Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke says defensive winger Fredrik Sjostrom is well ahead of schedule and might not miss any time at training camp as he recovers from a spring shoulder operation.
"He's very close, but we will not rush him," Burke said.
Sjostrom's surgery was April 22 in Cleveland, with a four to six-month rehab projected and spent the summer in Gothenburg, Sweden. He told the local newspaper Expressen that the problem could be traced to the 2009 playoffs when he was with the New York Rangers.
"My left shoulder just popped during a faceoff against Washington and after that it has popped a couple of times," he said. "It just got worse and I had to sit some (Toronto) games at the end of the season because of it."
The injury cost him a trip to the world championships.
