Washington Capitals: Michal Kempny gets placed on waivers

While we wait the news on the health of Alex Ovechkin, the Washington Capitals weren’t shy to make a little bit of news on Saturday afternoon. The team announced that they have placed defenseman Michal Kempny on waivers. Teams have 24 hours to claim him until the 2 p.m. eastern deadline tomorrow. If he clears and doesn’t get picked up by another team, Kempny will report to the Hershey Bears.

This news initially comes as a shock. Kempny was an integral part of a Caps defense up top with John Carlson in their run to the Stanley Cup in 2018. Since then, however, Kempny has dealt with three big injuries. One sidelining him for the remainder of the 2018-19 season and playoffs and another costing him all of last season.

Kempny was determined to come back strong and it was good to have him around the team for training camp but in the preseason games he struggled. In his first preseason game against the New Jersey Devils, Kempny was on the ice for two Devils goals including a giveaway on his behalf to Jack Hughes in front of the net.

Kempny continued to turn the puck over in his other preseason games. It’s partly because it’s been over a year since he played in an NHL game and hasn’t been the same since that first injury. The Caps hope he clears waivers and re-finds his game in Hershey.

With Kempny not on the opening night roster, the Capitals will now turn to Dmitry Orlov, Trevor Van Riemsdyk, Martin Fehervary and possibly Matt Irwin on the left side of their defense. Kempny is in the final season of his four year contract worth $10 million where he makes $2.5 million per season.

By sending Kempny to waivers, the Capitals save $1.075 million if he joins the Bears while $2.5 million will come off the books completely if he gets picked up by another team. We find out tomorrow at 2.