Caps Clips: Still In Limbo

Your savory breakfast links:

• The Capitals placed Brendan Leipsic on unconditional waivers with the intention of terminating his contract last Friday: WaPo, SI, AP, The Athletic, TSN, Rink, NoVa Caps, RMNB.
• Last Friday, the NHL announced the postponement of both international games scheduled for 2020. [Sportsnet]
• Tarik El-Bashir discussed Connor McMichael, the Caps’ aging core, resigning Alex Ovechkin and more in his latest Caps Mailbag. [The Athletic, Part 2]
• After a Board of Governors conference call on Friday, the AHL announced Monday that they have cancelled the remainder of their 2019-2020 season: AHL, Hershey Bears, NHL, NoVa Caps,
• On a related note, how might the cancellation of the AHL’s season affect the NHL season moving forward, particularly in regard to rosters? [THN]
• Voting for the 2020 NHL Fan Choice Awards opened on Monday, and the Capitals have nominations in five categories. Cast your votes until June 1! [NHL]
• The NHL is reportedly focused on skipping the rest of the regular season and diving directly into the Stanley Cup playoffs if play is able to resume. [ESPN]
• Where does the cancellation of the AHL’s season leave Capitals prospects, who are looking at a potentially lengthy period without organized hockey? [NoVa Caps]
• The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun spoke with NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daley on Tuesday evening to discuss the league’s progress on return-to-play issues. [The Athletic]
• The affiliation agreement between the Capitals and Hershey Bears expires at the end of this season, but the teams are already in talks to renew the deal. [NBCSW]
• In the latest edition of his weekly mailbag, NHL.com’s Dan Rosen touched on the Capitals’ future goaltending situation and provided a few interesting ideas. [NHL]
• The Hockey News’ Matt Larkin asked players, coaches, and executives around the league to weigh in on what NHL games might look and sound like if/when play resumes this season. [THN]
• During a virtual town hall hosted by the San Jose Sharks this week, Gary Bettman said that cancelling the season is currently not an option. [NBC Sports, TSN]
• The Capitals have contacted season-ticket holders in regards to the remainder of this season and next season, offering both credits towards the 2020-21 season and the ability to obtain refunds. [RMNB]
• What happens now to the players in Hershey who are on NHL contracts? [NBCSW]
• On that note, Pheonix Copley and Beck Malenstyn told reporters on Wednesday that they will be black aces if/when the season returns. [NoVa Caps]
• ESPN’s Emily Kaplan put together a “Grudge Report”, outlining the one thing each NHL fanbase is still hung up on and cannot get over. Hard to disagree with the Capitals’ choice, right? [ESPN]
• In an interview with Czech media, Radko Gudas says he does not expect to return to Washington as a Capital next season. [NoVa Caps]
• Greg Wyshynski discusses virtual reality hockey viewing, jerseys both good and bad, and this weeks winners and losers in the latest edition of his Wysh List. [ESPN]
• Elliotte Friedman dove into what a 24-team playoff structure could look like, how goalies are staying sharp during quarantine, this year’s draft, and more in this week’s 31 Thoughts. [Sportsnet]
• Check out NoVa Caps’ annual prospect reviews for Vitek Vanecek, Beck Malenstyn, Shane Gersich, Joe Snively, Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, Alex Alexeyev, and Connor Hobbs.
• Nicklas Backstrom fans, this weekend is your time to shine! NBCSW is airing four of Backstrom’s best games with the Capitals starting at 9am this Sunday, and you won’t want to miss it! [NBCSW]
• Don’t forget to keep up with our weekly puzzle series! So far, we have a Crossword, Word Search, Word Scramble, Spot the Difference 1, Spot the Difference 2, and Build Your Own Lineup for $18
• Finally, happy belated birthday to these former Caps: Andrej Podkonicky (42), Steve Self (70), Mark Tinordi (54), Todd Nelson (51), Dave Christian (61), Jakub Jerabek (29), Jaroslav Halak (35), and Steve Seftel (52)

For this week’s entertainment, please watch the CapsSocial: Cooking Edition featuring Jonas Siegenthaler and Jakub Vrana, hosted by John Walton and Caps’ chef Robert Wood. Siegenthaler and Vrana faced off in a culinary battle, and one of Vrana’s linemates even made a surprise appearance!