Rasmus Sandin rejoins Capitals practice after ACL surgery

For months Sandin skated on his own, away from the team. Saturday he was out there with everybody else.

Tarik El-Bashir

@Tarik_ElBashir

Rasmus Sandin, wearing a no-contact jersey, has joined his #ALLCAPS teammates for practice. Big step in his recovery from ACL surgery. t.co/U3n1ILfyHs

The injury happened April 11 against Pittsburgh, and Sandin had surgery on April 21. The usual recovery for an ACL is 6 to 9 months, so getting back into team practice now puts him right at the front of that window. Before it happened he was having a good year: 29 points (5 goals, 24 assists) in 73 games, third on the team in blocks, and he'd recently been moved up to the top pair on the right side.

Saturday's practice lines were the same as before. The 3 regular pairs stayed together, and Sandin skated as an extra alongside McIlrath.

Sammi Silber 🏒

@sammisilber

Same Caps lines: Ovechkin-I. Protas-Beauvillier Tuch-Strome-Kyrou A. Protas-Dubois-Wilson Jenner-Sourdif-Leonard Miroshnichenko-Frank Chychrun-Roy Fehervary-Liljegren Hutson-St. Ivany Sandin-McIlrath Thompson Lindgren

That's where he fits right now: Chychrun-Roy, Fehervary-Liljegren and Hutson-St. Ivany are the 3 pairs, and nobody has to move for Sandin yet. Once he's cleared for contact, though, it gets interesting. A healthy Sandin who was playing on the top pair in April isn't going to be a spare part for long, and someone on that blue line will lose minutes when he comes back.

Don't get carried away yet, though. He's still in the no-contact jersey, and he didn't finish the practice.

Tarik El-Bashir

@Tarik_ElBashir

#ALLCAPS lines, pairs and goalies for Saturday’s practice: Tuch-Strome-Kyrou A Protas-Dubois-Wilson Ovechkin-I Protas-Beauvillier Jenner-Sourdif-Leonard Extras: Miroshnichenko and Frank Chychrun-Roy Fehervary-Liljegren Hutson-St. Ivany Extras: *Sandin-McIlrath Thompson Lindgren *Sandin, in a no-contact jersey, started practice but left early

Leaving early isn't a red flag. This is how a guy coming off knee surgery gets worked back in: a partial practice, then a full one, then contact, then games. Back in September at the start of camp, GM Chris Patrick said it was too early to set a schedule but that the 6-to-9-month window still held and everyone was hopeful. What to watch next is whether Sandin finishes a full practice and when the no-contact jersey comes off. When that happens, the Caps have a real lineup decision to make on defense.