Washington Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said defenseman Rasmus Sandin is “on track” to play in Wednesday’s home game against the St. Louis Blues after missing five contests with an upper-body injury.
Carberry also said on Tuesday that forward Pierre-Luc Dubois (lower-body injury) will be out long term but is expected to return this season.
“No, we do not think it’s going to be season-ending, just an extended period of time at this point,” Carbery said.
Sandin, 25, last played on Oct. 21 in a 4-1 home win over the Seattle Kraken and was placed on injured reserve. He has two assists, a plus-3 rating, 10 blocks and 16 hits in seven games.
Toronto made the native of Sweden the 29th overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft. Sandin has 118 points (20 goals, 98 assists), a plus-14 rating, 100 penalty minutes, 393 blocks and 450 hits in 316 regular-season games for the Maple Leafs (2019-23) and Capitals.
Dubois, 27, last played on Friday but was hurt in the first period of a 3-1 home loss to the New York Islanders. He has zero points in six games this season and previously missed five games due to a different injury.
He posted career highs with 66 points, 46 assists and a plus-27 rating along with 20 goals in 82 regular-season games last season, his first with Washington. He added three assists and a plus-3 rating in 10 playoff games.
Columbus selected Dubois third overall in the 2016 draft. He has 408 points (165 goals, 243 assists) in 604 regular-season games with the Blue Jackets (2017-21), Winnipeg Jets (2021-23), Los Angeles Kings (2023-24) and Capitals.
