That's D.C. Hockey Pilot The Washington Capitals had to make a big decision on Sunday with Lars Eller ready to come off the injured reserve, choosing to return either Hendrix Lapierre or Ivan Miroshnichenko to the AHL. And after a rough start for Lapierre, they chose the former. Per the NHL media site, Washington activated Eller off the injured reserve and sent Lapierre down to the Hershey Bears, where they hope he will get back to the level he was playing at a season ago. The start of the 2024-25 season hasn't gone according to plan for Lapierre by any means, with the 22-year-old struggling to recapture the play that made him an NHL mainstay just a few months back. Through 27 games this season, Lapierre has just three assists and is a minus-3 on a high-scoring Capitals team. "I have no idea, honestly (what happened)," Lapierre told The Hockey News [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals/features/washington-capitals-hendrix-lapierre-opens-up-struggles-start-season-turn-around#:%7e:text=I%20want%20to%20be%20better,the%20Capitals'%20hand%20was%20forced.] of his struggles to start the season. "I think I was just not playing well... I had a great summer, felt good, worked hard. So it was kind of weird to arrive and have a tough camp." Returning to Hershey will be good for the back-to-back Calder Cup Champion, who was named the AHL's playoff MVP in June. It will give him the opportunity to reset and play top-6 minutes rather than spending time as a healthy scratch up in the NHL. With that, his playmaking ability, confidence and scoring should return with time. Miroshnichenko, who was called up in late November after Alex Ovechkin [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals/features/washington-capitals-hendrix-lapierre-opens-up-struggles-start-season-turn-around#:%7e:text=I%20want%20to%20be%20better,the%20Capitals'%20hand%20was%20forced.] broke his leg, remains up with the big club as an extra. Though he could also benefit from more minutes in Hershey, he's earned more time up at the NHL level as the Capitals wait for Sonny Milano to work his way back from injury. The 20-year-old has four points in 15 games this season and showcased his two-way game and what he can bring to the table while playing primarily with the fourth line during Ovechkin's absence.
