Capitals defenseman out four to six weeks with fractured hand

Earlier this week, Washington Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery made it known that newly acquired defenseman Joel Edmundson would miss time with an upper-body injury described as “probably not good.” He suffered the injury during a scrimmage over the weekend.

After doctors examined Edmundson’s injury Monday, the Capitals revealed its exact nature Tuesday: Edmundson will miss four to six weeks after having a procedure on Tuesday to stabilize a fractured hand, as reported by NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti.

With the Capitals’ regular-season opener vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins set for Oct. 13, Edmundson will undoubtedly miss the start of the season. A four-week recovery timeline would have him back in game action by Oct. 24, missing four games. A six-week timeline would cost him roughly 10 games and have him returning in early November.

The Capitals acquired Edmundson, 30, from the Montreal Canadiens on July 1 for a third- and seventh-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. The rugged Edmundson, 6-foot-5 and 221 pounds, has logged 477 games across eight seasons as a stay-at-home blueliner for the St. Louis Blues, Carolina Hurricanes and Canadiens. He won a 2018-19 Stanley Cup with the Blues, tallying seven points in 22 games during their championship run. Edmundson’s specialties are killing penalties, blocking shots and doling out punishment. He averages close to two hits per game in his career.

Edmundson was expected to provide depth and physicality in a third-pair role alongside Trevor van Riemsdyk on a grizzled Washington blueline featuring four players 30 or older. His absence could create a temporary opportunity for a younger defenseman. Fellow left shot Alexander Alexeyev’s odds of cracking the opening-night lineup have now skyrocketed. Capitals 2016 first-rounder Lucas Johansen and offseason signing Hardy Haman Aktell should also be in the mix.

The Capitals are the NHL’s second-oldest team entering 2023-24, with an average age of 29.35. They’re hoping to reverse what has been a steady decline since they won the Stanley Cup in 2017-18: four consecutive first-round playoff exits and, last season, their first playoff miss in nine years.