Wednesday morning, Capitals senior reporter, Mike Vogel, tweeted that Dmitrij Jaskin was missing practice because he was going to be placed on waivers at noon.
Instead, the Capitals pulled a switch, and placed Devante Smith-Pelly on waivers instead, forcing DSP off the ice.
That change came mid-practice because there are a lot of “moving parts,” Capitals coach Todd Reirden said.
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Head Coach Todd Reirden's update on Devante Smith-Pelly #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/hmjCqfgKf6
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 20, 2019
Reirden spoke to the press after Capitals practice.
“There’s a lot of movement going on, especially for teams that are salary cap strapped like we are,” Reirden said.
When asked why the Caps changed their mind, Reirden clarified that move was one “we made organizationally” but something they’d “keep between ourselves especially with the amount of stuff that’s going on in the league right now.”
Reirden also noted that this would not be the Caps only move before the trade deadline.
“There’s lots of moving parts right now in a number of different spots,” he said.
RMNB’s Ian Oland is being told by NHL sources that the Capitals have a trade in the works that necessitated the waiver move.
I'm being told by league sources that the Capitals have a trade in the works. They are clearing money so that someone can have a roster spot.
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) February 20, 2019
With DSP now out of the lineup, Reirden said that the coaching staff always has “a couple different lineup thoughts in mind,” for their game Thursday against Toronto.
The trade deadline is Monday at 5pm.
Headline photo: Elizabeth Kong
