One of the more prominent members of the 2025-26 San Jose Sharks blue line, Vincent Desharnais departed the organization over the summer and signed with the Metropolitan Division's Washington Capitals. Now, he's set to miss a significant amount of time but he should be back for Washington's trip to the SAP Center. On Friday morning, the Capitals announced that Desharnais had undergone an appendectomy the prior day and will be out for 4-6 weeks: Although offense isn't a key part of Desharnais's game, he was off to a strong offensive start that put him on pace for the best season of his career in that regard with three points in the Capitals' first nine games. As expected, he's been a very strong defensive addition to the Capitals' roster. His physicality is also still prevalent, as he has the second most hits on Washington, trailing none other than Tom Wilson. Losing Desharnais will be huge for Washington, as he's currently averaging the third-most ice time amongst Capitals defensemen. Desharnais should return from his surgery at the end of November or the beginning of December, meaning there's a good chance he'll be in the lineup when the Capitals make their only trip of the season to the SAP Center on January 8, 2027.
