The Washington Capitals are being forced to make more roster moves for a second consecutive day.

Saturday, the Capitals called up Hershey Bears captain Dylan McIlrath from the AHL after Martin Fehervary got injured against the Devils. The moves were shown on the Capitals’ roster page available to credentialed media.

“It’s not ideal, so we’ll reevaluate,” Spencer Carbery said of Fehervary’s lower-body injury. “We’ve got some issues on the backend.”

In a corresponding roster move, Fehervary was placed on injured reserve, meaning he’s eligible to return one week from the day he suffered the injury.

In McIlrath, the Capitals gain a big, physical rearguard who is a leader and a notoriously good teammate. He makes solid decisions with the puck, but is not the most fleet of foot, causing him issues at the NHL level. Last season at five-on-five, McIlrath was on the ice for eight goals against and only two-for in six games with the Caps.

Capitan Dylan McIlrath is the latest @TheHersheyBears to be recalled by the banged-up Caps.

Up with Washington:
F: Aube-Kubel, Lapierre
D: Haman-Aktell, McIlrath
G: Shepard

Some good chances for players checking into the lineup for Hershey to take advantage of opportunities.

— Zack Fisch (@zackfisch) November 11, 2023

The Capitals are now without three of their top six defensemen with Fehervary out. The team is also missing Joel Edmundson, who has not played a game this season, and Trevor van Riemsdyk (IR).

Defenseman remaining on the team’s active roster include John Carlson, Rasmus Sandin, Nick Jensen, Alex Alexeyev, Lucas Johansen, Hardy Haman Aktell, and now McIlrath. McIlrath joins Carlson and Jensen as the only healthy right-handed blueliners.

The Capitals play the New York Islanders at UBS Arena at 7:30 pm on Saturday night.

Update (5:02 pm): The Capitals officially announced the news. Below is the full press release:

Capitals Recall Dylan McIlrath
Defenseman Martin Fehervary Placed on IR

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have recalled defenseman Dylan McIlrath from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today. In addition, the Capitals have placed defenseman Martin Fehervary on Injured Reserve (IR).

McIlrath, 31, has recorded three assists in 11 games with Hershey this season and leads the Bears in penalty minutes (23).

The 6’5”, 240-pound defenseman recorded a career-high 13 assists and a team-leading 102 penalty minutes in 60 regular-season games with Hershey last season. McIlrath, Hershey’s captain, added two points (1g, 1a) and 44 penalty minutes in 20 playoff games during the Bears’ run to the Calder Cup championship. McIlrath also registered one assist and seven penalty minutes in six games with the Capitals in 2022-23.

The Winnipeg, Manitoba native has appeared in 72 career NHL games with the Capitals, New York Rangers, Florida Panthers and Detroit Red Wings, recording six points (3g, 3a) and 128 penalty minutes. In 571 career AHL games, McIlrath has registered 116 points (27g, 89a).

Headline photo: Ian Oland/RMNB