Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin was not on the ice for Monday morning’s training camp skate at MedStar Capitals Iceplex. The team later announced that the 41-year-old winger is dealing with an undisclosed lower-body injury, which also forced him out of practice on Sunday.
The news comes after Ovechkin was healthy to begin camp, skating on a line with Dylan Strome and Ryan Leonard. Before the injury was announced, head coach Spencer Carbery relayed an update on the club’s preseason plan for him after Washington’s roster for their game against the Flyers in Hershey was revealed.
“Right now, we’ll see how it goes this week,” Carbery said. “We’ll be off tomorrow, and then we’ll come back and have two practice days. I’ll be able to give you a more accurate update on when we see him playing and how many games.”
When pressed further about Ovechkin’s availability for the remaining two preseason games, Carbery would not confirm if he had any plans to give Ovechkin a sweater.
“I’m not going to commit to anything,” he said. “I’ll know better once we come back off the off day.”
This is the third year in a row that Ovechkin has been nursing an injury at the start of training camp. He still managed to play in two preseason games last year after missing most of the team’s camp due to a lower-body injury.
Ovechkin, who celebrated his birthday last night with family and friends, is headed into his 22nd and potentially final NHL season.
