Both Chris Chelios (fractured leg) and Johan Franzen (sprained knee) skated before practice, today. For both, it was their first skate since being injured. It's a step forward, but neither will be back in the lineup soon.

Franzen said that everything felt fine and he's hoping that he's out just 2-3 weeks by the time before he returns to game action. He said that it feels better than it did a year ago when he suffered a similar injury.

"It felt good," said Franzen. "Started slow. I didn't want to risk anything. Long strides."

Chelios said that he was disappointed with his on-ice workout, experiencing pain not right on the fracture but in the surrounding area.

"Cheli said things aren't going very good," said Coach Mike Babcock.

"The fact that I got cleared (to skate) was at least good news," said Chelios. "I really thought I'd be a lot better off today than I (was) because when I was training, I had no pain."