In his afternoon update following Dallas Stars practice today, Jeff Miller makes an interesting and slightly off-hand remark regarding Brad Richards.

As for Richards, [Dave] Tippett said he hopes to have him back by week’s end; the trip ends with a game at San Jose on Saturday afternoon. Richards skated with the red-shirted "extras" on Monday along with Mark Parrish, Joel Lundqvist and Fabian Brunnstrom.

If that is a possible timeline, then Brad Richards could conceivably return to the ice against Vancouver at home next Tuesday, March 24. That would be 5 weeks after his injury on February 16 and less than initial 6-8 week timeline set forth when he was first injured.

As Gravypan mentioned a few days ago Richards injured his right wrist, which is used extensively for a left-handed player and needs the most rotation during handling the stick. The trick is to not have Richards hurry back to the ice and cause more damage to his wrist if he isn't fully healed. Yet there is no question that the Stars desperately need him back on the ice as soon as he is healthy. Richards has been practicing with a brace that prevents his wrist from bending backwards. Right now, he's working on building strength back up in his hand and arm while getting used to playing with the brace, which has to affect his range of motion.

We all want Brad Richards back on the ice for the Stars as soon as possible, but only if further injury is no longer a risk. If he has healed to the point where the coaches feel he can play, he would provide a huge boost for a team that has struggled without him.

Could Brenden Morrow be not too far behind?