Max Pacioretty Has ‘No Concrete Timetable’ For Return To The Ice

ARLINGTON, Va. — It’s Day 1 of Washington Capitals training camp. Max Pacioretty is not on the ice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex.

That’s no surprise as Pacioretty recovers from a torn Achilles tendon he suffered in January. What is a surprise, however, is when he’ll be well enough to return to the ice.

“No concrete timetable yet,” Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said Thursday. “He’s doing a treatment here this week. You know, I think we’ll get a better sense when he comes back from the treatment and starts skating.”

The 34-year-old winger suffered an initial tear of his right Achilles tendon in August 2022. He returned to play in five games for Carolina last season before he tore the same tendon for a second time.

The team’s biggest splash of the offseason, Pacioretty agreed to a 1-year, $2 million contract with the Capitals in July. His contract, which includes bonuses for games played, will have a total value of $4 million if he plays in a minimum of 20 games

“This was a unique situation for me — I’ve never been a free agent before and obviously coming off an injury,” Pacioretty said in July. “There were a couple scenarios how I could have played it. At the end of the day, I just thought that Washington was a great opportunity for me to come back and prove that I’m still the player that I once was and I’m capable of coming back and scoring goals.”

In August, head coach Spencer Carbery said that Pacioretty’s return timeline was “unclear” but hinted that he could return prior to the start of the new year.