Matt Grzelcyk and Taylor Hall were both on the ice at Boston Bruins practice Thursday at Warrior Ice Arena sporting bright yellow jerseys.
With the two rehabbing from injuries, the jerseys were markers that they were non-contact participants in the session.
But first-year coach Jim Montgomery wouldn't be surprised if Grzelcyk, who underwent surgery this summer to repair a dislocated shoulder, exchanges that practice sweater he wore for one that will help him blend in more with the defensive pairings in the near future.
"I don't have official timelines for either. The yellow jerseys are they're not supposed to be hit, so there's no contact involved," Montgomery told reporters as seen in team-provided video. "Grzelcyk is going to go into a regular jersey real quick, which is good. He's ahead of schedule. I don't know if it's more than a week ahead of schedule, and I got to be honest, I don't know what his original timeline was. If it was mid-November, well he's Nov. 7th now. You know what I mean? Because I don't know what the original timeline was to be honest."
The update from Montgomery on Grzelcyk certainly is encouraging, especially with the Bruins needing the veteran defenseman back sooner rather than later. The Bruins defense is a bit of concern after the unit struggled in front of netminder Jeremy Swayman in the team's latest exhibition contest. Boston will also be without top defenseman Charlie McAvoy for the start of the season as well.
Hall doesn't seem too far away from a return, either. The dynamic forward, who Montgomery labeled "week-to-week," has been pushing to get back and impressing his coach with his toughness after leaving last Saturday's preseason matchup with the Philadelphia Flyers with an injury.
With Grzelcyk and Hall still working their way back, the rest of the Bruins are getting set for their preseason finale Saturday night against the New Jersey Devils. Puck drop from TD Garden is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and you can catch the game, plus 30 minutes of pregame coverage, on NESN.
