After undergoing back procedure, T.J. Oshie is open to changing his play style
After procedure, Oshie is open to changing his play style originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Throughout his NHL career, T.J. Oshie has developed a reputation for playing a physical brand of hockey. That style has worked out quite well for Oshie — he's played 15 seasons in the NHL, won a Stanley Cup and been voted an All-Star.
But after being limited to just 58 games in 2022-23, the third straight season he's missed time due to injury, Oshie admitted he's open to changing his style of play to preserve his longevity — if the Capitals' roster allows it.
"If our team physicality is such that I don’t necessarily need to lead by example physically, that’s maybe something where I can go out for a shift not looking to make a physical impact but just go out for a shift and play hockey," Oshie said during Capitals' locker room cleanout.
The 36-year-old added that when Tom Wilson, the Capitals' top enforcer, missed the beginning half of the season recovering from an ACL injury, he felt "there was more of an onus for me to set an example physically." That same feeling returned when Washington traded Garnet Hathway to Boston at the trade deadline in March.
Oshie's physicality took a toll on him this season. In November, he missed nearly a month with a lower-body injury. In late December and early January, Oshie missed another three weeks with an upper-body injury, one he later revealed was a back ailment. On March 30 against the Lightning, Oshie reinjured his back -- an injury that kept him out of the team's final six games of the season.
Last week, Oshie underwent a double ablation to help reduce pain in his back. He downplayed the significance of the procedure, saying it wasn't surgery, that it took roughly five minutes and he was able to drive home afterward. Oshie did highlight how big of an impact the ablation made on his health, though, saying he feels "light years better" than he did the day prior.
Oshie said he could have undergone the procedure during the season, but he was comfortable enough to play and fight through the pain. When he returned to the lineup in January, Oshie was healthy and productive for nearly three months before reinjuring his back in that game against Tampa Bay.
When asked about Oshie's health this season, Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan admitted it was frustrating at times because of how important Oshie is to the team.
"When he’s in the lineup we’re a better team. He had 19 goals playing part-time this year — we missed that," MacLellan said. "We had stretches where he’s in and he’s playing and he’s contributing and we’re a better team. Then we have the down part where he’s out and he’s out and we miss him and then he comes back in. We went through a cycle three times this year with him. It’s hard to get a rhythm as a team when you have guys that are important contributors in and out of your lineup."
Like many of his teammates, Oshie believes having a full offseason for the first time in years will help him be in top shape when training camp begins in September.
"[It's] kind of a big opportunity to have a full summer," he said. "I think it’s been since maybe 2010 the last time I missed the playoffs and since before we won the Cup that I didn’t have surgery or something that needed a lot of time to rest after the season. This will be my first time really training, getting some games [in] and some good foundation before training camp in September that I haven’t really had since 2017."
Even after undergoing the procedure and admitting he's open to changing his playing style, Oshie doesn't plan on letting his foot off the gas pedal moving forward.
"I’m going to play with 100% of my ability and 100% of my body until I’m not playing anymore," he said. "It doesn’t matter if it’s off the ice. I’ll do the same thing in a pickup basketball game, I’ll do the same thing on the golf course, in a wrestling match with the guys. That’s just who I am. I’m super competitive."
