On Sunday, Pierre-Luc Dubois edged nearer toward suiting up again for Washington.
At 27, the center had previously been confined to solo on-ice work, yet while the team was in Nashville he joined the broader group for his first such session since his Nov. 7 operation, as the Washington Post's Bailey Johnson reported.
Promising as the step is, the pivot still wears a powder-blue non-contact sweater and isn't anticipated to suit up for Washington before the Olympic layoff wraps.
Initially, the club had forecast a three-to-four-month absence after his operation, pointing toward a comeback around February or March. Washington's first game once the Winter Games of 2026 conclude is a home tilt with Philadelphia set for the 25th of February.
His ailment first occurred against the Islanders on Halloween, when he stayed down after a draw in the defensive end. He had appeared in only a half-dozen contests this year before having surgery to repair adductor and abdominal trouble.
Coming off a personal-best 66-point output during his debut year in DC, the center opened 2025-26 in a cold spell, scoreless while logging an average of 15:32 nightly. He's presently on the road with the squad for its yearly Mentors' Trip, with uncle Serge along for the journey.
The father of PLD, Eric, was probably unavailable to come, as he currently holds an assistant coaching post in Germany, where ERC Ingolstadt of the DEL employs him.