Charlie Lindgren has been officially removed from injured reserve and will back up Logan Thompson against the Winnipeg Jets, Saturday night. The Washington Capitals announced the transaction after their morning skate, hours before puck drop.

In an accompanying roster move, Garin Bjorklund, has also been returned to the Hershey Bears. The Bears face off against the Charlotte Checkers at Giant Center later in the evening.

Lindgren, who traveled with the team north of the border, has not played since he made 23 saves in a 7-1 win against the San Jose Sharks on December 3. He missed the next three games due to an upper-body injury and was placed on injured reserve last weekend.

Carbery said during practice on Friday that Lindgren was trending in the right direction and the team wouldn’t “activate him until we’re 1,000 percent sure” he’s fully healthy.

The 31-year-old netminder is 5-3-1 with a 2.90 goals-against average, a .893 save percentage, and one shutout. According to MoneyPuck, he has saved 6.7 more goals than expected, which ranks 25th best among all NHL goalies.

Here’s the Capitals’ full press release:

Capitals Loan Garin Bjorklund to Hershey
Goaltender Charlie Lindgren activated from IR

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have loaned goaltender Garin Bjorklund to the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), senior vice president and general manager Chris Patrick announced today. In addition, the Capitals have activated goaltender Charlie Lindgren from Injured Reserve (IR).

Bjorklund, 23, has a record of 4-4-1 with a 3.01 goals-against average, a .895 save percentage and one shutout in nine games played with Hershey this season.

Bjorklund posted a 21-4-3 record with a 2.02 goals-against average, a .927 save percentage and one shutout in 29 games with the South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL) in 2024-25. The 6’2”, 195-pound goaltender ranked second in the ECHL in goals-against average and third in save percentage, helping the Stingrays capture the Brabham Cup championship as the ECHL team with the best record in the regular season. The Grande Prairie, Alberta native also made two starts for Hershey, going 2-0-0 with a 1.49 goals-against average and a .942 save percentage. Bjorklund made his AHL debut on March 26, making 26 saves in a 4-1 win at Bridgeport. In 11 career AHL games with Hershey, Bjorklund has a 6-4-1 record with a 2.73 goals-against average, a .903 save percentage and one shutout.

Bjorklund appeared in 27 games with South Carolina in 2023-24, posting a record of 14-11-1 with a 3.33 goals-against average, an .882 save percentage and one shutout. Prior to beginning his professional career with the Stingrays, Bjorklund played four seasons in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Medicine Hat Tigers, where he recorded a 40-48-4 record with a 3.50 goals-against average and an .892 save percentage in 96 career games.

The Capitals selected Bjorklund in the sixth round (179th overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft.