The Washington Capitals hit the ice for practice in St. Paul on Monday, a day before they’re set to do battle with the Minnesota Wild. The skate saw defenseman Rasmus Sandin take power play reps and ramp up his participation level for the first time since he hit injured reserve almost two weeks ago.
John Walton, radio voice of the Capitals, questioned head coach Spencer Carbery about Sandin’s status heading into Tuesday’s contest. Sandin has not played in a game since January 3 against the New Jersey Devils.
“Yeah, there’s a chance [he’s back in against Minnesota],” Carbery said. “We’ll see how he is tomorrow and go from there – whether we activate him or have to hold off.”
Sandin’s absences started listed as due to illness. That designation eventually changed to day-to-day with an upper-body injury and landed Sandin on IR.
The 23-year-old Swede plays on average the second-most minutes on the Capitals per game (22:06), behind only John Carlson (25:44). The Capitals are currently carrying a full, 23-man roster and would have to make a corresponding move to play Sandin against the Wild.
Fourteen of those twenty-three spots are filled by forwards and the one obvious move could be returning Hendrix Lapierre to the AHL’s Hershey Bears. Lapierre does not require waivers to be ferried back and forth between the two leagues, unlike Matthew Phillips. Phillips could also be an option though as he has sat out healthy for almost three weeks.
Sonny Milano did not join the team on the trip. The winger, who has yet to get out of a non-contact jersey, has been on IR since December 14 with his own upper-body injury.
“Just hasn’t progressed along as quickly,” Carbery said. “But, with those injuries, sometimes it takes a little bit longer.”
Milano has not played since December 10 against the Chicago Blackhawks. In 23 games this season, he has recorded eight points (4g, 4a).
