The Capitals selected Suzdalev with the No.70 overall pick in this summer's NHL Draft. The Russian winger had 51 points (15G / 36A) in 45 games with HV71 Jr. (Sweden J20 SuperElit) in 2022.
With Nicklas Backstrom recently undergoing hip surgery and expected to miss an extended period of time, the Capitals sign Strome to a one-year deal, presumably to be their No.2 centre in 2022-23. Strome excelled while playing up in the Blackhawks lineup last season but found himself near the bottom of the depth chart often as well. If he sticks on the second line with players like Anthony Mantha and T.J Oshie, Strome should be able to replicate the 22 goals and 26 assists (48 points) we saw from him a season ago.
Rempal was with the Canucks organization in 2022, appearing in just one NHL game. However, he was terrific in the AHL, finishing tied for fifth in goals (33) and eighth in points (69) in 55 games. He'll likely report to Henderson (AHL) but will be a cheap option for the Golden Knights when they run into injuries.
Wilson has not played since early in the first period of Game 1 and will miss his third straight game on Monday. With Wilson still out, T.J. Oshie will continue to skate on the Capitals' top line with Evgeny Kuznetsov and Alex Ovechkin.
Leason split his 2021-22 season between the NHL and AHL. With the Capitals, he had six points (3G / 3A) in 36 games and had 13 points (6G / 7A) in 31 AHL games. He'll replace Tom Wilson, who is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
Wilson left Game 1 after suffering a lower-body injury in the first period. He's considered day-to-day and the Capitals would not commit to his status beyond tonight's game. Brett Leason will make his Stanley Cup Playoff debut in Wilson's spot.
Wilson played just 1:31 TOI in Game 1 before departing with a lower-body injury. The Capitals did not provide much of an update on his status but called him a game-time decision for Game 2, which suggests his injury isn't overly serious. Connor McMichael or Axel Jonsson-Fjallby will likely draw to replace Wilson if he can't play.
Ovechkin missed the final three games of the regular season but is good-to-go for Game 1 vs. the Panthers. Ovechkin's outstanding career continued in 2022, scoring 50+ goals for the ninth time and 90+ points for the sixth time.
