Golden Knights’ Jack Eichel could be cleared for full contact

The next — and biggest — step in Jack Eichel’s recovery might come next week.

The injured Golden Knights center could be cleared for full contact after the All-Star break, coach Pete DeBoer said Friday during media day at Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas.

“The doctor was adamant that three months from surgery there would be absolutely no contact,” DeBoer said. “And I believe that’s this week. I think coming out of this break that’s going to be on the table about starting contact.”

Eichel underwent artificial disk replacement surgery on his neck Nov. 12 and is exactly 12 weeks removed from the procedure. He is the first NHL player to undergo the surgery and was given a three- to five-month timetable for his return.

Eichel has been skating with the Knights since Jan. 11 and worn a noncontact jersey each time. It was red to begin with, and since Jan. 23 he’s worn a baby blue jersey, believed to signify light contact.

“There’s been a couple practices in the last week where he’s been the best player on the ice,” DeBoer said. “I would say he’s progressing pretty well. We haven’t started contact yet. That’s the next step, and that’s a big step, obviously.

“Everything changes once we get into full contact. But from a sheer practice and skill point of view, he’s elite elite. Every day that we’re out with him, I think the group gets more excited.”

Once Eichel is cleared for full contact, he still has work to do before he’s ready to be activated from long-term injured reserve and playing games. And the Knights still must work out how to fit in his $10 million salary cap hit.

Right wing Reilly Smith will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason and remains a candidate to be traded if the Knights can’t agree to an extension with the alternate captain.

There are other creative solutions general manager Kelly McCrimmon and president of hockey operations George McPhee could come up with, too.

The Knights play back-to-back games at Edmonton and Calgary on Tuesday and Wednesday, then don’t play again until hosting Colorado on Feb. 16.

Should the Knights choose to take their time with Eichel’s recovery, there’s the March 10 game at Buffalo circled on the calendar.

“He’s never played an NHL playoff game yet. I know that’s exciting for him,” DeBoer said. “That’s a whole different level of hockey when you get to that time of year. I’m excited for him because I think he’s going to excel in that type of game.”

Back where it started

Canadiens forward Nick Suzuki is appearing in his first All-Star Game, and coincidentally it’s in the city of the team that drafted him.

The Knights selected Suzuki with the 13th pick in 2017, one of three choices the team had in the first round of its inaugural draft. A year later, Suzuki was the key piece in the Max Pacioretty trade, and he’s blossomed since arriving in Montreal.

The Knights saw that firsthand in the Stanley Cup semifinals last season, and he has nine goals and 27 points in 44 games for the last-place Canadiens.

“A few people have come up to me and said they wish I was still here,” Suzuki said. “It’s definitely a special hockey town. They’ve done a great job with it, and the team and the organization and the fans have really rallied around that. It’s a cool place to come back and play.”

Captain America

Before actor Wyatt Russell starred in Marvel’s “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” he spent much of his time stopping pucks.

The son of actors Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn played goaltender at Division I Alabama-Huntsville from 2007 to 2009 before injuries cut short his career. One of his teammates at UAH was Minnesota Wild goalie Cam Talbot.

Russell served as one of the netminders in the breakaway challenge event at the skills competition. He had to borrow Los Angeles Kings goalie coach Bill Ranford’s equipment after giving his away 12 years ago when he stopped playing professionally.

“As soon as he got named, he reached out to me and asked if I had seen the news, and I told him to beat it,” Talbot said jokingly. “He’s got Hollywood now. This is my domain.”

Boys to the yard

Players were allowed to select a song for their turn during the skills competition, and Penguins forward Jake Guentzel gets points for creativity with Kelis’ “Milkshake.”

Guentzel has a shake named after him at a local Pittsburgh establishment called The Milk Shake Factory. It’s a “hat trick of chocolate with hot fudge, cookies and cream and brownies with a black and gold drizzle of fudge and caramel” topped with whipped cream and a custom chocolate.

Whenever Guentzel scores, Jake’s Shakes are half off the following day. The promotion also is good if Guentzel scores in Saturday’s All-Star Game, according to the company’s social media account.

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.