Capitals put Rasmus Sandin on LTIR, recall Justin Holl

Monday's practice in Washington turned into a roster shuffle on the blue line before the Caps left for Raleigh.

Sammi Silber 🏒

@sammisilber

Caps recall defenseman Justin Holl and place Matt Roy on IR and Rasmus Sandin on LTIR

Don't read this as a new disaster. Sandin hasn't played a game this season. He had his right ACL repaired in late April, and the team gave him a 6-9 month timeline, so his return was always going to land somewhere between late October and January. The LTIR tag doesn't change that. Mostly it's paperwork: it opens a roster spot and gives Washington some cap room while he keeps rehabbing. Roy is a different story. He's dealing with a lower-body injury and is listed day-to-day, but going on IR means the Caps can carry another body while they wait on him.

That body is Holl. He's 34 and a 9-year NHL veteran with 405 career games for Toronto, Detroit and St. Louis, and he got sent to Hershey before the season. Last year he played just 9 games for the Blues, with 1 goal and 1 assist, and spent most of the season in the AHL with Grand Rapids. He isn't going to change the season. He's a big, experienced right-shot body who fills a hole when 2 defensemen are out at once.

The injury report didn't stop with the blue line, either. Spencer Carbery ran through who's going to Carolina and who isn't, and it was a long list for a Monday in October.

Tarik El-Bashir

@Tarik_ElBashir

#ALLCAPS injury/illness update from Monday’s practice: -Roy (lower body/day-to-day) skated on his own, won’t travel to CAR -Dubois (illness) DNP, won’t travel -Tuch (maintenance) DNP, will travel

The Dubois news is the one that stings. He's still sick, didn't practice and won't travel, and Carbery called him day-to-day. Tuch sat out for maintenance, but he's getting on the plane and is expected to play, though the Caps are leaving themselves some wiggle room on that. Roy skated on his own in the morning and that's as far as he got. He's staying home too.

Monday's practice lines show where everyone slots in for now, with Holl rotating in on the 3rd pair.

Sammi Silber 🏒

@sammisilber

Caps lines: Ovechkin-I. Protas-A. Protas Miroshnichenko-Strome-Wilson Leonard-Jenner-Kyrou Frank-Sourdif-Beauvillier Chychrun-Liljegren/Holl Fehervary-Desharnais Hutson-McIlrath Thompson Lindgren Tuch (maintenance) and Dubois (illness) not skating

So with no Sandin and no Roy, the defense goes Chychrun with Liljegren or Holl, Fehervary with Desharnais, and Hutson with McIlrath. That's thin, and if one more D-man goes down, Hershey gets another call. Up front, losing Dubois means Leonard-Jenner-Kyrou and Frank-Sourdif-Beauvillier have to carry more of the load in Raleigh. The things to watch: whether Tuch actually dresses Tuesday, whether Dubois shakes the illness before the next game, and whether Sandin's late-October window turns out to be real. If it does, LTIR is a short stop and the Caps get a solid D-man back right when they need one.