Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson returned to practice on Saturday. It was the first time the Norris Trophy finalist jumped on the ice since he left the third period of the Capitals’ exhibition game against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Carlson missed practice on Thursday and the team had a scheduled day off Friday.

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“John did practice with us today, as were all the other players, and we’ll continue to see how he does moving forward here,” head coach Todd Reirden said to reporters after practice during a Zoom video conference.

Carlson suffered an undisclosed injury after he got tangled with Nino Niederreiter and fell awkwardly into the end boards.

Reirden would not guarantee Carlson would play in the Capitals’ first round-robin game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday.

“We’re going to do what’s right for us and the player for the long haul here,” Reirden said, leaving himself wiggle room. “Obviously, as he continues to progress then we’ll anxiously want him in our lineup as quickly as possible. At the same time, we gotta make sure we’re doing the right thing for our team and the player. I’ll have more of an update for you tomorrow.”

Carlson is a first pairing defenseman and had a career year with the Capitals, scoring 15 goals and notching a career-high 60 assists and 75 points.

Headline photo: Elizabeth Kong/RMNB