The Washington Capitals took the ice for a full-team morning skate on Saturday before their game against the New York Rangers. Veteran forward Max Pacioretty was present and participating with the main group as he continues to rehab a torn Achilles tendon.
Pacioretty, donning a light blue, non-contact jersey, has been ramping up his skating in recent weeks with an eye to return before the new year. While the rest of his teammates were out west on their five-game road trip, Patches was back at home on the ice with assistant/skills coach Kenny McCudden and forward TJ Oshie getting some work in.
Max Pacioretty joining in morning skate today in a no-contact jersey. pic.twitter.com/vTWrmorPVa
— Katie Adler (@katieEadler) December 9, 2023
Five months after signing with Washington over the offseason, Pacioretty has made progress in his recovery and began skating again last month. Head coach Spencer Carbery spoke about his return timeline after Friday’s optional practice.
“I don’t think that we have an exact game that we’re shooting for but I would say it’s getting within two-to-three weeks from him playing,” Carbery said. “I think you’ll see him in practice. That’s the next big step, is him practicing with the group. He’ll start, I’m sure, in a non-contact [jersey] and then once he gets into that regular jersey then game on, we’re getting pretty close.”
Pacioretty revealed in early November that he had a goal in mind for when he would return, but declined to share that publicly.
“I do, personally,” he said. “Internally, I haven’t shared that with anyone other than my family. I’ve been through this before. It’s circled in pencil around a couple days where I want to be. Ultimately, that’s out of my control. I haven’t talked to the team about that but it’s something that would be pretty special to me.”
Pacioretty is taking his rehab process slowly to make sure his injury is properly healed as he tore the same tendon twice in quick succession last year. His initial injury occurred in early August of 2022, and he got into just five games for the Carolina Hurricanes last season before re-injuring himself on January 5, 2023.
The Capitals, who are still ranked second-to-last in the NHL in goals per game this season (2.35), could really use the jolt in offense that Pacioretty could provide. The 35-year-old winger has scored 30 goals in a season six times over his career.
“Today was the first real day that I sort of paid attention to him and the drills that he was doing and you can tell the puck comes off his stick a little bit differently,” Carbery said Saturday. “It’ll be great to have him in the fold and be able to add him. We’ll see how that looks from a line combination standpoint, power play standpoint but no question he’s shown in the past that he can put the puck in the back of the net.”
Headline photo: Katie Adler/RMNB
