Rasmus Sandin is set to start the 2026-27 NHL season on the shelf as he continues to recover from surgery on a torn ACL that he had this past April.
Immediately after the surgery, the Capitals announced that the Swedish defender would be out for the next 6 to 9 months. As the club nears the start of the preseason, general manager Chris Patrick shared a short update on Sandin’s status with NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti.
“(He’s) doing pretty well, so hopefully he’ll be on the shorter side of that recovery window, but when we see him when he gets into (training) camp, we’ll have a lot better feel for that,” Patrick told Gulitti.
Sandin’s projected recovery timeline puts his potential return date anytime between late October and late January. To ensure the Capitals were covered on defense as Sandin works his way back, Patrick added defensive depth over the summer in the form of Vincent Desharnais and Justin Holl. He also re-signed Timothy Liljegren.
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 up 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.
With the late-season emergence of top prospect Cole Hutson, head coach Spencer Carbery had been playing Sandin on the right side of the team’s defense, with Hutson, Jakob Chychrun, and Martin Fehervary occupying the three spots on Sandin’s natural left side. Desharnais, a natural right-handed blueliner, will soak up most of the minutes that Sandin leaves behind, joining Liljegren and Matt Roy on the right side.
As Patrick indicated, the Capitals should get a better idea of when to expect Sandin back when he returns to DC for the start of training camp. The Caps announced Wednesday that they will officially begin camp on Thursday, September 17.
