Rasmus Sandin took the next big step in his recovery from ACL surgery on Saturday morning.
The Swedish defender joined the Washington Capitals‘ practice with his teammates for the first time since undergoing ACL surgery this past spring. Sandin, still in a light blue no-contact jersey, took part in some of the club’s light drills before leaving the ice.
“Yeah, that was a pleasant surprise coming in and seeing that and Serbs (head athletic trainer Jason Serbus) saying that he was going to come on the ice and do skills and take part in the first few flow drills of practice,” Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery said. “So nothing timeline-wise, but a really, really positive step.”
Sandin sustained the ACL tear on April 11 against the Pittsburgh Penguins and missed the final two games of the 2025-26 regular season. At that time, the Capitals estimated a six- to nine-month recovery timeframe, placing his return between late October and late January.
During the 2025-26 campaign, his fourth season with the Capitals, Sandin recorded 29 points (5g, 24a) in 73 games. After John Carlson was dealt to the Anaheim Ducks at the deadline, Sandin took on a larger role with the Caps, averaging the third-most time on ice per game on the team (19:53) in 17 post-deadline games.
“I think it just gets guys a little bit excited,” Carbery said. “Like, ‘Oh wow, okay,’ because you don’t forget about Sandy, but you’re just kind of in the zone of ‘Okay, next game, who’s in the lineup,’ and then when you see someone that you haven’t seen in a while, when it gets to practice reps, you go, ‘Oh yeah, we have a really good defenseman there that is getting closer and closer.’ So it gives guys a little bit of excitement for what’s to come.”
When Sandin is ready for a more full return to practice and skating with the team, the question will be where he fits in a lineup that already has Jakob Chychrun, Martin Fehervary, and Cole Hutson patrolling Sandin’s natural left side. At the end of last season, Carbery had been playing Sandin on his off-hand side, where names like Matt Roy, Vincent Desharnais, Timothy Liljegren, Jack St. Ivany, Justin Holl, and Dylan McIlrath have all seen time this year.
For now, though, Carbery isn’t worried about any of those potential future issues and is just happier that Sandin is healthy enough to rejoin his peers.
“Yeah, that’s the worst part about being injured, from my experience and from talking to guys, is the isolation of the whole process,” Carbery said. “You’re still in and around, but you’re just so siloed on what you need to do on a daily basis and doing things by yourself and doing rehab by yourself in the facility with someone by your side, but it’s just all about you.
“You want to get in those team settings where you’re in meetings and talking with coaches and players about what’s going on. It’s coming soon.”
Sandin has played 242 games for the Capitals since arriving via trade from the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 2022-23 campaign. He is signed with the Caps through the 2028-29 season.
