Bruce Boudreau made an impromptu trip to Hershey on Sunday to check out the AHL Bears. He likes to hit his old stomping grounds three or four times a year to get a firsthand look at the players who could help the Capitals later in the season.
Hershey lost to Bridgeport in an early evening game at Giant Center, 4-3. No word on specific players Boudreau was looking at. Obviously, defensemen Patrick McNeill and Dmitry Orlov are two prime targets – especially given the health status of the NHL blueline.
“It just seemed like a good, opportune time to go,” Boudreau said. “We didn’t play. They played. The scheduled 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 for Boudreau to see those players live – especially when they aren’t tired from a minor-league schedule that sometimes has AHL teams play three times in three days over the weekend. Boudreau didn’t get to see everyone he wanted to just because the Bears have some blueline injuries, too, including a recent one to Sean Collins (lower-body injury).
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