ARLINGTON, Va. —
Two of the organization’s longest-tenured players have been rehabbing and ramping up to return for several months. Despite missing Backstrom, Wilson and Washington has rebounded from a slow start to move into a playoff position midway through the NHL season.
There has been a buzz around the locker room in recent weeks as Backstrom and Wilson started taking part in practices, shed no-contact jerseys and inched closer to playing again.
“To have those guys on the mend and on their way back is exciting,” said winger T.J. Oshie, who recently returned from a six-game injury absence. “There’s a lot of guys that have been working super hard to keep us in a solid position for when they get back, and I can’t say how good of a job everyone else has done with a lot of us being out for most of the season. It’ll be nice to get them back and have myself and them carry a little more of the load.”
To make room for their returns, the Capitals put Joe Snively on waivers and assigned fellow young forward Aliaksei Protas to Hershey of the American Hockey League. If Snively goes unclaimed and clears, he can be assigned to Hershey on Sunday.
To open up the necessary salary cap space, defenseman John Carlson, who is out after taking a puck to the face Dec. 23, went on long-term injured reserve. There is no timeframe for Carlson to come back.
