Alex Ovechkin is reportedly expected to return to the Washington Capitals’ lineup either in the team’s final game before the holiday break or their first one after they return.
Ovechkin has been out of the lineup since November 18 after fracturing his left fibula against the Utah Hockey Club.
Tuesday, before the Capitals’ matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks, head coach Spencer Carbery spoke in nuance about what Ovechkin needs to accomplish behind the scenes before being fully cleared to play again, which will ultimately be up to the Capitals’ medical team.
“Yeah, [the next step is] just a full practice where we’re not having to keep him out of contact drills,” Carbery said. “He’s going to at least need one of those for sure, and probably, I would guess, multiple before we’re willing to put him right back into a game having missed this much time. Sometimes, when you miss a couple games, you just need one to get back in, but with him having missed four weeks, you would ideally like a few of those before you’re giving him the green light to play.”
Ovechkin, who traveled with the team for its back-to-back against the Dallas Stars and Chicago Blackhawks, began practicing again with the Capitals on Saturday, wearing a light blue non-contact jersey. Previously, he had been skating solo at MedStar Capitals Iceplex.
“He’s progressing,” Carbery said when asked about a possible timeline for Ovechkin’s return. “That’s what I can share, is everything is on track, and he has had no setbacks, and he’s trending in the right direction. So whether that’s in a week, two weeks — I’d be guessing at this point, but things are progressing, so him being now the last step of getting him into a regular jersey, he’s right there at the finish line. So we’ll see how the next week goes.”
