Washington Capitals Injury Rumors: Jay Beagle Undergoes Surgery on Hand
Washington Capitals third-line center and star Jay Beagle finally opted for surgery on his injured hand on Saturday, with team officials announcing thereafter that he will be capable of resuming full hockey activities in six weeks. However, the team also said that he's expected to perform full workout activites by next week.
With the timeline already given, it is now clear that Beagle will no longer be available in 20 games at least for this season. The injury came in the second quarter of the team's game against the Buffalo Sabres last Wednesday. He was seen skating around the Sabres net when he placed his left arm out to mark defenseman Jake McCabe. In doing so, he extended his hand onto the boards, thereby suffering the injury.
With the news of the surgery, the Capitals didn't have a choice but to place him on injured reserve in order to clear one roster spot for eventual call-ups later on.
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Beagle's injury is kind of disappointing for a Washington team that relies a lot on his consistency on ice. As a matter of fact, Beagle was enjoying his best season so far, having produced six goals and 12 points. He also is currently ranked third in the entire NHL with a 58.4 percentage. His absence will definitely be felt in the Capitals' succeeding games.
Beagle signed a three-year extension with the Washington this offseason worth $5.25 million. After the signing the contract, he revealed that he always wanted to be third-line center all his career and that when the Capitals gave him the green light to fill that position in the team, he rose to the occasion. So seeing him getting injured and out for a significant time is just too unfortunate.
Expected to fill Beagle's position for the moment are Zach Sill and Marcus Johansson. But it's no secret both players won't be playing third-line center once Beagle comes back.
