VANCOUVER -- Manny Malhotra was back on the ice at the University of British Columbia on Friday morning, marking the first time the injured center has skated since Monday.
Multiple reports had Malhotra having emergency surgery done on Tuesday night; however, GM Mike Gillis thwarted that rumor Friday.
"Someone asked me about a report of emergency surgery. It's completely untrue. It's not accurate," he said. "When we began this process a couple of months ago we were told by the surgeons there would be minor, minor things that would come up during his recovery process. He's had multiple, little small procedures throughout this entire time.
"They are commonplace."
So, will Malhotra be ready for Game 2 Saturday night at Rogers Arena?
"It's a question mark for tomorrow night," Gillis said. "There's a lot that goes into it. We have said all along we are going to be as patient as we possibly can with Manny. There will be no risk to him before he steps on the ice in an NHL game. If we feel at any point in time that for whatever reason ... if we don't feel comfortable, he's not playing."
Malhotra, who has been out of the Canucks' lineup since March 16, was part of the fourth line in Friday's practice drills at the University of British Columbia. He joined Victor Oreskovich and Jeff Tambellini.
"From one day to the next, things had changed and we didn’t feel it was proper to go on the ice," he said. "I took a couple days off."
As for his Game 2 status, Malhotra plans on taking the morning skate Saturday, and the team will make a decision afterward.
The 31-year-old Mississauga native was stuck by a deflected puck and suffered a severe injury to his left eye on March 16 against the Colorado Avalanche.
"We knew what was going on and he's always been day-to-day to us. It's not like we're counting on him to play in the games, but if he does it's a big bonus for us," captain Henrik Sedin said after Friday's practice. "He's a guy that can play limited minutes and still be a big factor in the game. It's not like we're getting a goal scorer into the game where he's going to need to play 15, 16 or 17 minutes and have his hands back and everything."
Malhotra had 11 goals and 30 points in 72 games while leading all Canucks centers with a 61.7 percent success rate in the faceoff circle.