Capitals' Wilson out 6-8 months after knee surgery

Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson underwent successful knee surgery to repair a torn ACL and is expected to miss six-to-eight months, the team announced Wednesday.

With the 2022-23 season slated to start in October, Wilson will likely target a return between November and January.

The 28-year-old sustained the injury in Game 1 of the Capitals' first-round matchup against the Florida Panthers. He opened the scoring with a power-play tally but played just 1:31. He was forced to exit after appearing to take the brunt of the impact along the boards while attempting to hit Panthers defenseman MacKenzie Weegar.

Wilson told reporters earlier in May that the ailment was "pretty significant" and that he tried to return to the series but couldn't.

His absence was a major blow for the Capitals, who fell to the Panthers in six games. The talented agitator logged a career-high 24 goals and 28 assists in 78 regular-season games.