When Marc Savard addressed the media for the first time this year back on Sept. 25, a question about his upcoming travel plans produced one of the few moments of levity in the session.
After being asked if he would be accompanying the team on its trip to Europe, or even the team-building excursion to Vermont, Savard joked, "I think they're sending me to Acapulco."
Savard did join the club in Vermont, but he didn't get a free trip to the Mexican resort town. And on Wednesday, the Bruins confirmed that the injured center will not be joining them in Europe either.
Savard stayed behind when the Bruins left for Northern Ireland last week, but there was a small chance that he could join them in Prague before their regular-season opener against Phoenix on Saturday.
Instead, Savard will remain back in Boston, where he will continue his slow recovery from post-concussion syndrome symptoms.
That isn't necessarily a sign of any setback, as Savard would have just been a spectator for the games in Prague. And while rejoining his teammates on the road may have raised his spirits some, it wasn't worth upsetting the rehab schedule the Bruins have Savard on.
"He's in a routine right now and we didn't want a trip here to interfere with that,'' The Boston Globe quoted Chiarelli as saying on Wednesday before the club's practice in Prague.
The Globe also noted that Savard has begun riding a stationary bike and lifting light weights but still remains a long way from being ready to return from game action.
Savard, who was initially diagnosed with a Grade 2 concussion after a vicious blindside hit by Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke on March 7, returned to play in the second round of the playoffs in May, but suffered a reoccurrence of PCS symptoms over the summer and did not participate in training camp. Those symptoms have included headaches, nausea, dizziness and depression, but he has been slowly improving.
"He is making good progress with the schedule we laid out for him and we don't want to interrupt it, it wouldn't be productive," said Chiarelli, according to ESPN.com. "Flying has not been an issue. It is more that we don't want to interrupt that progress."
Savard is expected to begin the year on long-term injured reserve, which would take his $4.007 million hit off the Bruins' cap for as long as he is out, but would also mean that he must miss at least 10 games or 24 days of the season. Considering how limited his physical activities remain at this point, it's highly doubtful that he'd be ready to return in less than 10 games, anyway.
