The Ottawa Senators hope defenseman Erik Karlsson will be ready for the regular-season opener against the Philadelphia Flyers at Canadian Tire Centre on Oct. 5, but coach Guy Boucher told the Ottawa Citizen on Monday he had "no idea" where Karlsson was in his recovery from surgery to repair torn tendons in his left foot on June 14.
Karlsson, the Senators captain, is expected to skate with his teammates on Wednesday after taking three days off following a skate on Saturday.
"It's the second step in the process," Boucher told the paper. "The first step was the off-ice and the second step is to grow the on-ice. I'll be honest with you, I have no idea where it's at right now. It's really a medical thing.
"It won't be a hockey thing; it won't be, 'Is his mind ready?' or 'Are his skills ready?' It's really a medical thing and I'm waiting for the trainers to tell me we're going to step three which will be, at some point, to push hard and get the physicality in the practices, but we're not there yet."
A two-time Norris Trophy winner as the NHL's top defenseman, Karlsson had 71 points (17 goals, 54 assists) in 77 games last season, and had 18 points (two goals, 16 assists) in 19 Stanley Cup Playoff games.