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BREAKING: Capitals Lose 2 To Waivers, Johansen & Borgstrom Clear

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Capitals forward Axel Jonsson-Fjallby

The Washington Capitals didn’t get through waivers unscathed. They lost two of their budding prospects on Monday, as Axel Jonsson-Fjallby and Brett Leason both got picked up on waivers.

On Monday, the Winnipeg Jets claimed AJF, while the Anaheim Ducks grabbed Leason off waivers.

Meanwhile, forward Henrik Borgstrom and defenseman Lucas Johansen cleared. They will report to the AHL’s Hershey Bears.

All four were among the final cuts heading into the regular season.

Jonsson-Fjallby, a fifth-round selection in the 2016 NHL Draft, made his NHL debut last season, picking up four points in 23 games while also playing a role on the fourth line and penalty kill. He spent years with Hershey and playing overseas in Sweden.

Leason, meanwhile, was an overager taken in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft. The 6-5 forward got 36 games of NHL action last season, dishing six points. He played a fourth-line role as well as moved up and down the lineup, while also spending time in Hershey.

AJF and Leason but they couldn’t make as much noise as fellow prospects Aliaksei Protas and Joe Snively. They all went scoreless through the preseason. They would have benefitted from more playing time down in Hershey and would have likely been atop the list if the team needed to call up a forward at some point in time.

Borgstrom, meanwhile, came to D.C. on a one-year, two-way deal he signed this offseason. However, had a quiet camp and preseason that led to him being waived and re-assigned.

READ MORE ON WHN: Who To Watch, Who Did & Didn’t Make It And What To Know About The 2022-23 Washington Capitals

Johansen, who signed a two-year extension this offseason, was the closest he’d been to making the full-time jump. Despite an assist in four games and ranking third in Corsi-for percentage among defensemen, Johansen couldn’t beat out Erik Gustafsson as the 6D. As he faced being an extra alongside Matt Irwin, the team held onto Irwin and sent Johansen down so he would get more responsibility and ice time rather than having to further develop by using practices as games and not being in the lineup.

Taking the final cuts into account, the Capitals will begin the season with 14 forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders. Here is the projected opening night roster:

Forwards: Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Connor Brown, Anthony Mantha, Dylan Strome, T.J. Oshie, Conor Sheary, Lars Eller, Connor McMichael, Marcus Johansson, Nic Dowd, Garnet Hathaway, Aliaksei Protas, Joe Snively

Defensemen: John Carlson, Martin Fehervary, Dmitry Orlov, Nick Jensen, Erik Gustafsson, Trevor van Riemsdyk, Matt Irwin

Goaltenders: Darcy Kuemper, Charlie Lindgren

Nicklas Backstrom, Tom Wilson, Carl Hagelin and Alex Alexeyev are on long-term injured reserve/non-roster to open 2022-23.