The Washington Capitals announced that defenceman Michal Kempny is sidelined indefinitely. Kempny is still rehabbing a torn left hamstring from last season. The Capitals have placed Michal Kempny on injured non-roster, so they can activate him as soon as he is healthy, as opposed to placing him on long-term injured reserve, which requires the player to miss a minimum of 10 games.
#Caps place D Michal Kempny on injured non roster (can be activated when healthy; no minimum game threshold)
— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) October 1, 2019
Michal Kempny Injured
Kempny hasn’t played since last season where he only played 71 games and missed the playoffs. He scored 6 goals and 19 assists for 25 points last season to go along with 60 minutes in penalties. His possession numbers were 50.7 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of 2.1.
Over his 3-year NHL career, Kempny has played for the Capitals and the Chicago Blackhawks. He has 11 goals and 32 assists for 43 career points in 174 career games. He was originally undrafted and signed out of the KHL by the Blackhawks.
“I feel better every day. I’m trying to work on some stuff, and, you know, get better,” said Kempny. “I think I’m really close.”
What This Means for the Future
With Evgeny Kuznetsov suspended for the first 3 games of the season and Michal Kempny being on injured non-roster, this brings the Capitals down to the 23 man roster limit for the time being. The Capitals will have to start the season without one of their main defencemen. When Kempny and Kuznetsov return, however, they will have to make moves to make their roster compliant with the limits. It’s an issue that the Capitals are seemingly putting off until they can’t anymore.
Both players are seemingly close to returning (Kuznetsov having 3 games, and Kempny saying he’s close), so it’s fair to say they’ll have to make these moves soon. Kempny has been skating, but with a no-contact jersey still in practice.
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