I've received a handful of e-mails this week inquiring about the status of defenseman Jason Garrison, who suffered a leg injury February 1 at Wisconsin and hasn't played since.
I can confirm to you what Kevin Pates reported this morning in the Duluth News Tribune. Garrison is with us, and he was smiling more than anyone yesterday.
My guess is that he is likely available to play this weekend, though that's not a guarantee, especially on Friday. The thought may be to hold him out for one night and hope we can win without him, as we have three times in five road games since he was injured.
However, teams are only allowed to travel 22 players on road trips. You dress 20, so there are two "scratches" for each game of a road trip. It's tough to imagine that the coaches would bring Garrison on the trip if there were much doubt about his availability.
It's the same reason I wasn't surprised to hear he was left at home last weekend. If there was even a chance he wasn't ready, the team couldn't afford to have him on the trip, because if a defenseman got hurt and Garrison couldn't play, you'd be in quite a bind.
Again: My guess is that he is available to play. My guess is that he will play. What I'm not certain about is whether he will be available for three games in three days, if necessary.
So let's just sweep these guys and render it unnecessary.
I was skating at Denver after the guys practiced today. When I first walked in he was on the bike then he was working out on a balance pad, tossing a ball back and forth with a trainer. I don't know if he practiced or not, but he didn't have any wrap or protection anywhere on his leg, but then again I know nothing about his injury.
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