Miller May Be Close to Return

Defenseman Aaron Miller finally appears to be close to returning after a series of starts and stops.

Miller, out since Dec. 10 because of a pinched nerve in his neck and shoulder area, practiced Saturday morning with the team at its pregame skate.

He wore a non-contact blue jersey, but his slap shot looked good, and he said his right shoulder felt fine. Miller, who has missed 39 games, has had many false starts, skating from time to time since he suffered the injury only to wake up the next morning with severe pain.

“I’ve been telling you guys I’ll be back in two weeks for eight weeks now,” Miller said. “I hope to get back this week. It’s up to the coaches. If they ask me [to play], I can’t say no. I need to do some contact to be 100% sure, but I feel like I can.”

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Goaltender Roman Cechmanek practiced for the first time since suffering a groin pull Feb. 18 against the Dallas Stars. “I feel a lot better,” Cechmanek said.... Right wing Scott Barney, out since Feb. 13 because of a separated right shoulder, and defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky, out since Jan. 31 because of a pinched nerve in his neck and right shoulder, skated without contact.... Forward Jared Aulin, who dislocated his left shoulder during a fight in a rookie tournament game in September, has been activated and assigned to Manchester, N.H.

-- Mike Bresnahan