Sgarbossa was skating on the third line at Capitals practice on Monday.
Sgarbossa was skating on the third line at Capitals practice on Monday.
ARLINGTON, V.A. — Sunday was a bit of a roller coaster for Mike Sgarbossa, as just minutes before the start of the Hershey Bears' game against Providence, he was told not to dress and to start packing, as he'd be headed up to the Washington Capitals on a recall.
Washington made the recall official on Monday, bringing up Sgarbossa and placing Matt Roy on the injured reserve.
"It's great," Sgarbossa said of returning to the District. "Since I played a little bit last year, I kind of have the confidence and know that I belong and that I can make some plays and do something up here. And then you're more comfortable."
The Capitals chose to recall the 32-year-old in order to get another option at center, as Hendrix Lapierre has struggled to open the 2024-25 campaign. Sgarbossa was skating in his place on the third line on Monday alongside Jakub Vrana and Andrew Mangiapane.
For head coach Spencer Carbery, bringing up Sgarbossa gives the team a different look, while also allowing him to keep Connor McMichael on the second-line left wing, where he's thrived to open the year.
"We'll see where it goes," Carbery said, adding, "Having another centerman, if we need to get a different look there, we have the option to do that without moving McMichael and we have the roster space with Matt Roy going on IR."
When it comes to expectations, what the Capitals want is simple: consistency. And that's ultimately what they think will help him contribute to the lineup.
"Just the same things he's shown throughout his career, playing on teams that I've coached, what he did last year, be real reliable, smart, compete and then give us a little bit offensively when the time presents itself," Carbery said.
"(Carbery) just wants me to play hard play smart and play reliable," Sgarbossa noted. "As you get going and plays open up, then you can make them, so just kind of looking for me to play a reliable game and make some plays when they're there."
Sgarbossa's season debut could come as soon as Tuesday against the New York Rangers, though no lineup decisions have been made at this time.
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