The Washington Capitals announced on Thursday that rookie forward Ryan Leonard will miss the next three to four weeks due to a shoulder injury. Leonard was initially hurt by a blindside hit thrown behind the net by Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jacob Trouba.
While players usually rest up and rehab behind the scenes, Leonard has remained close to the team. This was first evident when he was at Capital One Arena for the Caps’ 2-0 shutout win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. After the victory, Leonard could be seen in the locker room during Spencer Carbery’s post-game speech with his arm in a sling.
Thursday, Leonard made a brief public appearance at the Capitals’ morning skate, jumping onto the bench for about five minutes and interacting with teammates and coaches. He did not have his arm in a sling.
“Ryan talked to Spencer Carbery and then was throwing a puck to Brandon Duhaime from the bench,” Reader Julia, who sat on the fan side during the skate, explained to RMNB. “Ryan was tossing the puck to Duhaime onto the ice, and Dewey was juggling the puck, and then he threw it back. Ryan didn’t raise his arm too high.”
📸: If rehab goes well, Leonard won’t be out long. The Capitals’ timeline has him returning to games in early to mid-January.