Big update on injured Capitals defenseman Michal Kempny.

The Washington Capitals suffered a tremendous loss all the way back at the end of March when veteran defenseman Michal Kempny went down with an injury that effectively ended his season. 

Although the 28 year old Kempny was not exactly a household name prior to the 2018 - 2019 National Hockey League regular season, he quickly distinguished himself as a very valuable piece of the Capitals roster. Kempny had what I believe many would agree was a career best year with the Capitals last season, recording 6 goals and 19 assists for a total of 25 points while finishing the year with a plus minus rating of +24. In fact the defenseman was so good that many felt he was quickly establishing himself as the most underrated player on the Washington Capitals roster.

That all ended in a flash however when Kempny was involved in a scuffle with 26 year old Tampa Bay Lightning forward Cedric Paquette. The two men got tangled up and went Kempny went down it would be a very long time before he got back up. The initial prognosis, a torn hamstring, had Kempny missing up to 6 months of action due to the extensive rehab that an injury of that nature would require, however it seems as though the Capitals blue liner is well ahead of schedule at this time.

According to some images published on social media by Caps reporter Harrison Brown it now appears as though Kempny will be well ahead of schedule in his recovery. In the images provided by Brown we can clearly see that Kempny has resumed skating for the first time since March, roughly a full month ahead of schedule given the 6 month time frame. Now this does not mean that he is 100% healthy and ready to return to training camp, it does however indicate that he is on his way. 

Kempny took several laps around the ice and seemed to be skating without any issues, and he even fired off a couple of shots from the point during an informal practice held by the Washington Capitals over the weekend. No word yet on how close Kempny is to a full recovery, but this is seriously good news for fans in Washington.