Out of the lineup since January, Boston Bruins right winger Nathan Horton has now been cleared for contact by the team’s medical staff, the club announced Tuesday.
Horton, a 27-year-old native of Welland, Ont., is expected to be fully recovered from the concussion he sustained from a hard hit by Philadelphia Flyers’ Tom Sestito on Jan. 22. The injury marked Horton’s second concussion in six months, as the forward was memorably rocked by an Aaron Rome hit in Game 3 of the 2011 Stanley Cup final and did not return to the series.
Defenceman Adam McQuaid, who skated in just one game since suffering a concussion March 29, has also been cleared for contact. And star forward Tyler Seguin is recovering as expected from his off-season surgery to mend a tendon in his right hand.
“Horton has been cleared for contact, and our medical staff says he’ll be ready to go when we start playing,” Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said during Tuesday’s news conference to announce coach Claude Julien’s contract extension. “McQuaid has already been fully cleared medically. Seguin is coming along according to schedule if not even ahead of that.”
The return of Horton — a 20-goal scorer six times over — should be key for the Bruins, who amassed a 31-13-2 record last season with a healthy Horton and dipped to 18-16-2 without the top-six forward in their lineup.
In 46 games last season, Horton scored 17 goals, added 15 assists and had 32 penalty minutes.
