Pittsburgh Penguins forward
Evgeni Malkin returned to the ice on Monday for the team's morning skate ahead of their game against the Calgary Flames.
"Geno, obviously, is at the next stage of his rehab process," Head coach Mike Sullivan
said before Monday's game. "Our medical team thinks he's ready to get more players around him and participate in a non-contact fashion. So that was the motivation to bring him on this trip, to get him around more players."
It was a positive sign for fans of the team, but President of Hockey Operations Brian Burke says that the Russian centerman is close to returning to the line-up.
"He's not close to playing," Burke said "He's still a ways away. But just his presence out there gave us a lift."
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"He's an elite player. He's a great kid and it was really nice to see him out there, even though, like I say, let's not get carried away here. This guy still (has) some time to go," he added.
Malkin, 35, underwent knee surgery in the off-season and was expected to return sometime in late-November. Clearly that timeline has changed, as there isn't a definite answer on when the Magnitogorsk, Russia native will return to game action.
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