Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson sat down at his locker stall Friday at Kettler Capitals Iceplex after taking his first morning skate in weeks and admitted there were moments when he thought this day would never come.
Sidelined the past nine games, Carlson took part in Washington’s morning skate ahead of Friday’s game against Nashville and proclaimed himself to be “pretty darn close” to returning to the lineup. He first suffered a lower-body injury back in December, returned too soon just before the All-Star break and hasn’t played in a game since undergoing an undisclosed procedure on Feb.