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Tom Wilson will make his return from offseason knee surgery against Columbus Blue Jackets

By Chris Cerullo

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January 7, 2023 12:09 pm

The Washington Capitals have played the entire first half of the 2022-23 season without Tom Wilson. That is not something they can say they’ve done since the 2012-13 campaign when Wilson was finishing up his junior career in the OHL with the Plymouth Whalers.

Wilson’s first extended absence from the Caps due to injury ends on Sunday night. After announcing that Nicklas Backstrom would be making his own season debut on Sunday, the Caps announced Wilson would be back as well.

The team, as they did with Backstrom, first teased the news on their social media accounts and then confirmed his exact return date (Sunday, January 8) via a PR tweet.

Wilson joined Backstrom for the vast majority of both of their in-season rehab processes so it’s not a shock that they’re available to the team again at the same time. Wilson had his own big surgery done during the offseason as he had the ACL in his left knee repaired after tearing it in Game One of the Caps’ first-round playoff series against the Florida Panthers.

His first day back on the ice this season came on October 26 when he got in some very light work in a team-branded tracksuit. He didn’t join his Caps teammates for a full practice in a non-contact jersey until December 9, a couple of weeks after Backstrom first did. He took full contact during practice for the first time on December 21.

Wilson was made available to the media inside the Capitals’ locker room last Wednesday for a lengthy interview.

“The last couple of weeks I’ve felt myself,” Wilson started. “It’s just a matter of time. I’m starting to feel a lot better, not worrying about it and not thinking about it as much. It’s good. It’s kind of the last step of the process. Just getting back to feeling like yourself and not worrying about the rehab process.

“We’re going through that last stage now,” he continued. “Where I’m feeling good and I have no limits in practice or anything like that. Once I feel really, really good, we’ll be good to go.”

The Capitals posted a hype video to build even more anticipation for the fan favorite’s long-awaited return.

In the video, Wilson can be seen at various stages of his rehab. His voice rings over the closing stages of the short trailer.

“No better feeling than going out on home ice,” Wilson says. “I’m proud to be a part of this city and this organization.”

Read more: All the Capitals roster moves ahead of the 1/8 Blue Jackets game.

Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB