That's because Marc Savard, who has been out since March 7 with a Grade 2 concussion, skated at TD Garden Monday morning and addressed the media with some very encouraging news.
"I got my neuro-psyche test that we have to go through and assuming I pass that, I’ll be cleared and it’s just a matter of getting back in shape," said Savard who skated for 30 minutes Monday morning. "I haven’t done anything for six weeks at all, so I felt a little short-winded out there because of that. It’s going to take some time, hopefully sooner rather than later, because I’m excited that I’m feeling good and it’s playoff time.
"Tomorrow’s another big day, I guess," he added.
Head coach Claude Julien expressed the same caution and advised that a return is not by any means etched in stone based on his lack of strength.
"He's been out for six weeks," Julien said. "He's not been able to exercise. If you're going to be fair to the player and fair to the team, we've got to give him a chance to get back into shape. That doesn't happen overnight. That's why we've got to take it one step at a time and see how he does. Hopefully he continues to get better. The quicker it is, the better it is for everyone."
The thought of the team's top-line center returning is exciting, and according to his teammates, no one is as excited about a possible return than Savard himself.
"He won’t shut up, so we know he’s feeling normal again. Normal Savvy never stops talking," defenseman Dennis Wideman quipped. "But it’s great to see him skating and around the dressing room. I’m happy he’s feeling better."
Shawn Thornton’s tell-tale sign that his good friend and teammate is feeling like himself again is that Savard was golfing again.
"If he’s golfing, then he’s OK," Thornton said with a smile. "It's great. I don't know when he's going to be back or any of that stuff. It's not my business. But I'm just happy to see him healthy again. A couple of weeks ago he looked like death. It's good to see him smiling. It's good to see his energy there. It's good to see his spirits up. I was more concerned about that than anything else."
