Capitals place veteran right winger on IR

Capitals winger T.J. Oshie has been placed on injured reserve and is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury, Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports. 

The move opens up the necessary roster spot to recall winger Ivan Miroshnichenko from AHL Hershey, which was announced by the team earlier Monday.

Oshie, 37, left Thursday’s game against the Lightning after a non-contact injury late in the third period. Initially suspected as a lower-body injury based on the way he fell, his injury designation has changed to upper-body, generating some concern the ailment could be related to the back issues that have hampered him over the past few years. 

While he’s only been ruled out of Washington’s next two contests, he’ll likely miss a significant chunk of time.

The Capitals have kept Oshie in a top-six role this season, but age is catching up to the veteran winger, and his production has dipped as a result. 

He was on a tear before the injury, with six points in his last six games, but that rush only brought him up to 10 goals and 18 points in 38 games on the season. 

He’s bounced around various line combinations this season, recording a middling CF percentage of 47.2 at even strength. However, he hasn’t graded out as a particularly strong possession player for a few years.

It’s still a tough break for the Capitals, who need all the help they can get to make up ground in the Eastern Conference playoff race. 

It’s even more concerning for Oshie’s long-term health, as he’s already missed two significant chunks of the season with upper- and lower-body injuries. 

The 2005 first-round pick of the Blues is four games short of 1,000 in his career and has one season remaining on his eight-year, $46M extension signed with the Caps in 2017.

The Caps are eight points behind the Lightning with four games in hand for the last wild-card spot in the East, although they’ve only won four of their last 10 games. Their -31 goal differential is also third-worst in the conference, only ahead of the Canadiens and Blue Jackets.