Capitals place Pierre-Luc Dubois on injured reserve
Some roster management in the U.S. capital ahead of a busy day of action in the NHL.
On Saturday, the Washington Capitals announced that forward Pierre-Luc Dubois has been placed on injured reserve due to an illness. In response, the team has recalled Johnny Brodzinksi from their American Hockey League affiliate, the Hershey Bears.
Dubois’ placement on IR is retroactive to October 9th, when he last appeared in the lineup in a 3-1 win over the New York Rangers. Even though it’s been over a week, Dubois doesn’t seem set to return to the lineup in the immediate future. As a result, Washington has decided to give a veteran like Brodzinski a chance to jump into the lineup while Dubois continues to recover.
In Dubois’s absence, the Capitals had a couple of tough results, losing to the Seattle Kraken and rival Carolina Hurricanes this past week. However, they responded with a big 5-4 victory on Wednesday over the Montreal Canadiens.
Dubois has had a good start to the young season after an injury-riddled 2025-26 campaign that led to him scoring just 19 points in a mere 29 contests. He is part of a resurging Capitals team that looks to not only challenge for first place in the Metropolitan Division this year, but also to be considered the top team in the Eastern Conference. In four games thus far, the 28-year-old has posted a goal and four points, with a plus/minus of +4 while averaging 17:06.
Brodzinski is a bit of a journeyman in the professional ranks, but has spent considerable time in the NHL. The 33-year-old spent most of the last three seasons with the New York Rangers but never played more than 60 games in a campaign. Last season, he scored six goals and 16 points in 55 contests. With the Bears so far this year, Brodzinski has appeared in four games, scoring two goals and three assists for five points.
In 264 regular-season games, the Blaine, Minn. native has scored 33 goals and 38 assists for 71 points and has also appeared in four Stanley Cup playoff contests.
The Capitals will be hosting the New Jersey Devils this afternoon. Puck drop is scheduled for 1 p.m.
