In May of 2022, Tom Wilson got hurt in the first period of the first game of the first round of the playoffs. Wilson needed ACL surgery, which cost him half of the 2022-23 season and visibly hampered him upon his return in January of that year.
“It was a tough year, but this summer I’m starting to feel a lot better,” Wilson told TSN 1050 in August. “Once you get kind of a year post-op, it definitely makes a big difference.”
That difference has been noticeable. Wilson appears to have regained his pre-injury speed.
We saw that speed in evidence in Wilson’s hat-trick game, the first of his career. His first goal that night was unassisted, on a breakaway.
Wilson exited the penalty box, stole the puck from Mason MacTavish after a bad pass from Alex Killorn, and then he smoked every Duck chasing him on the way to the net.
The post-ACL Wilson of early 2023 wouldn’t have been able to do that. Following his surgery, Wilson rated in the bottom half of NHL forwards in top skating speed, according to NHL Edge. That was a big drop from the 92nd percentile, where he stood just before the injury.
And now?
He’s back. Wilson’s current top speed is just 0.1 miles per hour off his 2021-22 best. He now sits in the 96th percentile among forwards. In speed bursts above 22 miles per hour, Wilson is in the 95th percentile.
NHL Edge statistics are still in an early state, but what we have for Wilson is very encouraging, and they should comfort those of us who were worried about Wilson’s recovery when he signed his landmark, seven-year deal with the Capitals this summer. As I said back then,
The Capitals surely know more about Wilson’s viability than we do. Someone somewhere has recorded splits on Wilson’s sprints since he returned to the ice, and that person has seen Wilson steadily improving, and that improvement has given Brian MacLellan the confidence to sign a player with an otherwise uncertain future to a long-term contract.
Cut to now: Wilson’s on a 30-goal pace, which would be a career high. He’s attempting shots and generating scoring chances at a higher rate than at any time in his career. His role as the in-the-slot man on the power play is the best part of that unit. Oh and he’s taking way too many penalties (15 minors, one behind Bo Byram for the league lead), but we’re trying to keep the energy positive here.
Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB
