On Sunday, the worst fears came true for the Washington Capitals. They announced that center Pierre-Luc Dubois is going to miss three-to-four months after undergoing surgery last Friday “to address injuries to his abdominal and adductor muscles.”
It leaves a huge hole in Spencer Carbery's lineup for a team that is off to a 7-7-1 start to the season and sitting on the outside looking in on an Eastern Conference playoff berth. They are just one point ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets for the bottom spot in the Metropolitan Division. It is early in the year; however, we are just two and a half weeks away from the American Thanksgiving holiday.
Logan Thompson has been good this year in goal, and he is a big reason why Washington is not further down in the standings. Things don't get any easier on Tuesday night with a divisional game against the Carolina Hurricanes in North Carolina. Trying to find a way to stay within striking distance of a playoff berth, there are limited options available to fix things from outside the organization.
Capitals have limited options replacing Pierre-Luc Dubois in lineup
Just what is Washington's plan at the moment according to Carbery?
"We're just trying to find the combination in our middle six. With Dubois out, it's just been a challenge," Carbery said. "Whether it's (Connor McMichael) in the middle, and (Justin Sourdif, Hendrix Lapierre)."
That is a plug for the short-term, but is it sustainable long-term? Time will tell, but if the Capitals go looking outside the organization to find a replacement in the trade market, options are few and far between. There has been a lot of chatter surrounding Casey Mittlestadt and Pavel Zacha with the Boston Bruins, but a six-game winning streak has put an end to those rumors for now, especially with Elias Lindholm out week-to-week.
It is unlikely that Boston is a playoff team this year, but by the time GM Don Sweeney decides to make trades, if he does, it will be too late for Washington. One option now is Nazem Kadri of the Calgary Flames, who is not interested in trading him right now, but they will be sooner rather than later, with their season spiraling out of control early.
The injury to Dubois is a devastating blow to Washington, and replacing him will not be easy. Carbery will have to find a way to survive this time without his star center and keep his team within striking distance in the Eastern Conference, but it won't be easy.