(Caps Outsider)

The Capitals have lost winger Andre Burakovsky for the next 6-8 weeks after he had surgery to repair a fractured left thumb. Burakovsky missed 15 games last year with a broken right hand.

Burakovsky started the season on the top line along Nicklas Backstrom and TJ Oshie. After he started the season slow, head coach Barry Trotz moved him down to the third line with Lars Eller and Brett Connolly, where he played for the majority of last year. This move seemed to spark Burakovsky as he scored in the first game with that line against Detroit.

Burakovsky was a restricted free agent over the summer and the Caps gave him a two year, $3 million per year, contract extension, expecting him to help makeup some of the offensive production the Caps lost in the off season.

As for the Caps moving forward, the team called up Chandler Stephenson, who had a hat trick for Hershey over the weekend. This is what the forward lines looked like this morning as the Caps prepare to go on their western Canada road trip.

Andre Burakovsky also missed the dog calendar photo shoot.