The Capitals needed another forward for this afternoon’s game against New Jersey, and the answer is Jonny Brodzinski.
Washington announced that it has recalled the 33-year-old center from AHL Hershey with Justin Sourdif unavailable because of illness. Brodzinski is in his first season with the Capitals after signing a one-year, $850K one-way deal on the opening day of free agency this summer.
The move gives Brodzinski another NHL opportunity after a start to the year that sent him back to the minors. He put together a strong preseason, scoring three times in two games, but it wasn’t enough to earn a roster spot out of camp.
He cleared waivers and headed to the Bears, where he’s now seeing his first AHL action since 2023-24. So far, that stint has gone well, with two goals and three assists in four games.
Brodzinski has logged 264 NHL games across parts of ten seasons, producing 33 goals and 38 assists. Most of that came in the last three years with the Rangers, where he played more than 50 games in each season and finished between 16 and 19 points offensively every year.
To create the roster space, the Capitals placed Pierre-Luc Dubois on injured reserve. Dubois has been out the last three games with illness, which has interrupted a strong opening stretch in which he posted four points in four games. Because he has already missed more than the required week, the placement is backdated, making him eligible to return as soon as he’s cleared to play.
In Other News...
Which Capital Has Mattered Most In Washingtons Fast Start
Washingtons 4-3-0 start has given the Capitals a little early momentum and, with it, an obvious question about who has mattered most in the opening weeks. They sit third in the Metropolitan Division while settling into a homestand, and the early answers have come from a mix of established production and a young core that is already carrying real weight. Alex Tuch has been a focal point up front, Ryan Leonard has matched him in the scoring column, and Logan Thompson has given the club steadier goaltending than it had a year ago.
Leonards recent eight-year extension only adds to the significance of what he is doing now, because Washington is not just getting results from him, it is getting a sense of what the next chapter might look like. With the Devils next on the schedule, the Capitals are entering a stretch where those contributions will keep getting tested, and the balance between Tuchs scoring, Leonards rise and Thompsons work in goal could say plenty about how sustainable this fast start really is. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Keep Creating Chances But Still Look Exposed In Atlantic Race
The Canadiens have been doing enough to make games interesting, but not enough to stop the pressure from turning into concern. Montreal has generated plenty of scoring chances in recent outings, and Josh Anderson and Zachary Bolduc have helped drive the offense, yet the teams early spot in the Atlantic Division leaves little margin for the kind of inefficiency that keeps showing up in close games.
Part of the issue has been getting enough from both ends of the ice, with shooting efficiency lagging and opposing goaltenders finding ways to hold the line. Montreal sits seventh in the division early in the 2026-27 season, and the gap between creating opportunities and cashing them in is starting to feel like the kind of problem that can linger if it does not turn quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Capitals Still Need More From One Protas Brother Early
The early-season review of the Protas brothers has already led to a few lineup tweaks for Washington, with Spencer Carbery looking for more stability from both Aliaksei and Ilya. Ilya, still finding his footing in the NHL, has been moved onto a line with Alex Ovechkin and Ivan Miroshnichenko, while Aliaksei has been shifted away from his brother and into a different mix with Tom Wilson and Boone Jenner after a slow opening stretch.
Carbery has not hidden the fact that Aliakseis play has been up and down, even as he continues to see room for growth from both brothers. For Washington, the broader question is how much patience to extend while the season is still so young, especially with one of the Protases learning on a contending team and the other trying to turn flashes of chemistry into something more reliable. [Read more 🡒]