The Capitals are in the midst of a heavy week ahead of the deadline.
ARLINGTON, V.A. – It was a longer practice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex on Tuesday, one where the Washington Capitals keep things light with the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline weighing on the club.
After a day off and time to reflect following a disappointing loss on Sunday, the Capitals got back to work with a spirited skate to try and take the pressure off.
"Yeah, it can be a tough time. But I think we've all been in this league long enough where some guys are on the fence and you just got to make sure that they're coming to the rink and having a good time and take their minds off of it," Joel Edmundson, who could be on the move this week, said. "It can wear you down if you keep thinking about what could happen, so we're just trying to keep things light at the rink and take everyone's mind off it. But yeah, I mean, this comes around every year, it can be a stressful time for a lot of guys but it's part of the business. We just have to have fun at the rink and like I said, just try not to think too much about it."
Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson both didn't skate, taking maintenance days.
Washington got some positive updates, too, as Nic Dowd, who has been out since suffering an upper-body injury on Feb. 20, got more physical and made notable progress while skating in a non-contact jersey.
The 33-year-old is on several teams' radars going into Friday, and he hasn't completely been ruled out for a return to play on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"He's getting pretty close, that's the farthest he's gone in a day from a standpoint of full practice," head coach Spencer Carbery said of Dowd.
Martin Fehervary also skated in a non-contact jersey and continues to progress. He is questionable, along with Dowd, for Thursday against the Penguins.
T.J. Oshie also took a big step forward, skating for the first time since his non-contact injury and taking the ice for some individual skills work before practice. He remains on a week-to-week timeline.
Meanwhile, Ivan Miroshnichenko could get a look soon, and it's possible he could draw into the lineup for the first time since his latest call-up on Thursday against the Penguins, though it depends on who's healthy and who's still in D.C. before the deadline.
The 2024 NHL Trade Deadline is on Friday at 3 p.m. ET.