Injuries on the blueline mean call-ups possible After all these years, it is safe to call Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau a rink rat. A man who played the game professionally for 16 seasons and has coached it for another 20 more often than not will find himself watching hockey on television if he has a rare night off.
Boudreau took that a step further Sunday evening when he made an impromptu trip to Hershey, Pa., to check out the American Hockey League’s Bears, Washington’s top minor league affiliate. The coach at Hershey for three years, Boudreau hits his old stomping grounds three or four times a year to get a firsthand look at the players who could help the Caps later in the season.
Hershey lost to Bridgeport at Giant Center 4-3. There was no word on the specific players Boudreau was looking at, but defensemen Patrick McNeill and Dmitry Orlov are prime targets — especially given the tenuous health status of Washington’s blueline.
“It just seemed like a good, opportune time to go,” said Boudreau, whose Caps begin a three-game road trip Tuesday in Nashville, Tenn. “We didn’t play. They played. The schedules worked out. The Redskins were on at 1 o’clock. It seemed like an easy game to go to because there wasn’t much going on. And I hadn’t seen all the guys since training camp, so I just went and watched them play.”
Boudreau and the front office get constant reports from Hershey coach Mark French. They trust his evaluations. But it’s always nice to evaluate players live. Boudreau didn’t get to see everyone he wanted just because the Bears have some blueline injuries, too, including a recent one to Sean Collins (lower-body injury), who had been the best bet for a recall.
But with defenseman Mike Green missing from practice Monday, the organization’s depth on the blueline is still being tested. Green took a hit to the left leg from New Jersey’s Ryan Carter in Friday’s win over the Devils and didn’t play Saturday.
Luckily for Washington, John Erskine, who missed Saturday’s game with an undisclosed injury, and Roman Hamrlik, who left that game in the second period, were back at practice Monday. Both are expected to play against the Predators. As for Green, Boudreau said there’s still a chance he could meet the team on the road trip.
Green suffered two head injuries last season, a hip injury in the playoffs and an ankle injury that cost him six games this season. There were no Hershey recalls at practice. But it’s possible that Orlov or McNeill could get a shot if someone else goes down. Given the blueline’s MASH unit status, that seems likely.
“It’s pretty insane. Something about the Devils, they’re just knocking us down,” Washington defenseman Karl Alzner said. “Three guys out of action because of them. It was strange. But it comes from us battling harder. Mucking it up in the corners more than we have been in games prior to that. It was nice to see that we’re working hard but tough to see us getting injured in the process.”
