The Washington Capitals made their toughest roster decisions on Sunday, cutting the final 19 players from their training camp roster.
Among those cuts were four players who must clear NHL waivers before they can be assigned to the AHL’s Hershey Bears: goaltender Clay Stevenson, forwards Jonny Brodzinski and Spencer Smallman, and defenseman Louie Belpedio.
If all four go unclaimed during the NHL’s 24-hour waiver period, the Capitals can assign them to Hershey on Monday afternoon.
Stevenson has previously drawn interest from other NHL teams regarding a waiver claim and is coming off an impressive four-game stint with the Capitals this past season, going 3-1-0 with a 2.00 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. The 27-year-old netminder is signed through the 2026-27 campaign at an $850k cap hit.
In 37 games for the Bears as their number-one goalie last year, Stevenson went 18-13-3 with a 2.62 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage. He will be Hershey’s starter again if he goes unclaimed.
Brodzinski was a standout for the Capitals during the preseason, scoring three goals in the two games he was eligible to play under the NHL’s renewed CBA regulations. The Caps signed the veteran forward to a one-year, $850k contract on the first day of free agency in July.
The 33-year-old depth addition has played in 264 career NHL games for the Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, and New York Rangers, recording 71 points (33g, 38a). Brodzinski has not played in the AHL since the 2023-24 season, when he notched 25 points (11g, 14a) in 16 games for the Hartford Wolf Pack.
Smallman and Belpedio were two of Hershey’s veteran leaders last season and are expected to resume those roles again this year. Smallman recorded 11 points (4g, 7a) in 24 games during an injury-plagued season for the Bears, while Belpedio put up 34 points (9g, 25a) in 68 games from the backend.
The Bears have one preseason game remaining on Sunday against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins before beginning their regular season against the Charlotte Checkers on October 3.
