Washington Capitals center Nic Dowd, a prime candidate for a trade ahead of the NHL deadline, is currently listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Dowd exited Tuesday night’s game against the New Jersey Devils after the first period. His injury comes shortly after Pittsburgh’s Jake Guentzel suffered a similar fate, sidelining him until early March.
Capitals’ coach Spencer Carbery announced that Dowd will not be traveling with the team for their upcoming road games against Tampa Bay and Florida. To fill the gap, the team has called up winger Pierrick Dube from the Hershey Bears of the AHL and plans to move Aliaksei Protas to center in Dowd’s absence.
Known for his prowess in faceoffs, penalty killing, and some offensive contributions, Dowd is signed through next season with a salary cap hit of $1.3 million. Given his skill set and contract, he could be a valuable asset for a playoff contender before the March 8 trade deadline. Dowd, 33, has accumulated 16 points on eight goals and eight assists this season and has played in 506 regular-season and playoff games.
Connor McMichael, who scored twice in the game against the Devils, acknowledged Dowd’s defensive importance to the team, noting that filling his role would be challenging but that the team collectively stepped up in his absence to secure the win.
