When the Minnesota Wild return to play Thursday, captain Mikko Koivu could be in the lineup.
Koivu has been out since Jan. 4 recovering from a broken ankle but was on the ice Monday, and for the first time since his injury was a full participant in 5-on-5 drills.
However, neither Koivu nor coach Mike Yeo would say if Koivu would be available for the Wild's game Thursday at the Edmonton Oilers.
"Progress has been good since we came back," Koivu told the team's website. "Each and every day it's getting stronger and stronger so that's a good sign."
Yeo said that if the Wild were playing Monday that Koivu would not be available. But he also said there's a lot of time between Monday and the puck dropping Thursday at Rexall Place.
"Let’s be honest, there's no question we want to get him back," Yeo told the team's website. "He's a huge part of our team. But at the same time, when we get him back, we want to have him in the lineup at 100 percent, or at the very least very close to that. More importantly we want to have him back for the rest of the season."
Koivu is third on the team with 35 points in 44 games. The Wild hold the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference, and start their post-Olympic schedule with back-to-back games at the Oilers on Thursday and the Vancouver Canucks on Friday.