It's been a long road to recovery for Washington Capitals forward Max Pacioretty, who has dealt with two Achilles tears since the summer of 2022 and hasn't played an NHL game since Jan. 19.

The Capitals signed the 34-year-old as a free agent from the Carolina Hurricanes in free agency, but he has yet to return to practice. Still, a return to play could be on the horizon for the Connecticut native.

“I feel like we have a really good grasp as to what happened in the past and what we need to do in the present and the future for me to continue my career,” Pacioretty explained on Tuesday, according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti.

“I do know that I have a lot of hockey left in me. There was a time where maybe I wasn't as confident in that, a time where I didn’t know if I’d play hockey ever again, but I'm coming to the rink every day thinking that this could be my last day here and just enjoying it.”

Pacioretty has continued to make progress in his recovery, even getting onto the ice three times over the last fortnight. And after coming out of a dark place, he is beginning to see the light at the end of the injury tunnel.

Max Pacioretty “getting his life back”

“I feel like I'm getting my life back,” he said. “I’ve only skated three times, but this is what I was born to do so it feels like some normalcy in my life, and definitely have much more of a smile on my face now that I'm skating.”

The first Achilles tear for Pacioretty came during offseason training in the summer of 2022, when he was still a member of the Vegas Golden Knights. After being traded from Las Vegas to Carolina, he played five games before the second tear this January.

And since, it's been a worldwide journey to get the former first-round pick back to health.

“I've been to Finland, Germany, places in Canada, different places in the States,” he explained. “I’ve seen a lot of people and a lot of what people would call the best in the world. A lot of opinions, but I think we painted a pretty clear picture now as to what I need to do to get back to being myself.”

Although nothing is set in stone, the six-time 30-goal scorer believes he can still contribute to a Capitals team that is desperate to make the playoffs next April. And that could come sooner rather than later.

“I know I have so much more hockey in the tank. I'm a different person when I'm out there skating, even if it's for 15 minutes without pucks. This is what I was born to do, and I want to do this as long as I can.”