With four players on the COVID absence list, the Washington Capitals made two moves for insurance for Friday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres. The Capitals recalled goalie Craig Anderson and assigned 2019 first-round pick Connor McMichael to the taxi squad.
The transactions hint to the possibility of the Capitals being without key players for their next game. Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kutznetsov, Dmitry Orlov and goalie Ilya Samsonov were placed on the COVID absence list. Their designation occurred shortly after the team was fined $100,000 by the NHL for violating league coronavirus protocols.
The players had social interactions while not wearing masks at a hotel room. The violation occurred at some point during the Capitals’ four-game road trip in Buffalo and Pittsburgh.
The 39-year old Anderson signed a one-year $700,000 deal before being assigned to the taxi squad ahead of the 2021 season. Anderson joined the team after veteran goalie Henrik Lundqvist opted out of the season due to a heart condition.
Anderson will join Vitek Vanecek as the two available goalies for Washington.
McMichael, 20, was the 25th overall pick in the 2019 NHL entry draft. He scored four goals in seven games during this year’s World Junior Hockey Championships as a alternate captains for Team Canada. He had 102 points, including 47 goals in 52 games for the London Knights of the OHL last season.
