The Boston Bruins' injury that's been biting hard the last few weeks may finally be relinquishing its hold on the team.
Casey Mittelstadt returned this past weekend, posting a goal and an assist in the split results of the weekend. Pavel Zacha missed Friday but returned Saturday to play.
Meanwhile, Viktor Arvidsson and Charlie McAvoy continue to skate and progress, but no clear timelines for either. It's thought Arvidsson could return as soon as this week, while McAvoy remains shelved indefinitely.
Elias Lindholm returned last week, and with each passing game he asserts himself more.
As a result of Mittelstadt and Lindholm's return, along with Arvidsson almost-imminent return, the Bruins have begun the process of sending some reinforcements back to Providence.
On Sunday, the team announced Georgii Merkulov had been returned to the AHL following a one-game cameo where he played just over 10 minutes.
As the Bruins get healthier, this trend will only continue. Alex Steeves has been the best of the reinforcements, and has played his way into the permanent roster, perhaps on the fourth line next to Sean Kuraly.
David Pastrnak's status remains unknown, but Head Coach Marco Sturm's insisted it's not a long-term issue, seemingly signalling Pastrnak could play at any point this week, especially since he hasn't been placed on injured reserve.
Defensively, Henri Jokiharju remains on injured reserve with no timeline or details given on his injury yet. Jordan Harris continues to recover from a lower-body injury and is out for the foreseeable future.