The Calgary Flames are getting a little healthier, and Friday morning brought another small step forward for two of their injured forwards.
Before the Flames faced the Anaheim Ducks, head coach Ryan Huska updated reporters on the progress of Jonathan Huberdeau, Sam Honzek and Brennan Othmann. All three are moving in the right direction, though none of them is ready to jump back into game action just yet.
Huberdeau’s recovery is the most notable of the group. He was shut down before the Olympic break in February and had hip resurfacing surgery in March.
He opened the regular season on injured reserve, then started skating with the team on Oct. 24 in a yellow non-contact jersey. On Friday, he was out there in a regular jersey, a sign that he’s continuing to build toward a return even if there’s still no firm timeline.
“Not reading too much into that,” said Huska. “He’s doing what he has to do right now. And he’s going to be in more of our practices here as we continue to move forward.”
Honzek, meanwhile, has been out with a lower body injury after getting hurt a handful of games into the season. He was expected to begin skating on his own during the Flames’ last road trip, and that’s exactly how it played out.
“Last four, maybe five days he’s been on the ice,” said Huska. “While we were on the road he was on the ice, and he was out there with Dean [Seymour, development coach] before we were on the ice today.”
Othmann is also trending up after getting hurt against Edmonton a week or so ago. He took part in Friday’s morning skate and is close, but not quite there yet.
“He’s day-to-day-ish as well right now,” said Huska.
Roster-wise, Othmann is the simplest case. He remains on the active roster, so the Flames wouldn’t need to make a corresponding move when he’s cleared. Huberdeau and Honzek are both on injured reserve, which means Calgary would need to create space before either one can rejoin the active roster.
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