Savard was on the ice with the rest of the Bruins for practice again on Monday, and once again stayed out for extra work with defenseman Adam McQuaid after practice.
“[It was] another good day, got in a little bit of work after and just continue to progress,” said Savard. “Hopefully I’m going to get in soon. It’s just around the corner.”
Savard has been aiming for a return sometime in December. With the calendar turning to December on Wednesday, could Savard actually be ready to return as early as that night’s game in Philadelphia?
“I don’t think so, no,” said Savard. “I’m not going to be playing Wednesday.”
But when pressed about playing in Thursday’s home game against Tampa Bay, Savard was less definitive. “I don’t know, we’ll have to wait and see,” said Savard.
Savard is clearly anxious to return, but understands he still has work to do to get his timing and conditioning ready for game action.
“I think I’m nearing that point,” said Savard. “I’ve been skating a long time now, but only got in — this was only my third real practice, plus a couple morning skates which don’t really count, so I’m looking at another couple days and go from there.”
As to who will make the final call for when Savard will return, it will ultimately be up to coach Claude Julien to decide when he is ready.
“It’s a good communication, but obviously it’s probably down to Claude to make the final decision,” said Savard. “So we’ll just have to wait for that.”
When he does come back, Savard believes he’ll actually be better than he was even prior to suffering the concussion in March, as the time off has allowed the knee injuries that plagued him last season to heal as well.
“I think I feel better than I did all throughout last year, even when I was playing at the beginning of the year because I had some knee injuries,” said Savard. “My knees are healthy again. I’m able to turn quicker in small areas. I’m able to be stronger on my feet. I’m feeling better than I ever have in the last year.”
