The Capitals are continuing their informal skates at MedStar Capitals Iceplex.
The Washington Capitals are just a few weeks away from the official start of training camp, but some of them are already back on the ice with informal skates taking place at MedStar Capitals Iceplex. And on Monday, two familiar faces joined the group as Nicklas Backstrom and Joel Edmundson arrived in D.C.
Backstrom and Edmundson join John Carlson, Joe Snively, Darcy Kuemper, Alex Limoges and Alex Alexeyev as those who are already taking part in the on-ice workouts.
Backstrom spent some of his summer in Sweden and is coming up on arguably the biggest training camp of his life. The 34-year-old is coming off his first full offseason of training in years after spending the last few seasons rehabilitating due to chronic hip issues. He underwent hip resurfacing surgery last June and has been pain-free since.
While Backstrom has been optimistic and believes he will return stronger this season, general manager Brian MacLellan admitted on breakdown day that he wasn't sure of how much better Backstrom would get and hinted that he would have to make a decision about his career going forward. However, in summer, he said Backstrom would get the chance to show his progress at training camp.
Meanwhile, Edmundson is skating in the DMV for the first time since being acquired from the Montreal Canadiens to open free agency. He is expected to provide depth on the blue line and be a leader in the room and mentor for younger defensemen like Rasmus Sandin and Alex Alexeyev.