Capitals get best-case scenario Ryan Leonard injury update

When Washington Capitals forward Ryan Leonard was hit behind the net on Dec. 5 by Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jacob Trouba, the injury didn't look good. The former Boston College star left the game and did not return.

It was listed as an upper-body injury, and there was some concern about it being a concussion, given how the hit looked. Leonard was placed on injured reserve two days after the injury. There was no update given at the time, and on Thursday morning, Washington gave an update on Leonard's injury and the timetable to return.

Capitals give Ryan Leonard injury update, and it's not as bad as some might have expected

Washington announced that Leonard sustained a shoulder injury against Anaheim, and the expected course of rehabilitation, his projected recovery time is approximately a month. Given how the hit looked and the reaction from Leonard, this could have been a lot worse for Spencer Carbery and his team.

This season in 29 games, Leonard has seven goals and 11 assists with a plus/minus of plus-7 for the Capitals. The 2023 first-round pick, No. 8 overall, has been huge so far in his first professional season before the injury.

Washington has been one of the hottest teams in the NHL recently, vaulting from near the bottom of the standings to first place in the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference. They host the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night for first place, with Rod Brind'Amour's team one point behind the Caps.

A month is a long time for Leonard to be sidelined, but the Capitals have been playing well of late and getting production from up and down the lineup. Getting Leonard healthy and one hundred percent is the goal at this point in the season, but they avoided a major injury and a longer period of time out of the lineup. For a hit that didn't look good, you can make the case that a month is not as long a timeframe as what could have been.