The Washington Capitals announced defenceman Michal Kempny is out for the remainder of the season with a torn hamstring. Kempny underwent successful surgery to repair the tear and is expected to be out of action for four to six months.
Caps defenseman Michal Kempny underwent a successful surgery to repair a torn left hamstring. Kempny is expected to miss 4-6 months.
— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) April 2, 2019
Michal Kempny Injured
Kempny was injured on March 20th in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The injury occurred when Kempny and Tampa forward Cedric Paquette became entangled late in the second period. After falling awkwardly, Kempny needed to be helped from the ice.
In 71 games this season, Kempny has six goals and 25 points while averaging 19:11 time on ice. The Capitals acquired Kempny last season from the Chicago Blackhawks last season. Kempny played in all 24 of the Capitals playoff games en route to the Stanley Cup.
The Czech native originally signed as an undrafted free agent with Chicago in 2016. In his career, Kempny has appeared in 174 games, scoring 11 goals and 43 points.
Bad Timing
Kempny proved to be a great pick up for the Capitals last year. He stabilized the Caps blueline and was able to play big minutes for them during their championship run. He carried over his strong play into the 2018-19 season. Kempny has fit nicely into the Capitals top four, so he will be greatly missed going into the playoffs. The Caps has turned to Christian Djoos to take over Kempny spot in the lineup. Another player looking to step up will be Nick Jensen. Jensen was acquired from Detroit in February. Another low-cost acquisition near the trade deadline, Jensen will hope to have a similar impact that Kempny did last year. The Capitals also called up defenceman Jonas Siegenthaler from Hershey as extra depth.
