How Can the Capitals Overcome Recent Injury-Related Deficits?

The Washington Capitals are ailing. Forwards Tom Wilson, Aliaksei Protas, and Pierre-Luc Dubois are all out with various injuries, with the latter two players sitting on injured reserve (IR). Wilson is listed as day-to-day, but is not likely to return for Friday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks. Protas could return on Friday, as his IR status is retroactive to Jan. 1. Dubois has started skating again, which is hopeful, but he is still not expected to return until after the Winter Olympic break.

So, the question remains: how do the Capitals overcome deficits in their lineup with the loss of three highly-valued players? Wilson is the team’s leader in both goals (22) and points (42). Protas has 31 points and brings a huge physical presence to the top-six lineup. Dubois was expected to perform at or above his 66-point showing from last season, but his early-season injury quashed those hopes.

The Capitals will need to focus on a few critical pieces to keep the team successful in the absence of key players. They need to use call-ups strategically, bring physicality and aggression on the blue line, and have the top-six really step into their roles as goal scorers.

Strategic Call-Ups Are Key

The Capitals have a fantastic American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate–the Hershey Bears– that is rife with talented players who are just on the precipice of being ready for the big leagues. In the absence of NHL players, they have a pool they can draw from and glean success from. However, many of these players are inexperienced at the NHL level, so call-ups from Hershey need to be strategic.

One such example is the team’s call-up of Brett Leason. Leason, 26, has spent four seasons in the NHL prior to this one. His first tour of duty was with the Capitals, but he played three season with the Anaheim Ducks, as well. While he is not a high-scoring player, he knows the pace, physicality, and play style of the league and is able to be a reliable member of the fourth line.

He made his season debut with the Capitals on Wednesday night’s game against the Dallas Stars on the fourth line with Sonny Milano and Hendrix Lapierre. The Bears certainly have other players who have earned NHL time based on their season performances so far.

Ilya Protas and Andrew Cristall are the team’s points leaders this season, each with 25 points. Cristall has nearly made the Capitals’ roster out of preseason twice, but was just edged out both time. Protas has a similar play style and on-ice presence as his brother, and either player could be a successful call-up for the team.

The Capitals need to use their resources wisely. The line shakeups and recall of Leason did not work in their favor against the Stars as they lost 4-1. Some changes will likely be made before Friday night’s game in Chicago.

Defenders Need to Step Up

The Capitals’ blue line remains healthy, but they are not performing at the same level we saw earlier this season. At one point in the season, they had the highest number of goals scored by defensemen, but have since been overtaken by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The team’s highest-scoring defensemen are Jakob Chychrun (15) and John Carlson (nine), so if they can really step into their roles as two-way defensemen, they could help fill the gaps left by Wilson and Protas. Capitals’ defenders also need to really step up in the departments of physicality, aggression, and checking.