from Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun,

Ever the optimist, Mark Scheifele wasn’t ready to rule out returning to game action as early as Tuesday night against the Arizona Coyotes.

“The exact date isn’t set in stone yet, but hoping it’s sooner rather than later. Today I’m going to see him, hopefully there’s good news,” Scheifele said after speaking to reporters for the first time since suffering a suspected right shoulder injury on Dec. 27 against the Edmonton Oilers. “It’s nice to get some bumps in and be feeling good from it. I’m happy with my progress. The timeline is still up in the air.

“But as of right now I’m feeling good and recovery is going well. Now it’s a little bit in the doctor’s hands. They’re the experts, still got to see him and make sure everything’s healing perfect. Then I’ll have a better idea.”

Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice made it sound more likely Scheifele would return on Friday night against the St. Louis Blues.

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