WILMINGTON — The Bruins got good news on Marc Savard on Friday, as he passed a conditioning test that will clear the center to participate in line drills and other non-contact practice scenarios. While it’s a positive step for Savard, it doesn’t seem their other long-term injury reserve resident, winger Marco Sturm, is on as fast a track to return to the lineup.

“He is… I would say he’s a little bit away,” Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said of Sturm’s progress when asked on Friday.

Sturm is recovering from a torn ACL and MCL suffered against the Flyers in the Eastern Conference semifinals. His rehab hit a bit of a snag when he travelled with the team to Belfast and the Czech Republic to begin the season.

“I think all the traveling to Europe, I think all that didn’t really help.,” Sturm said in late October. “But the whole team went, and I wanted to go too. It was good, but all the traveling, it didn’t help too much and that’s why I think [the rehab] has gone back a couple of weeks.”

Sturm led the Bruins in goals last season with 22.

NHL senior VP and director of game operations Colin Campbell does indeed plan to speak with Bruins center Marc Savard about his recent email comments calling Savard the “biggest faker going” and “a little fake artist.”

But apparently an apology will not be part of the conversation. When the NHL Network asked Campbell if he owed Savard an apology, Campbell said no.

“At some point in time, I’ll sit down with Marc Savard,” began Campbell. “When Marc first came into the league I had him as a coach first out of Oshawa. We were together with the New York Rangers. When I was fired, Marc was sent down. I think Marc liked the fact I was coaching.

“I don’t think it’s an apology. I think it’s an explanation that we have to talk about.”

Savard has been out with post-concussion syndrome, though he has been cleared to practice with the Bruins in non-contact scenarios.

WILMINGTON — Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said Friday morning that Marc Savard is cleared to practice with the Bruins but will not take physical contact.

“This morning he passed one of the tests, which was a conditioning test, so he’s able to practice with the team, non-contact, so he can do line drills and non-contact drills,” Chiarelli said, “so that’s good news.”

Savard, who has not played or practiced with the team this season due to post-concussion syndrome, will also travel with the team.

“It’s very good news. If Marc were to have his druthers, he’d be back with the team two weeks ago. That’s what Marc’s all about,” Chiarelli said. “It’s good news. We’re on a crunch of games here it seems where it looks like we’re in a compressed schedule here, so it will be good to get a player of his caliber back. This is a real positive step to getting him back.”

Next week will be the earliest that Savard could begin taking physical contact, as Chiarelli noted he must undergo “a couple more tests.” As for when he is set to return to the lineup, Chiarelli was mum on a date.

“I’ve got one in mind. I’m not going to disclose it,” Chiarelli said with a grin. “These things change. It could be earlier, or it could be later. This is a real big step, and the tests coming up are big steps, so he’s passed every test to date and this is a big one also.”

Those who are looking for news regarding Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk are in for some mild disappointment, because there isn’t any.

“It’s the same thing as last night,” Claude Julien said Thursday morning. “He’ll be a game-time decision.”

Boychuk has been out with a fractured forearm since Oct. 23rd and has been practicing with his teammates in anticipation of an eventual return. He and Marco Sturm were the only Bruins to skate Thursday morning, as the team studied video while fellow rehabbing players David Krejci and Marc Savard were given the day off.

It was noted by Boychuk on Wednesday that he hasn’t been given the opportunity to endure physical contact given the nature of his on-ice sessions. Once he does return, his coach understands that he might not be in mid-season form, and that minimizing the effect that it could have on the team is key.

“It’s about limitations. He went on the ice again this morning and went through the things that we were concerned about. I think it’s more about that than anything else,” Julien said. “At one point, [he's] going to have those kinks out, but right now our schedule is not helping us out with so many games. You’re preferring to give your team — because the team goes before the individual — you want to give them some rest in order to give yourself the best possible chances of winning a hockey game. If we wait for the right opportunity to give him a practice, we might be waiting even longer.”

Claude Julien said Monday night that Johnny Boychuk and David Krejci will accompany the Bruins as they travel to New York to face the Rangers on Wednesday night. Krejci, working his way back from a concussion suffered Nov. 6, continues to skate with the team while Boychuk, who suffered a fractured forearm on Oct. 23 against the Rangers, could return to game action.

“Boychuk is day-to-day now,” Julien said. “Depending on how his wrist is or is arm is, there’s always a possibility we could see him in Wednesday’s game.”

Julien expressed uncertainty on the subject of whether Marco Sturm (knee) or Marc Savard (post-concussion syndrome) will travel with the team. Both have been skating as they look to return from their respective injuries.

Colin Campbell called Marc Savard "the biggest faker going."(AP)

[UPDATE: 4:27] NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell confirmed and responded to the leaking of e-mails that have put him in an unflattering light.

Tyler Dellow, an Oilers blogger, on Sunday posted what he says were some of Campbell’s e-mails. (The link appeared to be dead by midday Monday). After doing a little detective work, Dellow determined a bias for Campbell’s son, Gregory Campbell, and a bias against others, namely Marc Savard.

Here’s an e-mail to former director of officiating Stephen Walkom sent in February of 2007 regarding then-referee Dean Warren:

To Stephen Walkom/Tor/NHL@NHL
Subject Re: Delayed Penalties/High Sticks 02/#/2007 4:24 pm

A bend in the road is a dead end if you round the corner and Dean Warren is standing there. Your answer re: his high stick calls and the score of the game were horse [manure]. The 3rd call on [player] was while they were down 5 on 4 and on a def zone face off vs that little fake artist [player] I had him in [city] biggest faker going. And Warren fell for it when he grabbed his face on a face off. Your supposed to see the act, not call the embellishing act. Dean Warren has to go with [referee] There must be a way to get rid of this guy. Is there a way we can tract sic and total minors called by referees this year. We could then get the minors they call per game. … or with 2 [referees on the ice] it is impossible? Warren and [referee] out of [team's] games. Give them to [referees].

Thanks to Dellow’s investigative work, the only Warren-reffed game in February of 2007 in which a player had three high-sticking penalties was on the 24th, a game between the Panthers and the Bruins. Gregory Campbell was called for the high-sticking, and Savard drew the call that Colin Campbell seemed to particularly take umbrage with. The “biggest faker going” remark seems to apply to Savard, given that by saying “I had him in [city],” he appears to be referring to New York, where Savard played while Campbell was an assistant coach.

Campbell spoke to TSN on Monday regarding the matter, but commented only on emails sent to Walkom regarding a tripping call on Gregory in a different game.

“For me, it’s much ado about nothing,” Campbell told TSN. “Stephen and I would have banter back and forth and Stephen knows I’m a (hockey) dad venting and both of us knowing it wouldn’t go any further than that. Stephen would laugh at me. The game in question (when Gregory Campbell was penalized late in the Atlanta-Florida game) wasn’t on TV and I was asking Stephen to find out for me if it was a soft call. That’s all there ever was to it. The (refs) working that game are still in the league, aren’t they? Stephen handled the officials, just like Terry Gregson does now, and I’ve got a lot of emails to those guys asking about this soft call or that soft call and that’s in a lot of games. I’m not ultimately responsible for the (on-ice) officials, that’s Terry Gregson’s responsibility, but I have to answer to GMs on these calls.”

Campbell famously chose against throwing the book at Matt Cooke when he delivered a blindside hit to the head of Savard last season. If one wanted to draw a connection between what the e-mails allege and the lack of punishment on Cooke, they would appear to have a case, depending on the authenticity of the e-mails.

The Bruins politely informed media on Monday that Gregory Campbell, who of course now plays for Boston, would not be taking questions about his father. The league, however, did offer a comment to TSN later in the day.

“Any suggestion that Colin Campbell performs his job with any less than 100 percent integrity at all times and in every decision he makes is way off base and just factually wrong,” deputy commissioner Bill Daly said. “Because of the potential for a conflict of interest, or more importantly a perceived conflict of interest, the League has implemented various structural protections that prohibit Colie from having any oversight or disciplinary authority relating to any game in which his son, Gregory, plays. Its always fair to question and criticize League decisions as being wrong, but not on the basis that they aren’t justly and fairly arrived at.”

The Bruins have gotten used to playing without their top center, but having their top two pivots has been a challenge. With Marc Savard continuing to work his way back from post-concussion syndrome and David Krejci out with a concussion, the Bruins have had to move Patrice Bergeron up to the top line and Blake Wheeler back to center for the first time since his college days.

AP Photo

TSN reported during Thursday night’s game that Savard could be back by the end of the month, but Claude Julien and the B’s aren’t crossing their fingers for a set date.

“I don’t think anybody knows exactly the date,” Julien said on Friday. “I think we know that he’s doing well, and right know he’s progressing to the pot where he’s at least close to joining us for practice. He hasn’t been cleared to do that yet, and even less for contact. There’s a lot of speculation right now, and as far we’re concerned we’re still taking it day by day and seeing a guy progress in a positive way, which is encouraging. That’s basically all we can do right now, like everybody else, is speculate.”

Krejci, meanwhile, has been out since last Saturday’s game against the Blues, when he went headfirst into the boards after a collision with T.J. Oshie. He was diagnosed with a moderate concussion because he suffered amnesia, and the Bruins expected to be without his services for at least a week.

An encouraging sign came for Krejci on Friday, as he rode a stationary bike, the most physically demanding exercise he’s been put through following the concussion.

“He’s progressing nicely, I would say,” Julien said. “Right now he’s at the stage where he’s on the bike. If things go well then he continues to move forward if things don’t go well, then we pull him back.”

After falling to the Canadiens at home on Thursday, the Bruins will return to action with a tilt against the Senators at TD Garden on Saturday.