ARLINGTON, Va. -- T.J. Oshie is expected to begin the season on long-term injured reserve, the Washington Capitals announced after he completed his pre-training camp medical exam Wednesday.
The 37-year-old forward is entering the final season of an eight-year, $46 million contract ($5.75 million average annual value) he signed with Washington in 2017. He has been in and out of the lineup the past two seasons because of sometimes debilitating pain in his back and spent the offseason seeking solutions.
"The last season was challenging for me, my family, and my teammates as I dealt with a chronic back injury that kept me out of the lineup," Oshie said Wednesday. "I have used the offseason to explore and pursue long-term solutions for my injury. I remain committed to the process and am working and doing my best to regain total health. In the meantime, I will continue to help and support my teammates and the organization in any way I can. I greatly appreciate all of our fans' support during this time."
Oshie was limited to 52 regular-season games last season and had 25 points (12 goals, 13 assists). He had one assist in four games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and acknowledged he might not be able to continue playing after the Capitals lost to the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference First Round.
"I'd love to play next year, but I will need to come back with somewhat of a guarantee that my back won't be -- it's hard putting everyone through the situation," Oshie said on April 30. "From my family at home to the team trying to figure out a lineup to young guys getting called up and going down, I'd like to find just an answer and a fix to the problem before I make another run at it."
The Capitals had physicals Wednesday and will be on the ice for their first training camp practices Thursday. They open the regular season against the New Jersey Devils at Capital One Arena on Oct. 12.
"We will support and assist T.J. as he seeks a lasting solution for his recurring injury," Capitals general manager Chris Patrick said. "T.J. is a vital member of our team and continues to be an indispensable member of the organization and leadership group. Our organization fully backs him as he assesses his current health challenges."
Oshie had a minor procedure on this back following the 2022-23 season that he said was, "a short-term fix," and provided only temporary relief. He required daily maintenance and multiple trips to visit chiropractor Dr. Kerry Johnson in Apple Valley, Minnesota, to be able to play as much as he did last season.
"There's been a lot of just extra things that I have to do to make sure that my back is ready to play an NHL game," he said after the season. "I miss the days where I'd come in and have a coffee and sit on the training room table, maybe the hot tub and throw the stuff on and go play."
Oshie sometimes dealt with pain so severe he was unable to walk or pick up his children. He had to crawl off the ice after throwing his back out in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Feb. 22, but was able to return on March 11 at the Winnipeg Jets and played in his 1,000th NHL game at the Vancouver Canucks on March 16.
The No. 24 pick by the St. Louis Blues in the 2005 NHL Draft, Oshie has 695 points (302 goals, 393 assists) in 1,010 regular-season games during 16 seasons with the Blues and Capitals. He has 69 points (34 goals, 36 assists) in 106 career NHL playoff games, including 21 (eight goals, 13 assists) in 24 postseason games to help Washington win the Stanley Cup for the first time in 2018.
Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said last month that if Oshie is unable to play this season, it will be up to other players pull together to make up for his absence as a player and alternate captain.
"Everybody knows how much he means to this organization and what he's able to bring for us as a team, and he showed that last year," Carbery said. "If he's not able to play, it's going to be some more opportunity for [Ivan Miroshnichenko], Taylor Raddysh, Sonny Milano potentially. So, we feel good about those guys and then it would be just about them taking advantage of that added opportunity.
"Also, from a leadership standpoint, the things that T.J. does off the ice, it's making sure that guys like Dylan Strome, Tom Wilson, John Carlson, [Alex Ovechkin], those guys know, 'OK, we've lost an important voice in the room, so it's on us to carry a little bit more of the burden and fill in the voids that T.J., if he's not able to go, brought."
