Earlier today, Boston Bruins head coach Claude Julien dampened some of the optimism regarding Zdeno Chara skating again, but GM Peter Chiarelli bumped it right back up.
Chiarelli “hopes” that Chara can return in 10-14 days, according to what he told 98.5 Sports Hub (the official radio network of the Bruins).
Chiarelli: hopefully 10 days to 2 weeks til Chara returns
— Bruins Radio Network (@Bruinsradio) November 25, 2014
Do note that this is by no means an official timeline, although it’s certainly promising considering it comes from the team’s GM.
Again, as this post shows, Julien seemed pretty hesitant to get anyone too excited.
“It’s a start . . . yeah, it’s a start,” Julien told CSNNE.com. “He’s certainly not close to being ready yet. It’s his first time in a long time. It’s always encouraging to see your player back on his skates, that’s for sure.”
The best news is that there’s no word about the 37-year-old going under the knife, at least so far. The Bruins have been impressive without him (they hope to add a win to their 9-4-0 mark since he went down), but it’s no secret that they’d be more comfortable with “The Big Z.”