When the NHL group took the ice, one of the focal points was forward Seth Jarvis being among the unit. Working in a yellow, no-contact sweater, he remains on the road to recovery following offseason shoulder surgery.
"He looks good. He's skating well. But I can promise you, they're not going to rush him back," cautioned Brind'Amour. "Just got to keep progressing along and getting stronger, and when he's ready, he'll let us know and we'll get him in there as soon as we can."
The initial timeline established for Jarvis' recovery was 4-6 months from June, putting him on track to return to action as early as late October. Being on the ice with the group — even in a non-contact sweater — is a positive step in that journey, one he says remains right on track.
"Last I checked, I was a little ahead of schedule, so I'll just keep rehabbing as hard as I can," said Jarvis. "It's been a long grind, but I can start to kind of see light at the end of the tunnel."
The 24-year-old says remaining sidelined for the start of the season will probably "not be very fun." But after managing the ailment for the past two campaigns, solving the problem at its source is already paying dividends on the ice.
"It's nice to not be in a brace anymore and have a little more motion. Nice to be able to use more width and feel more free out there," he said.
With Jarvis still on the shelf, the biggest question heading into camp was who would fill his void? While the groups, lines, and pairings can and likely will change over the next week, Eric Robinson had the first crack.
Like Jarvis, Robinson also had offseason surgery; however, the lower-body repair for the 31-year-old was always slated to have him ready for today's skate.
"Pretty much a week after celebrating, I knew I had to get in and get an MRI. It showed just a little tweak that they suggested we go in and fix," said Robinson, before confirming that he is already back to 100 percent. "[We] caught it pretty quick, only a few days after the parade. I was able to spend most of the summer rehabbing."
In addition to the Jarvis-sized hole in the lineup, another item to monitor was how the team would operate without restricted free agent Alexander Nikishin.
General Manager Eric Tulsky issued a statement on Wednesday that the second-year NHLer would not be with the team to start camp because he is without a contract at this time.
Leaving Shayne Gostisbehere without his frequent 2025-26 partner, returning Stanley Cup Champion Mike Reilly was first up to fill the role. Expected to compete with newcomer Pierre-Olivier Joseph and early 2026 acquisition Juuso Valimaki, that opportunity – like the one up front - will be subject to an ongoing evaluation.
"It's a tough team to crack because we're returning everybody, for the most part," Brind'Amour said when asked about the openings on a largely familiar roster. "Obviously, we've got an injury, and we've got a guy that didn't come back, so there's a little more— I don't know if it's more competition, but more opportunity than we would have probably planned for."
