The Washington Capitals sent Hendrix Lapierre down to the AHL’s Hershey Bears on Sunday afternoon. Lapierre made the Capitals out of training camp and had been on the club’s NHL roster since they started regular season play in October.
Lapierre seemingly accomplished all he had left to achieve in the AHL last year but heads back to the Bears after struggling to produce for Washington through 27 games this season. While his inability to find the back of the net once in those 27 games is glaring, head coach Spencer Carbery says the reason for the demotion is more based on Lapierre’s development than his lack of production.
“Yeah, with Lars being healthy and ready to play, it put us in a spot where [we] had to make a roster decision,” Carbery said Sunday. “And just with the way the season’s gone and the depth at the center position and with Lappy’s minutes, being in the stands, we felt as an organization it was best for him to get playing in Hershey, in the AHL. Get his game in a good spot, confident again rather than him being here playing limited minutes or, for that matter, right now, being in the stands.”
Lapierre’s move back to the AHL was necessitated by Lars Eller coming off of injured reserve after missing four games due to illness. With Eller back in Washington’s lineup against the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday, Lapierre would have found himself as the fifth center on the team’s depth chart behind Dylan Strome, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Eller, and Nic Dowd. Aliaksei Protas and Connor McMichael could line up down the middle too in a pinch.
The 22-year-old Lapierre has played wing in some games the last two seasons, but Carbery has been candid about not loving that fit in the past. Ivan Miroshnichenko, a natural winger, remains with Washington despite also being waivers exempt and, unlike Lapierre, not making the team out of training camp.
“You gotta think about [how] everybody’s development path is different, and everybody matures at different ages and speeds, and everybody adapts to the NHL game at different speeds,” Carbery said. “And so I just don’t think it’s fair to just say it has to be in one year, two years, three years. It’s as long as you’re continuing to get better and progress, you’re gonna end up at your absolute max potential.
“And that’s all we’re trying to help Lappy is get to his absolute max potential. So, at the end of his career in 15 years, he looks back and he says, ‘I couldn’t have got anything more out of my career, and I was a great player for the Washington Capitals. I was the best player I possibly could be.’ This decision for him is we’re trying to make the best decision for him possible for the future, not just for the organization but for his career.”
Lapierre recorded 17 points (5g, 12a) in 21 games for the Bears last season before rattling off 22 points (7g, 15a) in 20 playoff games en route to AHL postseason MVP honors. He was not included in Hershey’s lineup against the Charlotte Checkers on Sunday evening but could play as soon as January 4 against the Providence Bruins.
