ARLINGTON, Va. — Connor Brown has a lower-body injury and will be out long term for the Washington Capitals. It is still being determined if the forward needs surgery.
“Any time you hear somebody’s out long term it’s not good,” coach Peter Laviolette said Wednesday. “We were really excited to have him here and be part of our organization. Disappointing for us, disappointing for him. It’s unfortunate.”
Brown was injured on a hit from the defenseman Noah Juulsen during the third period of the Capitals’ 6-4 win against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday.
“Sometimes, that happens. It doesn’t have to look like it was something that’s devastating,” Laviolette said. “Sometimes, things just happen on the ice and all of a sudden they have long-term effects to them. So, he’ll be missed while he’s out.”
The 28-year-old has no points in four games this season. The 28-year-old was acquired in a trade with the Ottawa Senators on July 13 to help fill in for forwards. Tom Wilsonwho is expected to be out until at least December after having surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee on May 24.
The Capitals visit the Senators at Canadian Tire Center on Thursday (7 pm ET; TSN5, RDS1, NBCSWA, ESPN+, SN NOW) and will be without a forward. Yevgeny Kuznetsovwho was suspended one game for high sticking Canucks defenseman Kyle Burroughs on Monday.
Washington is also missing forwards Nicklas Backstrom (resurfacing surgery on left hip) and Carl Hagelin (arthroscopic surgery on left hip), who are each out indefinitely.
“We’ve been doing it for a while now,” Laviolette said. “So, guys are going to have to step up and fill different positions. There’s been a couple guys sitting out of the lineup really excited to get in there so one of them will get a crack at it.”
Brown is in the final season of a three-year, $10.8 million contract he signed with Ottawa on Oct. 22, 2020, and will be eligible to become an unrestricted free agent when it expires.
.