Patience.

That's the undervalued tool Boston fans were encouraged to use when determining the state of B's center Marc Savard and his road towards returning to the TD Garden ice. But as the word out of Boston camp has grown increasingly positive regarding the status of #91, the word broke earlier today that Savard has indeed passed the exertion test that's kept him off the ice this season.

Held to off-ice exercises as he's begun to feel better while his body's reacting well to cardio, notably working out on a stationary bike, the 33-year-old center has reportedly started skating on his own since passing the test.

Flunking the test in September after driving down to Boston from his home in Peterborough, Ont. and forced to remain home for the Bruins' trip to Europe to begin the season per lack of medical clearance, the Bruins' three-time leading scorer's return to the ice can only mean good things.

Undoubtedly taking things at a turtle's pace, the next step for Savard will be some more vigorous exercises before (hopefully) moving towards on-ice drills before he's deemed ready to return to practice with the rest of his team.

Regardless of any unforeseen rapid recovery, the earliest Savard could return would be after the 10 game mark for the Boston Bruins due to his placement on long-term injured reserve by the B's to start the season.

However, don't hold your breath for an early November return just yet.

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