When will Jack be back?

Jack Johnson continues to skate vigorously in practice, albeit in a yellow non-contact jersey. The Kings are still officially saying that Johnson won't return until after the all-star break at the end of this month, but last I heard, Johnson was scheduled for a strength test on his surgically-repaired shoulder on Jan. 10. Depending on the results of that test, it certainly wouldn't be a surprise to see Johnson return sooner. Nobody is saying that yet, however, and here's what Terry Murray said about Johnson, and about the benefits of having Johnson on the ice for practices as he recovers.

MURRAY: ``My thinking is that he's going to be available after the all-star break. I haven't been told anything yet that's different from that. ... He's been traveling with us the whole time, since he recovered from the operation. I think it's really important for a young guy like that to be a part of the hockey club, and to be on the ice. We've changed some things from the start of the year, with our play, and for him to be able to be a part of it now, in all the situations that we're going through in practice, I think that's really important. Then, on the physical side, it's about keeping the conditioning up, or getting it to as high a level as you can without playing games. It's a good thing for us, as a team. When he does get cleared to play, hopefully he can step in and know exactly what it is we're doing.''