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Tom Wilson practices with Capitals in non-contact jersey for the first time this season

By Chris Cerullo

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December 9, 2022 11:40 am

The Washington Capitals took the ice for their morning skate on Friday hours before they’re set to match up with the Seattle Kraken in the team’s first home game in two weeks.

The Caps got a sight for sore eyes during the practice as Tom Wilson joined them for the first time since undergoing ACL surgery this past summer. Wilson and alternate captain Nicklas Backstrom both donned non-contact jerseys as they participated in drills.

The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir posted video of the burly winger.

The last time we saw Wilson publicly skating was just a few days ago when he took the ice with Backstrom and Beck Malenstyn for some light work while the rest of the team was still out on their recent long road trip. Friday’s practice outing was Wilson’s first with the full team before a game and Backstrom’s third.

Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan recently commented on the status of both of his injured stars.

“Tom’s good,” MacLellan said. “I don’t have an exact date. We’ll get a better picture in the next few weeks. Mid-December, we’ll have a pretty good idea. We can be more certain on it then.”

We are only a week or so away from the timeline MacLellan gave on Wilson during that media session a week ago. Backstrom is likely a little further away despite getting on the ice with the team more than Wilson.

“Yeah, (Backstrom’s) progressing well,” MacLellan said. “There’s been no setbacks, so it’s positive. I don’t know where it ends up but everything has been positive so far.

“I’m saying he is doing really well and his rehab is going well,” he continued. “I don’t know that it has been tested, we would like to see him in a practice and [take] contact. That will come in the next little bit, I hope.”

El-Bashir also reports that joining both players on the ice, in a regular jersey, was defenseman Dmitry Orlov. The Russian blueliner joined the team on their road trip in Seattle but did not factor into a single game.

“It’s been a little struggle identifying and helping (Dmitry) get through this injury,” MacLellan said then. “It’s lingered on a lot longer than anyone anticipated.”

The once “day-to-day” labeled Orlov has missed 15 games in a row and that streak does not look like it will be ending on Friday as he only took line rushes on the team’s extra defense pair.

Goaltender Darcy Kuemper and defenseman Martin Fehervary still remained absent. Both players have not practiced or played in a game since leaving last Saturday’s game against the Calgary Flames early with respective upper-body injuries.

Charlie Lindgren and Hunter Shepard were the only goaltenders on the ice with Lindgren being the prospective starter against the Kraken after two wins in a row between the pipes.

Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB

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