The Washington Capitals announced Saturday morning that they had assigned defenseman Alex Alexeyev to the AHL’s Hershey Bears on a conditioning loan. Alexeyev has played just five games for the Capitals this season, with the most recent coming on November 8 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Per the NHL CBA, teams can send consenting players to the AHL on a conditioning loan for up to 14 days, though they still remain on their NHL team’s active roster. Alexeyev previously played four games with the Bears on a conditioning loan in fall of 2022 and has not spent time in the AHL since.
Head coach Spencer Carbery said Saturday morning that he wanted Alexeyev to get more game time after spending so much time as a healthy scratch.
“Just with the length of time that he has not played a game, I felt like it was a good opportunity to get him into some game action and just make sure that he’s staying ready for when his number is called,” Carbery said Saturday morning. “Because when you sit for a long time, you get a little bit worried as coaches of having not seen game action for such a long time.”
The Hershey Bears will play a back-to-back at home this weekend, facing the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins Saturday night and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms Sunday. They will play six total games in the next 14 days.
Carbery told reporters ahead of the 4 Nations Face-Off that he wanted to get regular healthy scratches Jakub Vrana, Dylan McIlrath, and Alexeyev into NHL games.
“There has been (a desire to play them), it’s just been really difficult,” Carbery said then. “Knock on wood, with our lack of injuries and the success that we’ve been having, and Franky coming in and playing so well, I don’t like that these guys have sat for as long as they have, but we just haven’t had a situation (to put them in games).”
Since Carbery’s comments, Jakub Vrana played one game against the St. Louis Blues while Tom Wilson sat out with an illness, but neither McIlrath nor Alexeyev have played for Washington.
The Capitals currently have a full 23-man roster that includes no waivers-exempt players. In order to add a player at the trade deadline, activate Sonny Milano off of long-term injured reserve, or sign prospect Ryan Leonard, the Caps would need to either trade or waive a player to stay under the roster limit, even if Alexeyev remains on his conditioning loan.
Alexeyev is on the final year of a two-year contract worth $825,000 per season. He will be an arbitration-eligible RFA this summer.
Here’s the full release from the Capitals:
Capitals Assign Alex Alexeyev to Hershey on Conditioning Loan
Defenseman has appeared in five games with Washington this season
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have assigned defenseman Alex Alexeyev to the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL) on a conditioning loan, senior vice president and general manager Chris Patrick announced today.
Alexeyev, 25, has appeared in five games with Washington this season.
The 6’4”, 229-pound defenseman played a career-high 39 games during the 2023-24 season and appeared in four Stanley Cup Playoff contests. In 77 career NHL games with the Capitals, Alexeyev has recorded eight points (1g, 7a).
Alexeyev, who was drafted by Washington in the first round (31st overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft, has registered 50 points (6g, 44a) in 142 career AHL games with Hershey.
