The Washington Capitals announced today that forward Paul Carey, who was recalled from the AHL Hershey Bears on Nov. 19, has been sent back to Hershey.
Carey, 28, participated in the Capitals’ most recent game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, logging 12:08 minutes of ice time.
Following the Capitals’ game against the Detroit Red Wings, the Capitals lost three forwards to upper body injuries. Andre Burakovsky missed the majority of the Detroit game, but he participated in the Columbus game. Lars Eller was ruled day-to-day and T.J. Oshie was ruled week-to-week. Following the game, coach Barry Trotz said they would likely recall a forward from Hershey on an emergency basis.
The move to send Carey back to Hershey means one of three things. Either Lars Eller is on the mend and will likely participate in the Capitals’ next game, a player the Capitals see as a fit for a long-term recall may be sent up from Hershey, or the Capitals may be saving cap space and return Carey when possible.
The Capitals have a quantity of young forwards that could serve as a Capitals’ forward for an extended period of time. Nathan Walker was sent to the AHL late in the preseason, suggesting he is close to an NHL position. The Capitals are also very high on Travis Boyd and Chandler Stephenson.
However, due to the Capitals lack of cap space, the Capitals would be unable to fit prized forward Jakub Vrana onto the team. The Capitals’ 2014 first-round pick has nine goals and three assists in 15 games with Hershey this year. With the lack of cap space, players like Carey, who carries only a $575,000 cap hit, make the most sense for the Capitals’ current situation.
The 11-5-2 Capitals take on the St. Louis Blues on Nov. 23.
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