Claude Giroux: (Lower Body) Returns To Practice

Giroux (lower body) made a surprise return to practice Thursday, participating in a limited capacity, Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Analysis:

Just six days after suffering an injury that was expected to keep him off the ice for two weeks, Giroux skated gingerly around the rink Thursday, passing the puck around to teammates and attempting a few shots. While the Flyers won't rush him back into preseason action immediately, Giroux looks like he's ahead of schedule in his recovery. There would seem to be a great chance that he's skating at close to full health before the team's Oct. 8 opener.