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Vincent Iorio, Washington Capitals ( Sammi Silber / Washington Hockey Now )

The Capitals Waving Iorio Was Poor Team Management

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Hayley Paljug | Last updated Oct 17, 2025 4:10 PM ET

The Washington Capitals placed 22-year-old defenseman Vincent Iorio on waivers and lost him to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday. Iorio was the team’s top pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft and spent three years developing in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Hershey Bears. He was waived to make room for Dylan McIlrath, a veteran defenseman, after being activated off injured reserve (IR). The Capitals lost Iorio for no return. The Sharks had an open roster spot after defenseman Timothy Liljegren was placed on IR, so it is unclear if Iorio will be a long-term addition to the team.

The British Columbia native made the team’s opening night roster for the first time in his career this season, but was a healthy scratch for all four games so far. He was a superb presence on the Bears’ blue line, helping them in their back-to-back Calder Cup championships and playing 190 career AHL games, tallying 63 points. His size, speed, and accuracy are his assets, and would have been extremely valuable for the Capitals. Letting go of an already solid young defenseman in favor of one who will age out of play in a few years is poor management from the front office.

Iorio vs. McIlrath

While McIlrath is a much more seasoned player, spending 618 regular-season games in the AHL, Iorio has noticeably better skating and shooting skills than McIlrath. In his 218 games in the Capitals organization (split between the Bears and Capitals), the older defenseman has tallied just 36 points. On the other hand, in Iorio’s 199 Capitals/Bears games, he notched 57 points– a higher rate of conversion. While garnering points is not the primary job of defensemen, it is extremely beneficial to a team and makes a more well-rounded player.

McIlrath is also 11 years older than Iorio and prone to injury. He has spent multiple stints on IR throughout his career and is likely to continue that trend at 33. While McIlrath is beloved by the Capitals organization and spent time as captain of the Bears, his on-ice presence is not sharp enough to have justified keeping him on the roster over a young talent.

The Case for Iorio

Iorio was an incredibly attractive waiver target, especially for a team like the Sharks. It’s no surprise they picked him up quickly, as they can afford to take chances on young, developing talent during their rebuilding period. They are likely so far out of the playoffs that risk-taking does not make a difference, and a player like Iorio was a perfect target to fill Liljegren’s spot. NHL teams, on the whole, are always looking out for big, right-handed blueliners with elite skating ability, and Iorio fits that mold perfectly. His contract was also a no-brainer for a team to claim off waivers.

The young defender is still in his entry-level contract and will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season. McIlrath would have been a trickier pickup– he recently signed a two-year, $1.6 million contract extension, where he will be paid $800k at both the NHL and AHL levels. Losing a player whose skillset is easily found elsewhere is not the end of the world. Losing a player like Iorio, however, could be a move that the Capitals come to regret in a few years.

Waiving Iorio Is Familiar, But Confusing

A storyline like this is not unfamiliar to the team. Just a handful of years ago, prior to the 2020-21 season, the Capitals signed aging defenseman Zdeno Chara to a one-year contract, effectively erasing then 23-year-old defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler from the lineup. While he was still developing his game, he was showing incredible promise and was becoming a valued member of the squad. He eventually requested a trade and was sent to the New Jersey Devils, where he quickly became one of the best defensive players for the team.

If the Capitals were to have kept Iorio in the AHL, he would qualify as a “veteran” player at just 23, as he would have played 260 games with the Bears. They would have had to, reasonably, keep him called up to the NHL level, even as a healthy scratch for most games. While they do have a deep pipeline of defensemen, the team’s regular right-handed blueliners are all over 30 years old, and the majority of young defensemen are lefties. Ryan Chesley and Cam Allen are the only other right-shots in the prospect pool.

Head coach Spencer Carbery called this a “difficult decision”, saying, “We wish Vinny nothing but the best. He’s such a great person, first and foremost. Has worked his butt off over the last few years, won multiple Calder Cups, been a big part of Hershey’s team. He’s put a lot of work into earning this opportunity to play in the NHL, so wish him nothing but the best and we’ll see him along the way. But yeah, really difficult decision.” It will be interesting to see how the move plays out for Iorio, McIlrath, the Sharks, and the Capitals. I have a feeling that, in a few years, Capitals fans will be saying “I told you so” to the front office.