Capitals Notebook: Latest On Milano As He Nears Return, Who Does He Replace After Two-Month Absence?

The Capitals got an update on Sonny Milano after Thursday's practice.

The Washington Capitals got back to work on Thursday after a day off, and they also got an encouraging update on Sonny Milano as he continues his long road back.

Head coach Spencer Carbery told reporters that Milano, who skated Thursday after missing Tuesday's morning skate due to illness, could be back in the mix as soon as Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens but that the Capitals will see how the next two days go before making a decision.

Milano has not played since Dec. 10 against the Chicago Blackhawks, one game after he suffered an upper-body injury on a hit by Jacob Trouba back on Dec. 9 against the New York Rangers.

The last two months have seen Milano skating primarily in a non-contact jersey, but he recently upgraded to full contact following the All-Star Break. It is unclear what the exact injury was, but the team wants him to get comfortable with taking contact before getting back into game action.

When it comes to where Milano will slot in, he could perhaps take the place of Nicolas Aube-Kubel in the lineup, who sat out recently to get Matthew Phillips a game. Washington made its corresponding roster move to make space by placing Phillips on waivers.

The Capitals will have one more practice before heading to Montreal for a rematch with the Canadiens on Saturday.

Washington currently sits six points out of a Wild Card spot with 30 games left to go in the regular season and just over three weeks until the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline. The team's approach to the deadline will be determined by how the next handful of games go, but right now, the team appears to be headed in the direction of selling.