When Stanislav Galiev saw he wasn’t in the lineup for Sunday’s preseason finale, he thought his time with the Washington Capitals was finished and another season in the American Hockey League awaited. It wasn’t an unreasonable conclusion, as every other bubble player who didn’t play was cut the next morning.
But Galiev was told after the game that he would be on the opening day playing roster, giving the skilled 23-year-old Russian winger more time to make an impression.
“It was kind of a shock,” Galiev said. “But I was excited.”
Galiev appeared to face longer odds to nab one of the coveted depth forward spots.