Tom Wilson is not yet ready to practice with the Washington Capitals after he broke the fibula in his left leg during the summer and has no idea when he’ll be allowed to do so.
Wilson broke the bone in an accident in Ontario in July and underwent surgery to repair the break on July 8. He has just recently begun to skate by himself, doing so once in Toronto and once at Kettler Capitals Iceplex, where the Capitals began training camp on Friday.
“It was tough timing,” Wilson said, referring to the injury. “I had a good May and June and I was ready to amp it up [in July]. It’s tough coming in here, it’s tough seeing everyone working through their skate tests, and you want to be out there with them and you don’t want be the guy not out there. So, it’s tough mentally, but I’m putting in the work off the ice and hopefully it comes around.”
Coach Barry Trotz said last week that Wilson may be ready to return by the end of the preseason, with the Capitals set to open the season Oct. 9 against Montreal.
The No. 16 overall pick in the draft in 2012, the right wing scored three goals, had seven assists and tallied 151 penalty minutes over 7:56 of ice time last season.
Wilson said the outpouring of support he received over the summer from friends and family members and through social media was comforting. He spent time on crutches following the injury, and on Friday, was limited to riding a stationary bike.
“Obviously the first thing is getting back to 100 percent health-wise, but after that, I’m going to be excited to get back into it and bring to the table whatever I can,” Wilson said.
“I’m a competitive kid. I like to work hard and push myself, and sometimes, you have to hold back a little bit. There’s no point in coming back five days early if it’s going to cost you three or four weeks down the road, so it’s kind of taking it day by day and I think I’ll know when I feel ready.”
• Zac Boyer can be reached at zboyer@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.