For once, the Pittsburgh Penguins are getting close to full health. And one of their long-injured players is nearing a return to the lineup.
Defenseman Caleb Jones – who was placed on injured reserve (IR) with a lower-body ailment on Oct. 25 after getting hit by Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand and going awkwardly into the boards – skated with the team for the first time in his rehab process Friday. He had been skating on his own prior to Friday’s practice, and he wore a white no-contact jersey during the Penguins’ optional practice.
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“It’s been a process,” Jones said. “I think that was my ninth or tenth time on the ice, so it’s just fun to be back. Kind of feeling a little better every day, but just take it a day at a time and try to make sure you’re doing the right things to get back quickly.”
Jones said that the rehab process has been both difficult and long. He has never missed such a significant chunk of time before, especially time not spent on the ice.
But he made the most of what he could during his recovery.
“It’s been tough,” Jones said. “A couple of dark days for sure, but you kind of try to focus on other things mentally, reflect on things you were doing in your game, and try to find ways to improve. Obviously, you can’t do anything physically, but try to work on the mental side and see, when you get back, if you can make improvements that way. So, I tried to focus on that and just stay positive and try to attack the rehab process.”
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Jones, 28, was signed to a two-year, $1.8 million contract during the offseason, and he had one assist in seven games this season. The younger brother of Team USA Olympic defenseman Seth Jones – also of the Panthers – felt he had an opportunity to re-establish himself in the NHL with the Penguins, and he felt he was using his speed and mobility to do just that prior to his injury.
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In fact, Jones didn’t think he was the only one establishing himself at the NHL level before he was placed on IR. He also thought his partner in 19-year-old rookie blueliner Harrison Brunicke – optioned back to the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL Wednesday – was playing quite well at that point.
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“I actually thought ‘Bruno’ was coming along really well, and I was working well with him,” Jones said. “And he started out really well, too, so I thought we were building some chemistry. It was unfortunate when I went down, and [he went] back to Kamloops. But he had a little bit of a rough go, and it was just unfortunate.
“It happens. And, hopefully – if he ever gets back up – we can get some chemistry going again. Or, whoever I end up in the lineup with, I can get some chemistry with. That’d be nice.”
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Jones also mentioned that there are no hard feelings toward Marchand, who he trained with a little bit this past summer in Florida.
“I’ll make sure Marchand gets me a bottle of wine or something,” he smiled.
Although there is no set timetable for his return at this point, Jones hopes to be back in the lineup as soon as possible, and he circled next weekend against the Columbus Blue Jackets as a potential target date.
Of note, the Penguins have an open roster spot after re-assigning forward Ville Koivunen to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS). They are currently carrying 13 forwards, seven defensemen, and two goaltenders, so Jones can be activated from injured reserve without the Penguins making a corresponding move.
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