Mike Sullivan made an appearance on 105.9 the X on Thursday afternoon and provided some updates during the coronavirus shutdown.
Sullivan said that he, the coaching staff, and players have been staying in touch by communicating over the videoconferencing application Webex. He's been in touch with Jake Guentzel, and Guentzel continues to make progress in his rehab from his shoulder surgery.
"Jake is trending with his rehab in the way that we had all predicted," Sullivan said. "In other words, there have been no setbacks. Jake’s feeling really strong at this point. He hasn’t had a chance to skate."
Players aren't able to skate or be at team facilities unless it is a necessary part of their rehab process. The Blue Jackets' Seth Jones is one player who has received permission from the NHL to skate as he rehabs from ankle surgery. Given that Guentzel's injury is a shoulder injury, it's not clear if he'd be permitted to skate before team facilities reopen to everyone.
Both Sullivan and Jim Rutherford have expressed optimism toward Guentzel being able to play if the season resumes. When Guentzel underwent surgery after being injured on Dec. 30, the prognosis was that he would be sidelined 4-6 months.
“With the timeframe that was laid out after Jake’s surgery, it’s feasible to think that we would get him back," Sullivan said on a conference call on April 1. "We’re excited about that potential opportunity. Knowing Jake the way we know him, he’s a real competitive kid. We know what this means to him. He loves to compete and he’s a tough kid.”
“I would expect that, knowing Jake Guentzel, that he’s going to be ready," Rutherford said on March 25. "His rehab is going well. He’s at the point now where he’s one of the guys who’s (considering returning) home and (would) continue to work on the rehab on his own.
“But all of the reports that I’ve had, there have not been any setbacks at this point.”
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