TJ Oshie says summer golf outings aren’t indicative of his status this season: ‘If I’m not getting knocked around, I’m pretty good to go’

TJ Oshie was on the golf course multiple times this summer, sparking further discussion about his future with the Washington Capitals ahead of the 2024-25 season.

Oshie told Monumental Sports Network’s Tarik El-Bashir in October that he was giving up recreational golf to remain as healthy as possible for the rest of his hockey career. Those prior quotes, in addition to his pessimistic revelation that he would step away from hockey if he couldn’t find “an answer and a fix” to his recurring back problems, led many to believe the 37-year-old winger might be calling it quits on his on-ice career.

However, Oshie now says his offseason golf trips aren’t an indicator of his next steps or a significant contributing factor to his back’s health. He spoke about golf’s impact on his back while on the Empty Netters podcast last week

The back feels good for the most part when I’m golfing,” Oshie said. “If I’m not really getting knocked around, I’m pretty good to go. Golf’s great, golf’s good. I can kind of change up my swing if I start getting a little tight, which, in hockey, you can’t really change up your stride. You just skate how you skate.”

Notably, Oshie chose to sit out of a Capitals players-only golf outing on Maryland’s Eastern Shore during the preseason last year. He then missed 30 games on the 2023-24 schedule and 92 total games over the past three seasons.

While golf is less of a concern now, Oshie did admit that controlling his physicality on the ice may be his biggest health challenge. Oshie loves throwing his body around, especially when an opposing player is trying to lay the lumber on him.

It’s impossible for me [to stop reverse hitting],” Oshie said. “It’s impossible for me. It’s like breathing. You gotta do it.”

The Capitals announced their 2024 Training Camp roster on Monday, and Oshie’s name was on it. While that doesn’t mean much other than that Oshie is still under contract with the club, it’s still relevant as no concrete information has been given by the team about Oshie’s season prospects, unlike his former linemate Nicklas Backstrom.

“[Oshie’s status] is still kind of up in the air,” Capitals general manager Chris Patrick recently told NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. “I think training camp is kind of our timeline to see where he’s at.”

Oshie is not scheduled to speak with the media on Thursday, Training Camp’s first official, non-testing day. The lack of an introductory press conference implies that Oshie will not be skating or taking a fitness test, and he has not been present at any of the team’s informal practices over the past several weeks.

The veteran forward has just one year remaining on his contract with the Capitals at a $5.75 million cap hit. If Oshie were to attempt to make a comeback, Patrick will likely need to get creative with the salary cap to fit him on the team’s roster, as they are currently $10.27 million over before any LTIR decisions.

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