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Vincent Iorio Assigned To AHL

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The Washington Capitals have provided their AHL affiliate with a little bit more firepower, recalling Vincent Iorio to the Hershey Bears. Iorio had been playing with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL but was ousted from the playoffs on Sunday.

Selected 55th overall in 2021, the 19-year-old defenseman experienced a breakout season for Brandon this year. In 60 games he registered 11 goals and 44 points, numbers that eclipsed the totals from his first three WHL seasons. The puck-moving upside that made him such an interesting prospect has started to come more consistently and the points have followed.

With Hershey set to start their first-round series on Friday night, Iorio represents another option for head coach Scott Allan, and one he’ll likely become very familiar with in the coming years. While there’s still work to be done before the young defenseman reaches the NHL level, this season especially has proven that a future with the Capitals is definitely possible.

Despite joining the ranks of professional hockey, Iorio’s three-year entry-level contract will not kick in for this season. Instead, it will slide forward and keep him under wraps through 2024-25.

Washington Capitals Sign Bogdan Trineyev

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The Washington Capitals have finished a bit of business before starting their first-round playoff series, signing Bogdan Trineyev to a three-year entry-level contract. The deal will carry an average annual value of $859,167.

Trineyev, 20, was a fourth-round pick of the Avalanche in 2020 and has barely even played at the KHL level. He spent most of this season in the MHL with Dynamo Mosco, scoring 18 points in 21 games. Despite his lack of experience though, he was involved in this year’s KHL playoffs, where he recorded his first point at that level. A member of the 2020 Hlinka-Gretzky team that won gold, it will be interesting to see just what Trineyev can bring to the Capitals system, given how little professional action he has to this point.

There’s plenty of time for him to develop though, as Washington certainly isn’t rushing a prospect like this to NHL minutes. The team already has 13 forwards signed to one-way contracts for next season, with several youngsters in the mix on their entry-level deals. The team is always looking for some additional depth, but a young player like Trineyev will have time to establish himself, should he come to North America next season.

East Notes: Ekblad, Ovechkin, Maple Leafs

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Most people have forgotten that despite the Florida Panthers’ torrid pace over the past few months, defenseman Aaron Ekblad has been rehabbing a lower-body injury for about the past six weeks. Team head coach Andrew Brunette said today that Ekblad was a full participant in today’s practice and that the team remains hopeful he returns at some point during the First Round series against the Washington Capitals. There’s even a possibility Ekblad is ready to go for Game 1 on Tuesday night if all goes smoothly for him.

It’s likely just adding insult to injury at this point for Washington, who’ll now have to face the Presidents’ Trophy winner and the hottest team in the East with another added All-Star component in the lineup. Ekblad was playing nearly 25 minutes per game prior to his injury, notching 57 points in 61 games, which still has him at ninth in the NHL among defensemen despite the injury. He’ll slide right back into a nightmare top pairing for opponents with MacKenzie Weegar, who’s flourished in the no. 1 defenseman role since Ekblad’s injury.

  • Alex Ovechkin was a full participant at Capitals practice today, and AP’s Stephen Whyno reports it’s looking like he’ll dress for Game 1 against the Panthers. This is obviously an indescribable boost to Washington’s chances in this series, as they’ll need everyone firing on all cylinders in order to pull off one of the largest possible upsets in these playoffs. His 50 goals leads the time by a wide margin, and it looks like he’ll get a chance to add to his 71 career playoff goals and 135 career playoff points.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs got some mixed injury news at practice today. Ondrej Kase, who hasn’t played in six weeks, was a full participant in practice today and it appears he’ll be in the lineup for Game 1 tomorrow against the Tampa Bay Lightning. However, while Michael Bunting practiced for the first time since sustaining an injury against Tampa last week, he wasn’t a full participant and left practice halfway through. He’s extremely doubtful for Game 1.

Update On Alex Ovechkin

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  • Coach Peter Laviolette issued an update (relayed by Dan Rosen of NHL.com) on the status of Alex Ovechkin today. The Capitals’ captain has been out with an upper-body injury and did not play in the team’s season finale against the Rangers. But although he didn’t play in today’s game, it does seem that he is on track for a relatively soon return. Ovechkin skated this morning and had a “good day,” according to Laviolette, so it’s likely that he’ll be ready in time for the Capitals’ playoff series.

Washington Capitals Sign Garin Bjorklund

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The Washington Capitals have signed another prospect, this time inking Garin Bjorklund to a three-year entry-level contract. The young netminder played this season with the Medicine Hat Tigers, and signed an amateur tryout contract with the Hershey Bears earlier this month. The new entry-level contract will carry an average annual value of $843,333 and likely begins next season.

One might look at Bjorklund’s numbers in 2021-22 and wonder why the Capitals would even consider bringing him into the organization, but a huge part of his struggles was the poor play of the team around him. The Tigers put together one of the worst seasons in WHL history, winning just 11 of 63 games for a brutal 0.191 points percentage. The fact that Bjorklund even won eight games was a miracle, and his .877 save percentage in 48 appearances should be taken with a huge grain of salt.

Still, there’s obviously lots of work left to do for the 19-year-old netminder, who was a sixth-round pick in 2020. With a much more encouraging performance during the shortened 2020-21 season–and an impressive showing at last year’s development and training camp–Bjorklund will have to hope 2022-23, when he’s eligible for professional hockey, can be a jumping-off point for the rest of his career.

He’ll turn 20 in a month, meaning the Capitals could assign him to the AHL or ECHL next season to get him acclimated to the minor leagues. His contract will kick in regardless of where he plays, meaning he’ll be a restricted free agent in the summer of 2025.

Alex Ovechkin Still Out With Upper-Body Injury

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The Washington Capitals will not have Alex Ovechkin in the lineup again this evening, as he continues to deal with an upper-body injury. The superstar winger did participate in today’s skate, however, and head coach Peter Laviolette told reporters including Samantha Pell of the Washington Post that it is too early to tell whether Ovechkin will play in the season finale tomorrow.

Just the fact that he’s back on the ice is obviously a good sign, as it at least appears as though Ovechkin will be ready to start the playoffs. Who he and the rest of the Capitals will face in the first round is still a mystery, as they continue to battle with the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final Metropolitan Division playoff spot, but having the 50-goal scorer in the lineup is obviously the biggest priority at this point.

Joe Snively Sent To AHL On Conditioning Loan

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The Washington Capitals could be getting Joe Snively back as a depth option in the next little while, as the injured forward has been sent to the Hershey Bears on an LTIR conditioning loan. Snively is coming back from wrist surgery and will be eligible for the Bears first-round playoff series, should they want to insert him into the lineup.

Of course, while it’s great news for the Bears and their Calder Cup hopes, there is a bigger prize that the Capitals have their eyes on and Snively could potentially help them get there. This is a player that recorded four goals and seven points in his first 12 NHL games, and could potentially step into an offensive role should the Capitals suffer any injuries along the way.

For now, he’ll need to get back up to speed in the AHL. Snively had 38 points in 35 games to start the year with Hershey and should immediately give them another top-line player to help their playoff run. The team had middling success through the second half of the year and ended up going 34-32-10 on the year, good enough for fifth place in the Atlantic Division.

Joe Snively Resumes Skating

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  • Capitals winger Joe Snively skated for the first time on Sunday after undergoing wrist surgery last month, relays Samantha Pell of the Washington Post. The 26-year-old did well in his first career NHL recall, picking up four goals and three assists before being injured in his 12th game at the end of February.  Nevertheless, Snively did well enough to earn a two-year, one-way extension which he inked last month.  It’s unlikely that Snively will be in Washington’s lineup to start the playoffs but if some injuries strike, he could be an option to suit up.

Alex Ovechkin Listed As Day-To-Day With Upper-Body Injury

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  • Alex Ovechkin has been listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury after leaving last night’s game for the Washington Capitals but was present on the ice and in full uniform at the team photo today. With the Capitals still trying to chase down the Pittsburgh Penguins for a better playoff position, losing Ovechkin over the last few games of the season will obviously be a big blow. But with their inclusion in the postseason secure, resting him through the next week may be the more prudent option. Ovechkin, who will turn 37 before the start of next season, has 50 goals and 90 points in 77 games this year.

Alex Ovechkin Leaves Game With Upper-Body Injury

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According to Samantha Pell of the Washington Post, Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin left tonight’s game with an upper-body injury and will not return to the game (link). The injury happened early in the third period when Ovechkin found himself on a breakaway, but was tripped up by Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Erik Kallgren, who reached his stick out to try to poke the puck away from Ovechkin, who crashed awkwardly into the boards, lead by his left arm and shoulder. The star winger was able to get up under his own power, but immediately left the ice and went to the dressing room, not returning.

It doesn’t need to be said that the loss of Ovechkin, for any stretch of time, is a major loss for the Capitals. For tonight, Washington was able to rally around their captain after he left, scoring two quick goals to take a 3-1 lead before Toronto came storming back. However, with three games remaining after tonight, and in a tight battle with the Boston Bruins for the first Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference, Washington will need everything it can get out of Ovechkin. Standings battles aside, the team only has a little over one week before playoff games begin, where they will be facing either the Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, or possibly the New York Rangers, none of whom will be an easy task.

At 36-years-old, Ovechkin is still his team’s most valuable player and making his own case as the league’s most valuable player this season, with 50 goals and 40 assists in 77 games, including tonight. The future hall-of-famer has been a rock for the Capitals, missing little to no games every season, including just two this year. Of course, it’s still too early to know any timetable for Ovechkin or the severity of the injury, but the Capitals and their fans will have to hold their breath on the status of their captain this close to playoff time.

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