Ovechkin says he hopes to return within a week
Capitals forward Michael Nylander cleared NHL waivers on Monday, moving one step closer to leaving the team for good.
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Nylander still must approve any move — either a loan to a team in Europe, a trade to another NHL team or an assignment to AHL Hershey. But if he agrees, then he no longer would count against Washington’s salary cap, which stands at $56.7 million for NHL teams this season. Nylander, 37, has not played a game for the Caps since last year’s playoffs, yet his cap hit of $4.875 million is third highest on the team.
“Some decisions have been made,” said Caps general manager George McPhee. “There are just some things that are going on. I’d rather see what develops with that and then we can talk about it. I would expect we’ll have something to talk about [Tuesday].”
Nylander finished a two-week conditioning assignment at AHL Grand Rapids on Nov. 4. But whether he stays or goes, coach Bruce Boudreau said that Nylander will not practice with the team again. For most of October, Nylander participated in practice and then watched games from the press box as a healthy scratch. That has been an obvious waste of both cap space and a roster spot, but the team has struggled to find a solution. Nylander has a no-movement clause in his contract for this season. It expires next year when his salary-cap number drops to $3 million.
“Without going into too much detail, this year’s team we just didn’t feel was a good fit for Mike,” said Boudreau. “If he gets picked up, great for him. If not, then we’ll worry about it.”
Meanwhile, forward Alex Ovechkin (upper-body strain) continues to rehab from injury and said he hopes to return within a week. Ovechkin has missed three games and Washington has three more scheduled later this week.
He skated at practice on Monday in a yellow non-contact jersey and then did 15 minutes of extra on-ice work with strength and conditioning coach Mark Nemish. Ovechkin did not test the shoulder much, spending the session stickhandling and taking soft wrist shots on goal. But he did so without pain and considered that progress.
“I wish it was going to be tomorrow,” Ovechkin said of a potential return. “But I need to make sure I’m good and my body feels good.”
