Injured winger takes a step forward in rehab, but still not cleared for contact
There was an Ilya Mikheyev sighting on Tuesday morning as the Vancouver Canucks practiced at the University of British Columbia.
Mikheyev was granted a personal leave by the Canucks and was not with the team when it opened training camp in Victoria last Thursday. Mikheyev has still not been cleared for contact and was a limited participant in Tuesday's practice. He left after 30 minutes and was not made available to the media.
Mikheyev is still recovering from season-ending knee surgery. He was injured in the first game of last year's preseason and tried to play through a partially torn ligament in his knee. His readiness for the Canucks October 11th season opener remains in doubt.
Tuesday represented progress in that he was on the ice and around the group. But the fact he left practice prematurely indicates he still has work to do in his rehabilitation before he can be considered a line-up option.