After being completely shut down just a month ago, Marc Staal has been cleared to begin light workouts. According to Larry Brooks, the team will not continue to give updates on Staal's condition. While it doesn't sound like good news, it only makes sense. If there is no news to report, why continue to give the same updates.

Of course this does not mean Staal is close to a return, but it definitely is a step in the right direction. As we have seen, Sidney Crosby has only just been cleared for full contact and still is not game ready. That's almost a year since the initial injury, so Staal has some time to go.

We will have to see how Staal feels during his workouts. If he continues to suffer headaches, he can have another setback in his recovery, as he did in training camp. As of right now though, all signs are positive, but we still have a long road ahead of us.