The Washington Capitals received a huge boost to their blueline at practice on Tuesday. Matt Roy, one of the club’s top four defensemen, shed his non-contact jersey and participated fully in the skate.
Roy has been out of action since October 12, when he suffered a lower-body injury in Washington’s season-opening game against the New Jersey Devils. He skated just 8:39 of ice time in his debut with the team.
The Capitals’ next game is against the Predators on Wednesday night, and head coach Spencer Carbery is hopeful that Roy will dress for the home outing. Nashville is at the bottom of the NHL’s Central Division after starting the season with a 4-7-1 record.
“He is definitely a possibility for tomorrow,” Carbery said. “Looked good. He’s continued to progress, and today was another box checked of being in a regular practice, regular jersey. All things trending towards potentially playing tomorrow.”
Roy was replaced in the lineup by Dylan McIlrath, who has kept his spot for ten games and counting. Washington placed Roy on injured reserve last week to add to their forward depth by recalling Mike Sgarbossa from the AHL’s Hershey Bears.
Players placed on IR must miss at least a week, and teams can make the move retroactive to the player’s injury so Roy can be activated whenever the Capitals decide he is ready to return. Once he returns, Washington must send Sgarbossa or the more recently recalled Vincent Iorio back to Hershey.
Roy signed a six-year, $34.5 million deal in free agency with Washington this past summer. The 29-year-old rearguard recorded 25 points (5g, 20a) in 81 games for the Los Angeles Kings last season. The Capitals’ desire to sign him came partly due to wanting to give John Carlson more of a break this year.
With Roy out, Carlson has returned to the top of the NHL regarding the average time on ice per game. The 34-year-old is skating on average 25:56, four seconds more than Nashville’s Roman Josi, who is in second place.
While Roy fully returned to team activities, the Capitals are still waiting for Jakob Chychrun to do the same. Chychrun suffered an upper-body injury against the New York Rangers last week and skated on his own with skills coach Kenny McCudden ahead of Tuesday’s practice.
