The Washington Capitals made a pair of roster moves Monday as injuries continue to shape their early-season picture.
General manager Chris Patrick announced that defenseman Rasmus Sandin has been placed on long-term injured reserve, while Matt Roy was moved to injured reserve. To fill the opening, Washington recalled blueliner Justin Holl from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League.
Sandin’s LTIR assignment is largely about cap flexibility. He has not played since last spring, when he had knee surgery to repair a torn ACL suffered in a game on April 11 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Before the season, Patrick told NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti that the team expected Sandin back before the turn of the new year.
In 73 appearances in 2025-26, the 26-year-old has five goals and 29 points, along with a +4 plus/minus and 19:12 of ice time per game. He is in the third season of the five-year extension he signed in March 2024, a deal that carries a $4.6 million cap hit through 2028-29.
Roy’s move to IR is also being treated as a paper transaction. He has been out since leaving with a lower-body injury in the Capitals’ second game of the season, a matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct.
- The 31-year-old has no points in two games, is even in plus/minus, and has averaged 18:26 of ice time.
He is coming off a 2025-26 season in which he did not reach 20 points for the first time since the COVID-shortened 2021 campaign with the Los Angeles Kings.
Holl has appeared in three games for Hershey this season, with a minus-2 rating and no points.
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