The Washington Capitals took the ice for their morning skate in Winnipeg on a very busy Sunday morning. On the ice, still in non-contact jerseys, were Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson as the two veteran forwards traveled with the team for the first time this season.
The two team leaders have amped up their skating in recent days as they continue to recover from offseason surgeries. Wilson practiced with the team for the first time this season on Friday. Both players got in some work at the team’s practice facility on Saturday before this road trip.
John Walton, the fantastic radio voice of the Washington Capitals, posted photos of the two on the ice inside Canada Life Centre.
Both in non-contact blue, but Nick Backstrom and Tom Wilson both participating in the morning skate here in Winnipeg. pic.twitter.com/eFo9UpTKtZ
— John Walton (@JohnWaltonPxP) December 11, 2022
Wilson being around the team more and more tracks with what Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said in a recent interview.
“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.”
The rugged winger had surgery to repair the ACL in his left knee this past summer. His good buddy Backstrom is likely still a little further away after undergoing his own major procedure (hip resurfacing) over the summer.
“Yeah, (Backstrom’s) progressing well,” MacLellan also 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.”
Caps head coach Peter Laviolette commented happily Friday about having Backstrom and Wilson back around the team on a more regular basis.
“They’re out here right now which is good,” Laviolette said. “This is the next step. We’ve been gone for a while so we come home and see where the guys have advanced to. Lot of good work with Mark Nemish here, both off ice and on ice. This is the next step of progression so it’s really good to have them out there.
“There’s no question that it’s good for morale when you start to see players that have such an impact on the team are back,” he continued. “They’re working to try and put themselves in a position where they can come back and help our team.”
The Caps play the Jets on Sunday night and then the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night in this mini two-game road trip. While neither Backstrom nor Wilson will draw into the lineup in either game, their traveling is a sign that the surging Caps may be getting some backup sooner rather than later.
Headline photo: Elizabeth Kong/RMNB
