T.J. Oshie to be placed on LTIR, but all is not lost for Capitals

“I remain committed to the process and am working and doing my best to regain total health,” Oshie wrote in part. “I will continue to help and support my teammates and the organization in any way I can. I greatly appreciate all of our fans’ support during this time.”

The silver lining to a loss like Oshie’s is that now a roster spot becomes available to a younger player looking to prove he’s NHL-worthy.

Something Washington has desperately needed is to inject some youth into its lineup. It had the fifth-oldest roster in the NHL in 2023-24.

Through a flurry of trades and high-profile free-agent signings this offseason — including forwards Pierre-Luc Dubois, 26, Andrew Mangiapane, 28, and defenseman Jakob Chychrun, 26 — Washington now has only the eighth-oldest roster in the league.

Now, with Oshie, 37, sidelined indefinitely, a prospect like Ivan Miroshnichenko can get more ice time and properly develop with Washington’s top forwards.

Miroshnichenko, 20, only played 21 games last year and tallied just six points being shuffled around Washington’s bottom-six. The Russian youngster had 25 points in 47 appearances for AHL Hershey when he wasn’t in D.C., showing he clearly has the capability of contributing offensively.

Team chemistry will be the biggest question entering the season with so many new faces on the ice, so giving the players — young and old — as much time as possible to gel in practice before game action will be crucial.

Washington sneaked into the playoffs in 2023 but was swept by the New York Rangers. If it wants to return and advance in the postseason, developing its young talent alongside higher-quality league veterans is a good way to get better.

Oshie’s LTIR stint also means his contract is moved off the books for the time being, opening up salary-cap space the team needs to keep its newly revamped roster intact.

With Oshie joining forward Niklas Backstrom on LTIR, there will be only three remaining members of the 2018 Stanley Cup-winning squad on the active roster: Alex Ovechkin, John Carlson and Tom Wilson.

It appears to be the beginning of the end of an iconic era in Washington, but perhaps Oshie’s absence will provide the opportunity for a new and even better one to start.