Washington Capitals winger Sonny Milano has not played in a game since December 10 against the Chicago Blackhawks. Milano has been on injured reserve with an upper-body injury since December 14 and after getting back on the ice has been participating in practices and morning skates in a light blue, non-contact jersey.
That has now changed as the 27-year-old forward donned a normal jersey for the first time at a skate in almost two months. The Capitals are set to take on the Montreal Canadiens in their first game in over a week on Tuesday night.
Sonny Milano is out before morning skate today in a regular jersey. pic.twitter.com/YDyNthnKOx
— Katie Adler (@katieEadler) February 6, 2024
Milano’s original return date was expected to come far before this update with his status. Before Christmas, head coach Spencer Carbery seemed to believe Milano would be back in the team’s lineup shortly after New Year’s.
“He’s starting to get there,” Carbery said then. “I would say it’s obviously post-[holiday] break. I don’t think it will be right away after the break, but that’s a positive sign for him. Next step would be getting [out of] a non-contact and we’ll see where that goes. If everything goes as planned and he continues to improve, I think whether or not it’s in that group of games there right after the break, soon after I would say.”
His delayed journey back to action caused him to miss out on what was the team’s biggest fan giveaway of the 2023-24 season, Chia Pets of himself. While he did not dress for that game against the Seattle Kraken, Milano still got involved by helping hand the Chia Pets out and taking photos with fans.
The former first-round draft pick has eight points (4g, 4a) in 23 games this season. This is the first year on the three-year extension that he signed with the Capitals almost exactly a year ago.
The Capitals are currently carrying a full, 23-man roster after recalling forward Mike Sgarbossa from the Hershey Bears on Monday. Milano has not yet been removed off of injured reserve, so his exact return date is still up in the air.
