A Closer Look At How Injuries Have Impacted Capitals This Season

The Washington Capitals have not been immune to injuries by any means over recent years, and 2022-23 has been no different.

Washington’s been plagued by several injuries to open the campaign. Nicklas Backstrom (hip resurfacing surgery), Tom Wilson (ACL surgery) and Carl Hagelin (hip surgery) were ruled out to open the year, but since then, more ailments have plagued the roster.

Connor Brown, who was brought in to help fill the void on the top-6, suffered a season-ending ACL injury just four games into the season. After that, T.J. Oshie and John Carlson went down with lower-body ailments, and Beck Malenstyn then suffered a broken finger and is out 6-8 weeks. Oshie and Carlson have returned, but after that, Dmitry Orlov drew out with a lower-body injury.

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But how deep have the injuries gone this season, and how do the Capitals stack up across the league?

According to NHLInjuryViz, Washington has the most man-games lost in the league and the second-highest cap hit of injured players (Philadelphia Flyers lead with $8.74 million). Those injured players also average the second-most minutes per night with 98:57 minutes (Philly leads with 107:25).

On the bright side, things may be starting to look up. Backstrom has been taking part in morning skates in a non-contact jersey. Meanwhile, Orlov has been practicing with the team in a normal jerry and joined them on this six-game road swing. Meanwhile, Wilson, who has yet to skate with the team and is pegged for a late December/early January return based on the given timeline, has been skating on his own.