With injuries on the blue line, the Washington Capitals have recalled defenseman Aaron Ness from the American Hockey League, the team announced Sunday. Ness’s addition would put the Capitals over the maximum of 23 active roster players, so top-pair defenseman Brooks Orpik was retroactively put on injured reserve and can be activated at any point.
The Capitals have been without Orpik for 11 games because of a lower-body injury. Orpik and Coach Barry Trotz have said the injury doesn’t need surgery, and with Washington 8-1-2 in the games Orpik has been out, the team has opted for patience, preferring Orpik be 100 percent healthy, though both have said the recovery has taken longer than expected.