"John Erskine wasn't wearing a bright orange no-contact jersey in Thursday's practice at KCI, but unfortunately for the rugged defenseman, he hasn't been cleared for contact just yet.

Erskine, who underwent shoulder surgery in May, took part in what was a special teams oriented practice, working with the penalty killers, but he wasn't in situations that put strain on his surgically repaired shoulder.

"It's something I've got to deal with and hopefully I'll be clear in a couple weeks," Erskine said. "When that time comes I'll probably see the doctor and he'll either [tell] me the I'm good to go or that I need to rest it some more.""