John Carlson To Miss Second Straight Game; Remains Day-To-Day
- Washington Capitals All-Star defenseman John Carlson remains out of the lineup for a second straight game with a lower-body injury and is still day-to-day, according to head coach Peter Laviolette. The 32-year-old defender had six points through his first nine games, and Trevor van Riemsdyk will remain in a top-four role in Carlson’s absence. Carlson finished 10th in Norris Trophy voting last season after a 71-point campaign.
Connor Brown Undergoes Surgery
The Washington Capitals thought they were adding a versatile middle-six forward that could contribute in all situations this summer when they traded for Connor Brown. That contribution could last less than four games, as Brown has undergone surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee. The recovery timeline, based on the nature of the procedure, is six to eight months.
While he hasn’t been ruled out for the full season, Brown’s return in 2022-23 is “highly unlikely” according to Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet.
Given that he is on an expiring contract, this is worst-case news for the 28-year-old forward, who got an early chance to play alongside Alex Ovechkin to start the year.
After spending the last three seasons playing huge minutes for the rebuilding Ottawa Senators, Brown was an attractive piece for a team like the Capitals looking to add veteran depth to their forward group.
Instead, it looks like he’ll enter contract negotiations with a zero-point season unless he can find a way to make a return before the end of the year. Brown was scoreless through the three-and-a-half games he managed in a Washington uniform.
If needed, Brown’s $3.6MM cap hit can be moved to long-term injured reserve, opening up a little bit of flexibility for the Capitals. Unfortunately, the team’s forward group keeps losing talent, with T.J. Oshie going down recently. While Tom Wilson and Nicklas Backstrom are getting closer to a return, the veteran group in Washington will be tested this season – potentially opening up time for some younger players to make their mark.
Clay Stevenson Assigned To ECHL
- The Washington Capitals have assigned Clay Stevenson to the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays, suggesting he has recovered enough to start getting back into game action. The 23-year-old was a free agent signing out of Dartmouth and underwent hand surgery at the beginning of October. Given a timeline of four to six weeks from then, his recovery seems to be right on track.
T.J. Oshie Out Indefinitely With Lower-Body Injury
The Washington Capitals haven’t updated T.J. Oshie‘s status after exiting Saturday’s game early other than to tell reporters including Samantha Pell of the Washington Post that he is out indefinitely. Oshie did not travel with the team to Carolina and will not play in tonight’s game.
John Carlson is also out with a lower-body injury and will not play tonight, but the team designated him as day-to-day. That suggests Oshie’s indefinite timeline is longer than that, a substantial blow for a team that is already without Nicklas Backstrom, Tom Wilson, Connor Brown, and Carl Hagelin due to various injuries. With Oshie exiting early, Conor Sheary played a season-high 18:55 in the win over Nashville.
The 35-year-old Oshie had scored five points in his first six games of the season but was held off the scoresheet in the two games previous to Saturday’s tilt. The veteran winger still plays a ton for the Capitals, including as a key part of their first powerplay unit. Hopefully, this new injury isn’t one that keeps him out too long, especially given his experience last season.
Oshie played just 44 games and had the worst statistical season of his career, scoring just 11 goals and 25 points. Signed through 2024-25, getting him back to full strength will be important for the Capitals’ contention in the Metropolitan Division.
Injury Notes: Slafkovsky, Nichushkin, Lyubushkin, Stepan, Capitals
Some good news is abound tonight for Montreal Canadiens fans, as 2022 first-overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky is returning to the lineup tonight against the St. Louis Blues. Slafkovsky had not played in nine days.
The Slovak phenom suffered the injury after getting hit hard by Arizona Coyotes defenseman Josh Brown, but then immediately proceeded to score his first NHL goal, leading to what was an intense stare during his goal celebration. It was then reported earlier this week that Slafkovsky was undergoing tests on an upper-body issue, but they appear to have concluded that it was nothing major. The goal is his lone NHL point so far through five games.
- Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin will miss his second straight game tonight with a lower-body injury, per The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando. Nichushkin remains day-to-day and the team’s “hope” is that he rejoins the squad for their first practice in Finland, ahead of their Global Series matchup next week against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Tampere. Despite missing a game already, Nichushkin still holds the team lead in goals (seven) and points (12).
- Half of the Buffalo Sabres blueline is out of game action now. The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski reports that Ilya Lyubushkin is not playing tonight due to a lower-body injury, with Lawrence Pilut drawing back into the lineup in his place. Lyubushkin missed a game earlier in the season with a lower-body injury, and it’s unclear whether the two are related. He has one assist in six games to begin his Sabres career.
- The Carolina Hurricanes announced tonight that forward Derek Stepan would not return to their game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Per the team, Stepan suffered an upper-body injury. We will likely receive more information on the nature of Stepan’s absence tomorrow.
- The Washington Capitals have issued two injury updates of their own. Per a team announcement, both John Carlson and T.J. Oshie are doubtful to return to tonight’s contest against the Nashville Predators due to lower-body injuries. Like with Stepan, we will likely get more information on these injuries tomorrow.
Peter Laviolette Will Coach Saturday With Non-COVID Illness
- Washington Capitals Head Coach Peter Laviolette will be behind the bench for tonight’s game, confirms Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press. The Washington bench boss had been a game-time decision with a non-COVID illness. The Capitals host the Los Angeles Kings at home tonight.
Ted Leonsis' Group Emerging As Front Runner To Purchase MLB's Nationals
- Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis is leading a group that is reportedly the front-runner to purchase Major League Baseball’s Washington Nationals, per reporting from The Athletic’s David Aldridge, Brittany Ghiroli, and Ken Rosenthal. Leonsis has been the owner of the Capitals since 1999 and would become just the second owner of teams in three of the four major U.S. professional men’s sports leagues. For more information on Leonsis’ potential purchase, we refer you to the more extensive coverage over at MLB Trade Rumors.
Connor Brown Out Long-Term; Washington Capitals Recall Beck Malenstyn
With Evgeny Kuznetsov serving a suspension and Connor Brown unavailable due to injury, the Washington Capitals were forced to recall a forward. They have chosen Beck Malenstyn, who played 12 games for the team last season.
It is not clear yet how long Brown will be out, but the team told reporters including Samantha Pell of the Washington Post that it will be long-term. That isn’t an ideal situation for the team to be in, especially after losing Axel Jonsson Fjallby and Brett Leason to a roster crunch just a few days ago. That was a lot of the team’s depth, though they did add Sonny Milano on a one-year deal to help fill the cupboard back up.
Malenstyn, 24, has just 15 NHL appearances to his name and isn’t exactly an offensive force. The fifth-round pick scored just ten goals and 16 points in 65 games with the Hershey Bears last season but does offer a big body for the bottom-six. As everyone slides up, the Capitals have inserted Connor McMichael into the third-line center role for tomorrow’s game, while Conor Sheary jumps up to the top unit across from Alex Ovechkin and beside Lars Eller.
The team knows Kuznetsov will be back after his one-game suspension, but Brown’s absence will be noticeable. The versatile winger had averaged over 18 minutes through his first three games, most importantly as the team’s top penalty-killing forward. In fact, Kuznetsov was second on that list, meaning others will have to pick up the slack tomorrow night.
Evgeny Kuznetsov Suspended One Game
The Department of Player Safety has decided to suspend Evgeny Kuznetsov for one game for his high stick last night. The Washington Capitals forward will be held out of the team’s Thursday night match against the Ottawa Senators. As the accompanying video explains:
It is important to note that this is not a careless use of the stick. Rather, this is an intentional stick swing toward an opponent that makes high contact. While we recognize Kuznetsov’s assertion that he did not mean to hit Burroughs so high, players are accountable for their stick at all times. What causes this play to rise to the level of supplementary discipline is the purposeful nature of the swing, and the location where it lands on the opponent.
When discussing Kuznetsov’s history, the video does not include his suspension for off-ice incidents, as expected. Interestingly though, it also references only one fine in his 603-game career. That is likely last season’s high-sticking infraction against Noel Acciari and means his previous fine for diving/embellishment was not taken into account as part of his relevant supplementary discipline history in this case.
After earning just a two-minute minor penalty on the play, the Capitals forward will have to sit and watch the team’s next game. With Connor Brown also missing practice with a lower-body injury, Washington could have a very different lineup on Thursday night.
Evgeny Kuznetsov To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety
We could have our first suspension of the regular season, as Evgeny Kuznetsov of the Washington Capitals will have a hearing with the Department of Player Safety later today. The incident in question was a high stick on Vancouver Canucks defenseman Kyle Burroughs, as he got to his feet following a scoring chance.
As Kuznetsov drives across the net with the puck, Burroughs moves across the crease and collides with the Capitals forward. As they are getting up, Kuznetsov delivers a forceful, two-handed swing that appears to connect with the Canucks defender’s face.
Not only does the video evidence look bad, but Kuznetsov also has a history of supplementary discipline, including a fine for high-sticking just last season. His only suspension, back in 2019, was for off-ice conduct that will likely not be taken into account. Still, given he has two on-ice fines and was only given a minor penalty, a suspension, in this case, seems likely.