Brad Marchand will make his season debut when the Boston Bruins host the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night.
The winger is coming off double hip surgery and is returning approximately one month ahead of schedule.
“As soon as it came up that I was going to have the surgery, they told me it was going to kind of be end of November (before he returned). I said, ‘It’s not going to be the end of November,'” Marchand told reporters. “We’re going to see what we can do.”
Coach Jim Montgomery said for now the plan is to be conservative with Marchand’s minutes and he won’t play in back-to-back games. That includes Friday night’s matchup in Columbus.
Montgomery said Marchand will slot in his usual spot on the first line with Patrice Bergeron and Jake DeBrusk.
Marchand led the Bruins last season with 80 points in 70 games, notching 32 goals. He had 11 points in seven postseason games before the Bruins bowed out to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Even without Marchand, the Bruins are off to the best start in the league with six wins in their first seven games.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.