Shea Weber’s return vs. Red Wings will ‘be up to him,’ says Julien

Shea Weber was suppose to be sidelined 4-6 weeks with an ankle injury but took to the ice for Canadiens morning practice.

Montreal Canadiens captain Shea Weber looks way closer to a return than previously anticipated.

Montreal coach Claude Julien says it’ll be up to Weber if he wants to play against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday, less than a week after being diagnosed with an ankle sprain and given a four-to-six-week timeline for return.

The veteran defenceman was back on the ice Monday, practising alongside his regular partner, Ben Chiarot.

As rumours started to surface about the severity of Weber’s injury, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported during Saturday’s Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada that Weber’s condition wasn’t “as bad as everybody thinks.” Weber first appeared to hurt his foot on Feb. 4 in a game against the New Jersey Devils, but had to wait to get an MRI because of some swelling.

He was able to get the MRI on Feb. 12, when the Canadiens officially announced the injury as well as the four-to-six-week timeline.

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