TJ Oshie is back with the Washington Capitals. The veteran winger dressed for practice on Tuesday without a non-contact jersey.
The news comes after head coach Spencer Carbery revealed last week that Oshie left the team to get treatment for an undisclosed injury in Minnesota. The 37-year-old forward has not played in a game since December 16.
Oshie appears to have been back in the DC area since at least Monday. He posted an Instagram story of his daughter Leni playing basketball outside of their house.
The Capitals originally described Oshie’s ailment as lower body but updated that diagnosis to an upper-body injury. Oshie has notably suffered from a lingering back injury, having a minimally invasive “double ablation” procedure done this past offseason to try and relieve some chronic pain.
Oshie also recently stopped playing golf, one of his main hobbies, to ensure that he could keep his back in good shape. Additionally, he underwent core surgery two summers ago and faced further setbacks with that during the 2022-23 season.
T.J. Oshie’s well-populated career injury history pic.twitter.com/XRalewZjGy
— NHLInjuryViz (@NHLInjuryViz) December 19, 2023
Oshie has missed 17 total games so far this season after missing 24 last season. Currently, he is still listed on the team’s injured reserve and is not taking up a roster spot. That appears likely to change soon as Carbery mentioned post practice that Oshie could play this week depending on how he progresses.
The positive prognosis for Oshie comes seemingly out of nowhere after it could have been surmised that a trip away from the team last week indicated troubling news for his career. Instead, Oshie looks like he’ll be back on the ice at Capital One Arena as soon as Thursday.
The Capitals will skate again on Wednesday and then hold a morning skate before their next game against the Seattle Kraken.
Headline photo: Katie Adler/RMNB
