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Washington Capitals Revival: Tom Wilson is BACK!

Originally posted on Inside The Rink | By Cam Stirling | Last updated Jan 22, 2026 11:54 AM ET

The Washington Capitals have been riding the waves just outside of the Eastern Conference Wild Card for some time now, currently sitting at 54 points with a record of 24-20-6, just four points back. Throughout this season, the Capitals have had some unlikely heroes come out of the woodwork to become some of their go-to offensive producers, like Ethan Frank, Ryan Leonard, and Justin Sourdif.

However, ever since Tom Wilson went down with a lower-body injury at the start of 2026, a critical time to make a move for the playoffs, it’s been evident that there is a key piece missing. Wilson is one of the best in the NHL when it comes to combining the physical aspects of hockey with clean offensive production.

The 31-year-old has been called a late bloomer by some, playing arguably his best hockey over the past two seasons. Wilson crushed his career high point total of 52 by notching 33 goals and 32 assists for 65 points last season and has been even better this season, sitting at a point per game with 22 goals and 20 assists for 42 points in 41 games so far this season.

Wilson officially made his return against the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night. The Canucks, with the worst record in the league, are a great opportunity to get warm and get some momentum back after their three-week hiatus. Luckily, the injury, coming from a collision with Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy, wasn’t extremely detrimental to the overall well-being of Tom Wilson and should be able to get back into tip-top shape in no time ahead of playing for Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina next month, as well as a potential Washington Capitals playoff birth.

However, in what was a very winnable game and a key moment in Washington’s chase for the Playoffs, the Capitals blew a 2-0 lead and lost 3-4 to the last-place Vancouver Canucks. Now, Tom Wilson gets back to his old self, being one of only three forwards with over 20 minutes of ice time, as well as grabbing an assist on the very first goal of the game, but it wasn’t enough.

Aside from multi-point performances from Justin Sourdif, Dylan Strome, and John Carlson, it needs to be a group effort if the Capitals want to find success. That starts with the return of their go-to guy, Tom Wilson, and this is just the beginning of the Capitals’ last-minute stretch for the limelight.

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This article first appeared on Inside The Rink and was syndicated with permission.

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