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| - Swedish goaltender Henrik Lundqvist says he needs more time to recover from open-heart surgery, and won't play for the Washington Capitals this NHL season. "Last week's checkup showed some inflammation around the heart that now requires a few months more of rest and steady recovery," Lundqvist, 39, said on Twitter. "While it's not what I hoped for, I know this is all part of the process of getting back to 100 percent." Lundqvist starred for 15 years with the New York Rangers and signed a one-year free agent deal with the Capitals in October. But he announced in December that he needed aortic valve replacement surgery. He resumed skating in New Jersey in February, less than two months after his surgery, with an eye toward a possible return late in the season. "Right after getting back on the ice after surgery, I made it my 'stretch goal' to join the @Capitals for the end of the season," Lundqvist tweeted. "Training has been going really well and I've been feeling good -- but my heart isn't quite ready." In an interview with the NHL Network last week, Lundqvist said he wanted to play in the NHL again and get another crack at winning the Stanley Cup. The closest he has come was in 2014, when he was on the Rangers team that fell to the Los Angeles Kings in five games in the NHL's championship final. bb/rcw
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