Ice Chips: Marchand skates with Bruins; recovery ahead of schedule

Keep updated on all the injury news and roster updates from around the NHL with daily Ice Chips.

Boston Bruins

Forward Brad Marchand participated in Bruins practice on Wednesday in his usual spot on the top line and is expected to return before American Thanksgiving, according to head coach Jim Montgomery.

Marchand underwent arthroscopy and labral repair surgery on both hips in May and was expected to miss the first two months of the 2022-23 season.

The 34-year-old all-star winger had 32 goals and 80 points in 70 games last season.

Additionally, defenceman Charlie McAvoy also took part without a non-contact jersey.

McAvoy underwent a left shoulder arthroscopic stabilization procedure in May and was given a six month timeline to return.

The 24-year-old defenceman had 10 goals and 56 points in 78 games last season.

The Bruins used these lines during practice on Wednesday:

Marchand - Bergeron - DeBrusk

Hall - Krejci - Pastrnak

Zacha - Coyle - Smith

Foligno - Nosek - Greer

Frederic - Studnicka

Lindholm - Grzelcyk

Forbort - Clifton

Reilly - Carlo

Zboril - Stralman

McAvoy

Ullmark

Swayman

Washington Capitals

Forwards Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson skated with the team for the first time after undergoing end of season surgeries after the 2021-22 season, according to Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic.

The two forwards had a light skate without gear and the Capitals say it is the first step towards working their way back.

Backstrom underwent hip resurfacing surgery in June and only played 47 games last season due to problems with his hip.

The 34-year-old centre registered six goals and 31 points in 47 games last season.

Wilson, 28, underwent knee surgery on a torn ACL in May and was given a six-to-eight month timeline.

The 6-foot-4 winger had 24 goals and 52 points in 78 games last season.

Montreal Canadiens

Forward Josh Anderson and defenceman Chris Wideman had maintenance days on Wednesday and did not practice with the team, while forward Joel Armia and defenceman Joel Edmundson trained in non-contact jerseys and will be on the Canadiens' upcoming road trip.

Armia, 29, has not played this season after sustaining an upper-body injury during the preseason. The 6-foot-3 forward had six goals and 14 points in 60 games in 2021-22.

Edmundson, 29, sustained a lower-body injury during the offseason and has not made an appearance this season. The 6-foot-5 defenceman was limited to 24 games in 2021-22 due to a back injury and recorded three goals and six points.

Anderson, 28, has two goals in seven games this season while Wideman, 32, has an assist in seven games.

The Canadiens have assigned defenceman Corey Schueneman to the AHL's Laval Rocket on Wednesday.

The 27-year-old defenceman did not appear in a game this year for the Canadiens and had two goals and six points in 24 games last season.

The Canadiens used these lines during Wednesday's practice:

Caufield - Suzuki - Monahan

Dadonov - Dvorak - Gallagher

Drouin - Dach - Pezzetta

Pitlick - Evans - Hoffman

(Slafkovsky/Armia no contact)

Guhle - Savard

Harris - Kovacevic/Xhekaj

(Edmundson no contact)

Allen

Montembeault

Ottawa Senators

Goaltenders Cam Talbot and Anton Forsberg skated and took shots on Wednesday, according to Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch.

Talbot, 35, sustained an upper-body injury prior to the start of the regular season and was given a five-to-seven week timeline.

The 6-foot-4 Caledonia, Ont. native was acquired by the Senators from the Minnesota Wild in the offseason and had a 32-12-4 record with a .911 save percentage and 2.76 goals-against average last season.

Forsberg, 29, missed Monday's 4-2 victory over the Dallas Stars with an undisclosed injury and has a 3-2-0 record this season with a .904 save percentage and 2.82 goals-against average this season.

The Senators used these lines during Wednesday's practice, according to TSN's Claire Hanna:

Tkachuk - Stutzle - Batherson

DeBrincat - Brassard - Giroux

Motte - Pinto - Joseph

Kelly - Kastelic - Watson

Chabot - Zub

Sanderson - Hamonic

Brannstrom - Holden

Gambrell - Zaitsev

Forsberg

Hellberg

Toronto Maple Leafs

Forward Michael Bunting has been taken off his spot on the top line beside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner and replaced with forward Alexander Kerfoot, according to TSN's Mark Masters.

Bunting, 27, has two goals and five points in seven games this season and is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.

Kerfoot, 28, has a goal and two points in seven games and will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

The Maple Leafs used these lines during practice on Wednesday:

Kerfoot - Matthews - Marner

Robertson - Tavares - Nylander

Bunting - Jarnkrok - Malgin

Aston-Reese - Kampf - Engvall

Simmonds, Aube-Kubel

Rielly - Brodie

Sandin - Holl

Giordano - Mete

Kral

Samsonov

Kallgren

The Maple Leafs have recalled defenceman Filip Kral from the AHL's Toronto Marlies and placed forward Kyle Clifford on injured reserve on Wednesday.

Kral, 23, has appeared in three games with the Marlies this season but has not registered a point.

Clifford, 31, has appeared in two games with the Maple Leafs and registered one assist.

Winnipeg Jets

The Jets used these lines during Wednesday's practice, according to TSN's John Lu:

Connor- Scheifele - Appleton

Perfetti - Dubois - Wheeler

Barron - Lowry - Gagner

Maenalanen - Gustafsson - Jonsson-Fjallby

Morrissey - Pionk

Dillon - Schmidt

Samberg - DeMelo

Capobianco - Toninato

Hellebuyck

Rittich

Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers are projected to use these lines for the matchup against the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday:

Nugent-Hopkins - McDavid - Hyman

Kane - Draisaitl - Tamamoto

Foegele - McLeod - Puljujarvi

Shore - Ryan

Nurse - Ceci

Kulak - Barrie

Murray - Bouchard

Niemelainen

Skinner

Campbell

Carolina Hurricanes

Forwards Derek Stepan, Ondrej Kase, and defenceman Calvin de Haan did not participate in practice on Wednesday, according to team reporter Walt Ruff.

Stepan and de Haan were missing for maintenance days while Kase is in concussion protocol after sustaining an injury during the team's 4-1 victory on opening night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Kase, 26, signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Hurricanes in the offseason after recording 14 goals and 27 points in 50 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season.

Stepan, 32, is in his second season with the Hurricanes and has an assist in six games this season.

de Haan, 31, signed a one-year, $850,000 deal with the Hurricanes in the offseason and has one goal in four games this season.

Philadelphia Flyers

Defenceman Rasmus Ristolainen will make his season debut on Thursday when the Flyers take on the Florida Panthers, according to head coach John Tortorella.

Ristolainen, 27, sustained a lower-body injury during training camp which has sidelined him for the first six games of the 2022-23 season.

The 6-foot-4 defenceman had two goals and 16 points in 66 games last season.

Additionally, forward Owen Tippett will return to the Flyers' lineup on Thursday while centre Tanner Laczynski will sit out due to a family situation.

Tippett, 23, appeared in the Flyers season opening 5-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Oct. 13 but missed the next five games due to an upper-body injury.

Detroit Red Wings

Forward Oskar Sundqvist is day-to-day with an upper-body injury and is questionable for Thursday's game against the Boston Bruins, according to head coach Derek Lalonde.

Sundqvist, 28, has a goal and four assists in six games this season.

New York Rangers

The Rangers have recalled forward Julien Gauthier from the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack on Wednesday.

Gauthier, 25, has two goals in four games with the Wolf Pack this season and had three goals and seven points in 49 games with the Rangers in 2021-22.

Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets placed defenceman Adam Boqvist on injured reserve on Wednesday after breaking his foot during Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday, according to TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston.

Boqvist, 22, is expected to miss six weeks with the injury.

The 6-foot defenceman has not recorded a point in four games this season.

The Blue Jackets have recalled defenceman David Jiricek from the AHL's Cleveland Monsters in a corresponding move.

Jiricek, 18, was drafted sixth overall by the Blue Jackets in the 2022 NHL Draft and has four assists in five games with the Monsters.