Nicklas Backstrom is day-to-day with an upper-body injury and will miss the Washington Capitals’ game Wednesday night at the New York Rangers.
Forwards Carl Hagelin and Nic Dowd also will miss Wednesday’s game, and coupling that with a three-game suspension for fellow forward Garnet Hathaway, the Capitals were forced to make a slew of roster moves to stay under the salary cap.
They called up four players from AHL Hershey: forwards Beck Malenstyn and Mike Sgarbossa, defenseman Tyler Lewington and goalie Ilya Samsonov. They returned goalie Vitek Vanecek to Hershey.
Washington also retroactively placed Hagelin on long-term injured reserve, meaning he must sit out a total of 10 games. The Capitals said he can be activated in time for their Dec. 3 game at the San Jose Sharks.
Dowd was placed on standard IR. He’s also considered day-to-day, so it likely signals that the Capitals feel he’ll be ready to play in their next game Saturday against Vancouver. Dowd has been sidelined by a cut on his hand.
Hathaway’s salary still counts on Washington’s books while he is suspended, so the front office responded by making these moves, which will only affect the roster for a few games.
Malenstyn will make his NHL debut Wednesday, while Sgarbossa will make his Capitals debut. Sgarbossa last appeared at the NHL level for the Florida Panthers in the 2016-17 season.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.