As Washington Capitals gear up to return from the lengthy Olympic break on Monday, they're also getting healthier, meaning more roster decisions are looming. Washington activated Charlie Lindgren from the injured reserve and re-assigned goaltender Garin Bjorklund to Hershey, which also indicates that Olympian Logan Thompson will be back in time for the return to play. Olympians do get a mandated date off, per the CBA, so he is unlikely to skate Tuesday. The same is expected for Team Canada teammate Tom Wilson and Slovakia blueliner Martin Fehervary, who is already back in the D.C. area. Washington is also waiting to see how John Carlson, who skated in a non-contact jersey on Sunday and is listed as day-to-day, is doing. Now, the Capitals' attention turns to their forward lines. Connor McMichael looks good to go and ready to come off the injured reserve, meaning that the team will have to open up another roster spot to meet the 23-man roster limit. Hendrix Lapierre has been the placeholder for Wilson during these practices, while Sonny Milano has been skating on an extra defensive pairing. Neither player is waiver-exempt, meaning they'll have to clear to be assigned to Hershey. It's been difficult seasons for both players; Lapierre has regularly been in the lineup with Pierre-Luc Dubois having been out, but has struggled to produce consistently despite decent underlying numbers in limited minutes. He has two goals and seven assists for nine points through 56 games this year. Milano, meanwhile, has been a scratch fro the majority of the season, and like Lapierre, will get limited minutes when he does play. In 31 games this season, the 29-year-old has four goals and four assists for eight points. The Capitals return to play on Wednesday as they host the Philadelphia Flyers.
