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Caps waive camp surprise Collins

Keith Kinkaid, Sean Collins

Keith Kinkaid, Sean Collins

AP

Last week, Sean Collins surprised onlookers by making Washington’s opening-night roster on the heels of a strong preseason performance.

But that was last week.

The Caps placed Collins on waivers this afternoon, per ESPN, with the move coming hours after Collins played just over eight minutes in Tuesday’s 5-0 blowout loss to San Jose.

A former seventh-round pick that had previously spent all of his professional career in the Columbus organization, Collins inked with the Caps this summer and impressed head coach Barry Trotz this fall with his work rate and lunch-bucket approach.

“It’s the consistency factor, the getting the job done,” Trotz said, per the Washington Post. “He’s not a Ferrari; he’s one of those useful pickup trucks that get the job done. He’d probably do a commercial for a truck company.

“That’s what he is. He’s the guy that can pick up a lot of stuff that some of those other guys can’t do and that’s really important to have.”

Waiving the 27-year-old may be linked to a pending roster move. It’s possible that Collins’ departure will pave the way for Nicklas Backstrom to come off IR and join the roster; Backstrom (hip) was taking line rushes with the team earlier this week while awaiting medical clearance from his surgeon.

The Caps have two more games at home this week -- against Chicago and Carolina -- before heading West for a three-game roadie through Calgary, Vancouver and Edmonton.