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Washington Capitals: Madison Bowey gets chance with Matt Niskanen injury

By Dave Stevenson

TORONTO, ON - MAY 29: Ben Smith #21 of the Toronto Marlies skates up ice against Madison Bowey #4 of the Hershey Bears during AHL Eastern Conference Final playoff game action on May 29, 2016 at Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo Graig Abel/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - MAY 29: Ben Smith #21 of the Toronto Marlies skates up ice against Madison Bowey #4 of the Hershey Bears during AHL Eastern Conference Final playoff game action on May 29, 2016 at Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo Graig Abel/Getty Images) /
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Young defenseman Madison Bowey might finally get the chance he’s been waiting for, as the Washington Capitals have called him up from the AHL to replace Matt Niskanen. 

The Washington Capitals are off to a 3-1-1 start to their season. Considering how many players they lost in the offseason, that’s fairly impressive. However, their most recent win, a 5-2 win over the New Jersey Devils on Friday, Oct. 13, proved to be a costly one. Top defenseman Matt Niskanen left the game after only playing about 12 minutes.

On Saturday, the Caps announced he has been put on the long-term injured reserve list. This will cause him to miss no fewer than 12 games. He is eligible to return on November 12 against the Edmonton Oilers. To replace him on the roster, the Capitals have called up their top defenseman prospect, Madison Bowey.

"Last season, Bowey recorded 14 points (3g, 11a) in 43 games. In the 2015-16 season, Bowey led all Bears defensemen in points (29) and assists (25)."

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Bowey nearly made the Capitals’ Opening Night roster, but was one of the last players sent down to the Hershey Bears. Since Niskanen is a right-handed defenseman, Madison is the most logical choice to replace him. Adding a right-handed shot to the blue line is critical because, without Niskanen, the only other righty on the blue line is John Carlson.

Expect to see Bowey get a lot of playing time. He could even start on the first pairing, alongside Dmitry Orlov. However, Bowey will most likely start on the second pairing next to Brooks Orpik because head coach Barry Trotz has been adamant about pairing young players with veterans.

A second-round pick of the Capitals in 2013, he’s been one of the Bears’ most reliable defenseman since arriving in 2015. Bowey has seven goals and 43 assists in 105 AHL games. He could play as early as Saturday night, with the Capitals having a game against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Next: Capitals Top 10 Prospects

Bowey has long deserved a chance with the Caps. For a variety of reasons, he hasn’t gotten any yet. But this could be Bowey’s best chance to prove to the Capitals that he’s a keeper. The Caps have been very patient with him. Now it’s Bowey’s time to show what he has learned.

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