Jack St. Ivany Debuts for Washington Capitals Against Flyers

Jack St. Ivany Debuts for Washington Capitals Against Philadelphia Flyers

Ten games into the 2026-27 season, the Washington Capitals are turning to their ninth different defenseman of the young campaign. Jack St. Ivany will make his debut in a Capitals sweater on Wednesday night against the Philadelphia Flyers, stepping directly onto the ice alongside blueliner Cole Hutson.

The 27-year-old St. Ivany arrives in Washington following a whirlwind weekend that ended with a waiver claim by Capitals general manager Chris Patrick. The defender was a member of the Winnipeg Jets, getting ready for Sunday’s Heritage Classic outdoor game against the Montreal Canadiens when the transaction dropped.

When I got that call, it’s the most excited I’ve been in a long time to be able to speak with Chris Patrick, the GM here.”

Managing a Shuffled Blue Line

St. Ivany's arrival comes as Washington deals with an extensive wave of early-season injuries on the backend. With Rasmus Sandin and Vincent Desharnais currently residing on injured reserve—alongside a brief early-season absence from Matt Roy—head coach Spencer Carbery has been forced to constantly juggle his defensive pairings.

Hutson, the 20-year-old, has felt the brunt of that turbulence. Across the first ten games of the season, Hutson has logged at least 15 even-strength minutes alongside half a dozen different partners, including Martin Fehervary, Vincent Desharnais, Timothy Liljegren, Justin Holl, Jakob Chychrun, and Dylan McIlrath.

Against Philadelphia, St. Ivany will become Hutson’s seventh partner of the season. Carbery emphasized that the success of the pairing hinges on St. Ivany’s ability to read and react to Hutson’s instincts on the ice.

“Cole is going to be in some different spots, and so he just has to be aware of that,” Carbery told following Wednesday’s morning skate. “It doesn’t change his game; you just have to be aware and watching for those scenarios where Cole has used his instincts to do something, and it’s put him in a position that is not the norm.”

Across 57 career NHL appearances, St. Ivany has averaged 15:30 of ice time per night. The Capitals are asking for little more than that baseline stability as the roster heals. Carbery noted that the team simply needs “solid, reliable minutes” from the former Yale and Boston College student, including contributions on the penalty kill and clean puck movement.

Closing Out the Homestand Against a Rival

Wednesday’s matchup marks the finale of a five-game homestand for Washington, which has captured three of its first four contests on home ice. The Capitals will immediately pack their bags following the final horn, heading to Music City for a Thursday night clash against the Nashville Predators.

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Flyers limp into the District looking to rebound from a Tuesday night in Philadelphia. The Flyers surrendered three first-period goals to the Columbus Jackets in a span of just 2:46 while mustering only two shots on target in the opening frame. Though Philadelphia battled back to force overtime before falling 4-3 on Kent Johnson’s second goal of the game, Carbery expects an urgent push from their Metropolitan Division rivals right from the opening puck drop.

In the crease, Washington is expected to turn back to Logan Thompson. Sidelined for Saturday’s contest against Buffalo due to a lower-body injury, Thompson was listed as a game-time decision, prompting the club to loan goaltender Mitch Gibson to AHL Hershey on Wednesday afternoon. Philadelphia is projected to counter with netminder Joseph Woll.