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49 - League-low number of man-games the 2016-17 Washington Capitals lost to injury, per @ManGamesLostNHL:
End of reg season NHL bottom 5 teams, man-games lost (excluding some LTIR)
— Man-Games Lost NHL (@ManGamesLostNHL) April 14, 2017
WSH 49
CGY 72
STL 112
CBJ 113
MIN 115https://t.co/u0EoIPkqAX
Along with the many changes to the Caps’ roster (and, perhaps notably, medical staff) over the past offseason, that good fortune seems to also have not returned for the 2017-18 season, as the Caps have already lost Matt Niskanen for a minimum of ten games, Tyler Graovac for “some time” (at least four games, as he isn’t heading out west with the team’s upcoming road trip), and now Andre Burakovksy “will miss some time” (necessitating the recall of Chandler Stephenson for the roadie).
Less depth and more injuries is a tough combination; we’ll see how the Capitals handle it.