Capitals defenseman Mike Green is creeping closer to a return to game action. He managed to stay on the ice for all of Monday’s practice at Kettler Iceplex, for one thing. That’s a good sign. But Green didn’t exactly look smooth on his skates as he hopped in and out of drills with teammates.
“He’s day-to-day right now. He’s getting a lot closer,” Washington coach Bruce Boudreau said. “We haven’t made any decisions one way or the other on it. But he took a full practice today and felt a lot better and he’s taking some power play time. We’ll sleep on it and we’ll see how it goes.”
But the Caps aren’t going to rush Green. They are 9-3, after all, entering Tuesday night’s game against the Dallas Stars at Verizon Center. While it would be nice to have Green out there, what’s the point of pushing it this early in the season given their strong start? Doesn’t mean Green won’t lobby Boudreau to play him if he feels good, though.
The 26-year-old defenseman was originally hurt Oct. 22 in a game against Detroit when he took a puck to the jaw and twisted his ankle trying to get out of the way. It swelled up on him afterwards and since then Green has missed five games and five entire practices. Two other practices he was out on the ice skating for a few minutes, but left early on.
“This was my first real skate where I skated with the team fully,” Green said. “It felt good so we’ll see.”
Green wouldn’t say if turns or stops and starts hurt the most. In fact, he claimed pain isn’t an issue at all at this point. Take what you will from that. Regaining strength around the ankle appears the most important thing to Green. Once that happens he’ll definitely be ready to return. Best guess? One of the New Jersey games this weekend. But Green says he will at least test the ankle during the morning skate at Kettler on Tuesday.
“I don’t want to be a liability on the ice,” Green said. “I’ve only had one really good skate here so for me to just jump back in wouldn’t necessarily be a good thing if that’s the case. If I’m going to be a liability. If I feel I am I don’t think I should play. If I don’t, then I’ll play. I’ll let you guys know tomorrow.”
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