Sonny Milano’s tough year with the Capitals just got even tougher, and his future remains uncertain heading into next season.
The 29-year-old winger barely saw the ice this season, getting scratched from the lineup multiple times early on. After a brief three-game return in November, Milano disappeared from the roster completely due to an upper-body injury that derailed his comeback near the trade deadline.
Now it looks like the problem isn’t going away anytime soon.
“He’s still trying to get healthy,” Capitals GM Chris Patrick told reporters today. “It’s probably going to be a process that continues through the summer.”
It’s a frustrating turn for Milano, who signed a pretty decent three-year, $5.7 million deal back in 2023. At the time, he was riding high after posting back-to-back 30-point seasons. But since then? He’s only managed to play in 52 games over two years.
The injury forced the Caps to place Milano on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) for most of this season. He joined veterans Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie there, though their contracts are up this summer.
If Milano isn’t ready for the start of next season – meaning he’ll miss at least 10 games and 24 days – he’ll likely end up back on LTIR.
That uncertainty is giving the Capitals front office a real headache. They’ll need to keep some salary cap flexibility this summer, just in case Milano’s health issues continue into the 2025-26 season.
Milano still has one year left on his contract, but right now, nobody’s sure when he’ll be back on the ice.
