Caps expect D Rasmus Sandin (upper body) to return vs. Blues

Washington Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said defenseman Rasmus Sandin is "on track" to play in Wednesday's home game against the St. Louis Blues after missing five contests with an upper-body injury.

Carberry also said on Tuesday that forward Pierre-Luc Dubois (lower-body injury) will be out long term but is expected to return this season.

"No, we do not think it's going to be season-ending, just an extended period of time at this point," Carbery said.

Sandin, 25, last played on Oct. 21 in a 4-1 home win over the Seattle Kraken and was placed on injured reserve. He has two assists, a plus-3 rating, 10 blocks and 16 hits in seven games.

Toronto made the native of Sweden the 29th overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft. Sandin has 118 points (20 goals, 98 assists), a plus-14 rating, 100 penalty minutes, 393 blocks and 450 hits in 316 regular-season games for the Maple Leafs (2019-23) and Capitals.

Dubois, 27, last played on Friday but was hurt in the first period of a 3-1 home loss to the New York Islanders. He has zero points in six games this season and previously missed five games due to a different injury.

He posted career highs with 66 points, 46 assists and a plus-27 rating along with 20 goals in 82 regular-season games last season, his first with Washington. He added three assists and a plus-3 rating in 10 playoff games.

Columbus selected Dubois third overall in the 2016 draft. He has 408 points (165 goals, 243 assists) in 604 regular-season games with the Blue Jackets (2017-21), Winnipeg Jets (2021-23), Los Angeles Kings (2023-24) and Capitals.

--Field Level Media