Capitals defenseman Michal Kempny did not dress again Thursday against the Predators, missing the first five games of the regular season now.
Kempny suffered a torn hamstring in March, which caused him to miss the rest of the 2018-19 season and all of the playoffs after he underwent surgery in April.
According to teammate John Carlson, Kempny is skating and a full participant in practice. The Caps are just taking it easy with him so as to not put him at risk for re-injury.
"Yeah, he's skating. He's doing full practices with the team now, so it's just a matter of time," Carlson told Chad Dukes during his weekly 106.7 The Fan appearance, which is presented by The Purple Heart.
"He obviously had a big injury, one that never really happens in hockey," he said. "You never tear a hamstring off the bone in hockey as much as other sports, I would say. So I think it's more just about caution.
"A setback for him with that injury is a lot different than a setback with a sore groin or something like that. I think it's being as patient as you can early on in the season to make sure that you're not risking that tweak to sideline him a lot, lot longer. He's a big part of our team, we dearly miss him, but gotta get him right and ready to go for long haul of the season here."
