The Washington Capitals made a surprising recall of defenseman Dylan McIlrath from the Hershey Bears on Wednesday.
Caps head coach Peter Laviolette added further to that surprise factor by scheduling the rugged blueliner to play in his first NHL game since 2019 on Thursday.
McIlrath skated on the team’s third pairing at their morning skate next to Martin Fehervary. He’ll jump straight out of the AHL into a game against the Florida Panthers that the Capitals desperately need to win if they want to continue to control their own destiny when it comes to making the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.
The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir asked the veteran bench boss if the recall was a “reward” for a player that hasn’t received an NHL look in over three seasons.
“He’s played really well down there,” Laviolette said at his post-skate press conference. “He’s a leader on their team. His minutes right now are first out the door. He plays against the toughest opponents. He’s been a good penalty killer, good leader. We have an opportunity with seven defensemen to call somebody up and take a look so we’re going to do that.”
McIlrath, who is a former Panther and the current Hershey Bears’ captain, has not played a single NHL game since the 2019-20 season with the Detroit Red Wings. In 44 games at the AHL level this season, McIlrath has recorded 10 assists.
McIlrath was originally drafted tenth overall by the New York Rangers in the 2010 NHL Draft. He has since played for eight different professional teams, including stints at the NHL level with the Rangers, Panthers, and Red Wings.
“Top minutes, top pair. First penalty killer out the door,” Laviolette said. “Comes up and brings a different element to the backend. He’s a bigger guy and plays a bit of a different game.”
The Capitals only have 10 fighting majors this season — the sixth fewest in the NHL. McIlrath has four fights himself for the Bears this season and has 92 career professional fights across the AHL and NHL’s preseasons, regular seasons, and postseasons since 2010-11.
Laviolette was asked about adding that sort of physical presence into his lineup, especially against a team like the Panthers that loves to crowd the net to create scoring chances.
“It’s always good to have players like that on your team,” Laviolette said. “[The netfront] is definitely something we have to pay attention to tonight. As a team, they’re heavy around the net. They bring a lot of bodies in there. They score a lot of goals in there. They get to the hard areas and they do it well.”
McIlrath credited the Capitals giving him a look in December with a recall as one of the reasons for his good play with Hershey. He didn’t get into a game then with the Caps but traveled with the team to Winnipeg where McIlrath is from.
“That was a whirlwind,” McIlrath said Thursday. “It was special to go home. I didn’t know if I was getting into the lineup but even just being back in the NHL was definitely a really big boost for me. Knowing that I’m still wanted and appreciated. It kinda gave me the confidence that I can still do this.”
Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB
