With more injuries running rampant on the Washington Capitals the team recalled two defensemen in Lucas Johansen and Dylan McIlrath from the Hershey Bears ahead of their game tonight against the Winnipeg Jets.
Both could possibly be in the lineup tonight as Erik Gustafsson left morning skate early.
Johansen recorded two points in 12 games with Hershey this season with one goal and one assist. The 25 year old also appeared in one game with Washington this season, recording 11:47 minutes of ice time on Nov. 7 against the Edmonton Oilers.
The Vancouver, British Columbia native made his NHL debut and recorded his first career point on Dec. 31, 2021 against the Detroit Red Wings. The six foot two, 180 pound defenseman recorded 28 points with eight goals and 20 assists in 62 games with Hershey during the 2021-22 season, establishing AHL career highs in goals, points and plus minus with a plus 20.
McIlrath recorded five assists in 22 games with Hershey this season. The 30 year old ranks second on Hershey with 36 penalty minutes and his five points are tied for the third most among Hershey defensemen.
McIlrath is eligible to play tonight after he served his two game suspension from a check to the head in the 2021 preseason last preseason. The NHL and NHL Players Association had a settlement in the fall that allowed him to serve his suspension in the preseason.
The Caps defense is banged up. Dmitry Orlov has missed the last 16 games. Alex Alexeyev left Friday’s game against the Seattle Kraken after a cheap headshot. Martin Fehervary has also missed the last three games.
Despite all the injuries there was some positive news at morning skate. Both Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson traveled with the team for the first time this season. They were on the ice for morning skate in navy blue non contact sweaters.
The Caps take on the Winnipeg Jets tonight at 7 p.m. on NBC Sports Washington. Update: the Caps sent back McIlrath which means Orlov COULD be available, per Samantha Pell of The Washington Post.