Ex-Rangers forward Jonny Brodzinski back in NHL with Capitals

Jonny Brodzinski, who spent six seasons with the New York Rangers before signing with the Washington Capitals as a free agent this summer, is back in the NHL. The Capitals, who had sent him to Hershey of the American Hockey League just before the season, recalled him on Saturday, and he was in the lineup for Washington’s game against the New Jersey Devils at Capital One Arena.

He takes the place of forward Pierre-Luc Dubois, who’s been dealing with an illness and was placed on injured reserve. Justin Sourdif was also scratched for the game against New Jersey due to illness, Brodzinski will center the fourth line between Anthony Beauvillier and Ryan Leonard.

The 33-year-old has two goals and five points in four games with Hershey this season, tying him for second on the Bears in both categories. Washington sent him to Hershey to start the season even though he scored three goals in two preseason games with the Caps.

Washington coach Spencer Carbery is confident that Brodzinski can step right into the lineup.

“I would look to see exactly what he put on display in training camp,” Carbery said before the game against New Jersey. “I thought he had a phenomenal camp. I thought he was noticeable every day through the practices, scrimmages — and then in the exhibition games, I thought he was outstanding.

“Hopefully, keeping him playing and getting some game reps in Hershey, (means he’ll be) able to come right back up and seamlessly go into NHL games and play the way he did in training camp.”

Brodzinski signed a one-year, $850,000 contract with Washington as a free agent on July 1 after spending six seasons in the Rangers organization, where he appeared in 207 NHL games. He had six goals and 16 points in 55 games with New York last season while winning 53.0 percent of his face-offs. Brodzinski’s 16 points tied for the 10th in the NHL among skaters who averaged less than 11:30 of ice time per game.

In 2024-25, Brodzinski established career highs in goals (12), plus-minus rating (plus-6), ice time per game (11:41), and matched his career high in points (19) in 51 games with the Rangers. In 2023-24, Brodzinski played a career-high 57 games and set career highs in assists (13) and points (19).

Brodzinski was selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the fifth round (No. 148) of the 2013 NHL Draft. He has 71 points (33 goals, 38 assists) and is plus-12 in 264 NHL games with New York, the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles. In 317 AHL games, Brodzinski has 272 points (128 goals and 144 assists).

Though Brodzinski has spent most of his career fighting for a spot on an NHL roster, he said during training camp that he came in with a new mindset about it.

“New coaching staff, new kind of everything for me. I’m just going into it with absolutely nothing to lose,” Brodzinski said. “I know what I can do. Over my career, I’ve never truly hit my potential. Just every single year, it seems like I’ll play five or six games, start to kind of get in the rhythm of games and get pulled out of the lineup. So I never really felt like I hit my full stride, and I feel like I have so much more to give.”

Brodzinski’s hard work kept him exclusively in the NHL with the Rangers for the previous two seasons. But his ability to play all three forward positions and be useful in all situations attracted interest when the Rangers opted not to keep him.

“As a guy that can now play left, right, center, penalty kill, power play, kind of bounce around wherever you want, top line, bottom line,” Brodzinski said. “I just think being able to do everything… Being able to find those spots and shoot the puck (and) being able to bang bodies and just get pucks behind the defense and kind of wear them down (is) a skill.

“I just want to be a guy that can get in every single night and make a difference.”

Related Headlines

• Rangers lines, notes, how to watch Metro clash against Blue Jackets
• Rangers Daily: Blueshirts elite PK; Chytil returns; Carolina injury updates
• Oft-injured Rangers star ‘changes dynamic’ of Canucks in lineup return

Read more at Forever Blueshirts