Capitals forward T.J. Oshie unsure if he'll be playing next season

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Cooper Godin
April 30, 2024 (12:00)

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The Washington Capitals saw their season come to an end over the weekend as they were swept at the hands of the Metropolitan Division champion New York Rangers. It was a tough series for the Capitals and some big changes could be coming to their roster this summer.

On Tuesday, the Capitals were holding their season-ending media availability and when speaking with reporters, T.J. Oshie said that he would love to return for the 2024-25 campaign, but is unsure due to his back, which he had surgery on in 2023.

"In my mind, it would be hard for me to ever for sure say that that I'm stepping away from the game. I'd love to play next year but I will need to come back with somewhat of a guarantee that my back won't beit's hard putting everyone through this situation. 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 a an answer and just a fix to the problem before I make another run at it." Oshie said.

Oshie, 37, underwent surgery on his back following the 2022-23 season which helped him feel a lot better than he had in quite a while. His back injury during the 2022-23 campaign kept him out of the lineup for three separate stints and finally went under the knife as soon as the Capitals' season ended last April.

The Everett, Washington native has one year remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $5.75 million. If he's unable to play, the most likely scenario would be the Capitals placing him on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) before the start of the 2024-25 season.

In 52 games this season, Oshie put up 25 points (12 goals, 13 assists), 44 penalty minutes and was a minus-six. He went on to add one assist and four penalty minutes in four games during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.