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T.J. Oshie Out Week-To-Week

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The Washington Capitals have lost one of their most reliable forwards, as T.J. Oshie is now listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury. As Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic tweets, Oshie blocked a shot against the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday night, which could have led to the injury though he did finish the game. El-Bashir adds that his sources have indicated that the veteran forward is in a walking boot and on crutches.

Losing Oshie for a chunk of the season would be a huge blow to the Capitals, who use the 34-year-old forward all over the lineup and in different situations. He has four goals and six points in his first seven games after securing his sixth career 20+ goal season in 2020-21. That 22-goal, 43-point campaign came in just 53 games, making it all the more impressive for a player that hasn’t seemed to lose a step as he enters his mid-thirties.

It’s also tough news for the team after they failed to secure the win against Detroit last night, losing in overtime after getting out to a 2-0 lead early in the second period. While the team hasn’t actually lost in regulation yet and technically sit at the top of the Metropolitan Division, they have now dropped three of their seven games in overtime. With the undefeated Carolina Hurricanes right behind them and other Metro teams starting to get healthy, losing Oshie for any length of time is obviously undesirable.

Injury Notes: Klingberg, Senators, Dowd

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It looks like the Dallas Stars will receive a huge boost for their game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night in the form of a healthy John Klingberg. Head coach Rick Bowness said Sunday morning that Klingberg “should” return, but that the team won’t have full confirmation until tomorrow. The 29-year-old defenseman was injured in the team’s season opener and missed the succeeding four games, playing just 10:21 before suffering a lower-body injury. He’ll look to provide a boost with his offensive instincts to a team that’s scored just ten goals through their first five games.

More injury notes from around the league:

  • There’s some updates on the injury front in Ottawa, as TSN reports goalie Matt Murray has been moved to injured reserve with a neck injury after being run into by the Rangers’ Chris Kreider on Saturday afternoon. He’ll miss at least the next ten days. It also appears center Shane Pinto will be out for a shorter term than expected, as head coach D.J. Smith he’s only expected to be absent for a week or two. A prompt return would be a good break for both him and the team, as Pinto had begun to impress in a top-six role.
  • Washington Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette says the status of Nic Dowd for the team’s one-game road trip to Ottawa on Monday night is in question. Dowd is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. He played in all of the team’s overtime loss to the Calgary Flames on Saturday, so even if he does miss that contest, it doesn’t appear he’ll be out for any sort of term. The native of Huntsville, Alabama has one goal in five games this season.

Washington Capitals Claim Dennis Cholowski

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The Seattle Kraken have lost one of their expansion picks to waivers, as Dennis Cholowski has been claimed by the Washington Capitals according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. To make room on the roster, the team has loaned Beck Malenstyn back to the AHL.

This is exactly the risk that we discussed earlier this summer, as the Kraken had collected almost a dozen defensemen who all required waivers to go to the minor leagues. While they managed to get several through in the preseason, Cholowski is now lost just a few months after being selected from the Detroit Red Wings in the Seattle expansion draft. He did not play for the team in the opener after Jamie Oleksiak was cleared from the COVID protocol at the last minute, and will now head to Washington where it’s nearly as crowded on the back end.

The Capitals used all six of their defensemen last night for at least 16:50, with Justin Schultz being the lowest on that pole but contributing a goal and six shots to the effort. Matt Irwin, who was serving as the team’s seventh defenseman, seems likely to be the odd man out when their newest player arrives. That doesn’t mean the 23-year-old Cholowski is in line for big minutes though, he’ll have to prove that his poor results in Detroit were more because of the team around him than his own shortcomings.

But he’s also a 2016 first-round pick that has over 100 games at the NHL level already, something that’s certainly worth another look for a team that can afford it. Roster spots are thin around the league, but given that Malenstyn can be moved down without issue and Irwin might even clear waivers if needed, the Capitals could take a chance. If they ever want to place Cholowski back on waivers and send him down, the Kraken would have a chance to reclaim him.

Nicklas Backstrom Designated As Injured/Non-Roster

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  • Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom has been making progress as he works his way back from a hip injury but the team announced (Twitter link) that the veteran has been designated as injured/non-roster on their season-opening roster. Head coach Peter Laviolette told reporters, including NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link) that the 33-year-old has to start skating.  As a result, it appears it will be a little while longer before Washington’s top pivot is in the lineup.

Barre-Boulet, Brooks, Brown Claimed Off Waivers

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Three players were claimed off waivers today, just before opening night rosters are submitted. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the Seattle Kraken claimed Alex Barre-Boulet from the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Montreal Canadiens claimed Adam Brooks from the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Philadelphia Flyers claimed Patrick Brown from the Vegas Golden Knights. The Washington Capitals also re-claimed Axel Jonsson-Fjallby from the Buffalo Sabres and assuming they were the only team to put in a claim, can now send him directly to the minor leagues. The other 39 players placed on waivers yesterday have cleared.

Barre-Boulet seemed the likeliest player to be claimed among yesterday’s group, as the 24-year-old has not only shown extremely well at the minor league level, but also is signed at league minimum for the next three seasons. The former Lightning prospect signed a three-year deal in July that pays him $750K at the NHL level this year and next, and $775K in 2023-24 when the minimum increases. That alone makes him valuable and he’ll now get a chance to show exactly what he can do in Seattle, rather than be blocked by countless talented teammates in Tampa Bay.

Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2018, Barre-Boulet was a superstar in the QMJHL but lacks the size of a traditional NHL player. That certainly hasn’t held him back in the AHL, as he has posted 136 points in 144 games for the Syracuse Crunch since turning pro. That includes eight goals in just ten games last season, which helped elevate him to the NHL level where he played in 15 games for the Lightning. Though he is by no means a lock to produce for the Kraken, it was an easy choice to add his talent to the organization when it came available.

Brooks too seemed like an inevitable loss for the Maple Leafs when they decided to place him on waivers instead of Michael Amadio yesterday. Toronto will lose their depth forward to the rival Canadiens and could see him on the other side of the ice quickly. Montreal will travel to Toronto on Wednesday for their season opener, though it’s not clear if Brooks will step directly into the lineup. The 25-year-old has always seemed to play well when given the chance–that just hasn’t been very often. He has played just 18 regular season games for the Maple Leafs thus far, registering eight points.

There seems to be something of a trend in Philadelphia, where Brown will be the latest Boston College alumni to join the roster. He played college hockey with both Kevin Hayes and Cam Atkinson, winning the national championship in 2012 with the former. He adds plenty of pro experience but not a lot at the NHL level, given he’s only suited up for 33 regular season games. Incredibly, that total has almost been matched by his postseason experience, where he has played in 22 games the last three seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes and Golden Knights.

Alex Ovechkin Out Day-To-Day With Lower Body Injury

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Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Ovechkin left last night’s preseason game against the Philadelphia Flyers when he fell awkwardly after laying a hit on Philadelphia’s Travis Konecny.

Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic notes that Ovechkin was seen walking around the Capitals’ facility this morning without a brace, wrap, or limp.

The fact that Ovechkin is walking around without assistance so soon is extremely promising, especially when considering how dangerous the fall looked at first glance. While his day-to-day status still puts his availability for their home opener against the New York Rangers on Wednesday in doubt, a long-term absence now seems extremely unlikely at this point. Capitals forward Lars Eller had this to say on Ovechkin’s health:

I never seen [the Russian machine] break. And it gets repaired pretty quickly. It’s not broke for long.

If Ovechkin can’t play on opening night, the Capitals would be without their two best forwards. Center Nicklas Backstrom remains sidelined with a hip injury with no timetable for a return.

The 36-year-old Russian enters the 2021-22 campaign with 730 career goals, good enough for sixth all-time and just one goal behind Marcel Dionne, who holds fifth place. Ovechkin had led the league in scoring for seven out of the past nine seasons, only losing out on the Rocket Richard trophy in 2016-17 (Sidney Crosby) and 2020-21 (Auston Matthews).

Alex Ovechkin Being Re-Evaluated Following Friday's Injury

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Washington Capitals Sign Vincent Iorio

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The Washington Capitals lost a young player on waivers today but immediately added a new one to the organization. The team has signed 2021 draft pick Vincent Iorio to a three-year, entry-level contract. The deal carries an average annual value of $875,833.

Iorio, 18, was sent back to the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL a few days ago after appearing in one preseason game. Selected 55th overall in this year’s draft, the young defenseman is already off to a quick start with Brandon, recording two points in his first two games. Unfortunately, both of those games were blowouts that didn’t go the way of the Wheat Kings, as they were outscored 17-3 by the Winnipeg ICE.

Still, the 6’3″ defenseman has a bright future and can now focus entirely on his development and not worry about earning an entry-level deal with the Capitals. He won’t turn 19 until November and is already in his fourth WHL season. Because he’s spending the year in junior, the first year of his deal will not be burned. Instead, the contract will slide forward and keep Iorio under control through the 2024-25 season–it could even side forward again next year, should he fail to play in the NHL.

Buffalo Sabres Claim Axel Jonsson-Fjallby

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The Buffalo Sabres have nabbed a young forward off waivers, claiming Axel Jonsson-Fjallby from the Washington Capitals according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Jonsson-Fjallby, 23, was a fifth-round pick of the Capitals in 2016 that found success overseas while playing in the SHL, but still hasn’t been able to crack an NHL lineup. That could change in Buffalo with the Sabres going through (another) rebuild, desperately searching for young talent. In 31 games for the Hershey Bears last season, Jonsson-Fjallby did record ten goals and 15 points.

This was the first time the young forward had hit waivers, and though that is normally a disappointing time in a player’s career, it is a great opportunity for Jonsson-Fjallby. He’ll be kept on the NHL roster for the time being, meaning not only will he potentially get a chance to make his debut, he’ll also be earning his NHL salary if he lasts into the regular season. Jonsson-Fjallby signed a new two-year, two-way contract in June which carries an NHL salary of $750K and an AHL salary of $175K this season.

Nicklas Backstrom Unlikely To Be Available To Start Regular Season

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While Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom doesn’t want to rule out the possibility that he’s available for Washington’s season opener, Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press reports that all signs point to the veteran not being available when the regular season gets underway.  Backstrom is dealing with a hip injury, the same side that he had surgery on in 2015 and is hopeful to start skating soon.  The Caps don’t have the cap space to carry a full 23-man roster so this could put them in a bit of a tight squeeze to start the season.  It could, however, create an opening for youngster Connor McMichael to break camp in a top-six role, at least in the short term.  Backstrom would need to miss three weeks and ten games to be eligible for LTIR relief.

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