Call it the inevitable results of his playing style or bad luck, but Mike Green has dealt with a variety of injuries in his NHL career. He’s only managed one full 82-game season (2007-08), yet even with that past in mind, Green’s issues have been especially troubling for the Washington Capitals this season.
The team and the player are both anxious to get him back in the lineup. Green told the Washington Post’s Katie Carrera that he’s “pretty close” to returning, but gave no guarantee that he’ll be able to play against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday.
The good news is that the Capitals have a pretty light schedule to start off January. If he doesn’t play tomorrow, Washington’s next two games are on Saturday (at San Jose) and next Monday (at Los Angeles). Green can either play against Calgary on Tuesday yet not push himself to play too much too soon or he can get a nice amount of additional rehab time while missing a minimal amount of extra games.