return as soon as Saturday.  Oshie has missed the last couple of weeks with that injury after a particularly rough start to his campaign as he has just one goal and one assist in his first 17 games.

Evgeny Kuznetsov A Healthy Scratch

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Similar to the approach that Pascal Vincent took with Patrik Laine on the Columbus Blue Jackets, the head coach of the Washington Capitals, Spencer Carbery, has decided to scratch Evgeny Kuznetsov for tonight’s game (X Link). After missing 10 days with an illness back in the middle of November, Kuznetsov has only scored one goal upon his return and had previously moved to the fourth line as well as benched during games.

It is not a surprising move by any means, as Kuznetsov has failed to live up to expectations both this season and last, as well as failed to provide equal value to his $7.8MM salary. Simply put, as now the second highest-paid forward on the team with the absence of Nicklas Backstrom, the Capitals need much more production out of Kuznetsov on the offensive side of the puck.

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Washington Capitals Reassign Hunter Shepard

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Dec. 4: Shepard was returned to AHL Hershey on Monday, per the NHL’s media transactions log. Lindgren is likely ready to return from the illness that sidelined him and will dress tonight against the Coyotes.

Dec. 2: The Washington Capitals announced that they have recalled goaltender Hunter Shepard from their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, and he will be in the lineup tonight as the team takes on the Western Conference-leading Vegas Golden Knights. Their usual backup goaltender, Charlie Lindgren, was out yesterday and took a maintenance day this afternoon, and will not be available for tonight’s matchup.

Although he will likely not play tonight with Darcy Kuemper still in the net, this will be Shepard’s fourth call-up of the season, although the first three were all on an emergency loan. Earlier this season in late October, also in Lindgren’s absence, Shepard was able to make his NHL debut against the New Jersey Devils, securing the win after making a total of 18 saves on 22 shots. A few weeks later, Shepard was once again in the net for the Capitals, stopping 36 shots out of 37 in a win against the New York Islanders.

Last season, once again spent primarily with the Bears, Shepard held a 20-8-5 record through the regular season, holding a .916 SV% and a 2.18 GAA. In the playoffs, Shepard was fundamental in Hershey winning the 2023 Calder Cup, producing a 14-6-0 record with a .914 SV%, and winning the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy, awarded to the Calder Cup playoffs most valuable player.

The trophies won last year are not the only ones in Shepard’s case, as he backed the University of Minnesota-Duluth to back-to-back National Championships in 2018 and 2019, all while winning back-to-back NCHC Goaltender of the Year awards in 2019 and 2020.

Capitals Place T.J. Oshie On Injured Reserve, Activate Martin Fehérváry

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The Capitals made some roster moves this afternoon, most notably placing winger T.J. Oshie on injured reserve with an upper-body injury retroactive to November 24, according to the NHL’s media portal. Defenseman Martin Fehérváry was activated off IR in a corresponding transaction and replaced Oshie on the 23-man active roster.

While Washington has impressed this season and sits in playoff position in the Metropolitan Division, Oshie hasn’t been a significant factor. Oshie has seen ice time worth of a top-six forward, averaging 16:39 per game, but the 37-year-old is producing at (by far) the worst rate of his NHL career. Injuries have been a factor the last few seasons, but he still managed to stay relevant last year with 35 points in 58 contests. Now, he’s as snakebitten as ever, notching just one goal and one assist through 17 games. It’s worth noting he’s shooting at just 3.3% – the only time in his 16-year, 975-game career that he’s shot in the single digits.

This is not an unexpected move. He is listed as day-to-day, and it was reported last weekend that he would not travel with the team on their five-game West Coast road swing. Hopefully, the veteran can return to action when the team returns home, and he can continue on his quest to 1,000 games.

In placing Oshie on IR, the Capitals create space for the much younger Fehérváry to return to play tonight against the Sharks. The 24-year-old landed on IR over two weeks ago and missed five games with a lower-body injury sustained November 10 against the Devils. Selected 46th overall in 2018, the budding top-four defender has logged two assists in 12 games this season, averaging 18:20 per contest. His 50.3% Corsi share at even strength is a marked improvement over his first two full seasons in the NHL, and he continues to grow into a trusted complementary player who can handle significant defensive zone usage. He’ll assume a top-pairing alongside John Carlson in his return to the lineup tonight.

Oshie Won't Travel With Capitals On Road Trip

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After leaving Friday’s game against Edmonton following a collision with Mattias Ekholm, Capitals winger T.J. Oshie will not travel with the team for their upcoming five-game West Coast road trip, reports Sammi Silber of The Hockey News.  Oshie has dealt with concussion issues throughout his career and while the team didn’t call the injury that, they’re clearly taking a cautious approach with the 36-year-old.  It has been a particularly challenging year on the ice for Oshie, who has been limited to just one goal and one assist through his first 17 games of the season, numbers that are by far the worst of his career.  Oshie has one year left on his contract after this one which carries a $5.75MM AAV.

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