"It's all connected, and it's figuring out what causes the discomfort in all the areas," Hitchcock said. "We figured it out, got it resolved, and now we're working towards making him 100 percent."
As for when Hanzal could return to play, that's still up in the air. The hope is he will be fully up to speed and ready to skate on Jan. 2.
"We're not sure on [when he'll play] right now," Hitchcock said. "Our view is when he starts off he should be starting up at 100 percent. It's nagging him, and this is a way to resolve it by not aggravating it."