The first question asked of forward Max Talbot was the last one he wanted to hear: Now that you have returned to Penguins practice, when might you play?

"I'd like to say January just so people don't know and don't ask me that question all the time," Talbot said with a grin.

"It could be a month, month and a half. I'm just happy to be back on the ice with the guys."

Talbot, who practiced in a red, non-contact jersey yesterday at Mellon Arena, had been skating on his own for a few weeks. He is recovering from surgery July 7 to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder.

He has no pain but wants to assure everyone that his initial timetable of needing four to six months off hasn't changed.

"It won't be before four months," Talbot said. "Four months and a half is pushing it. Five months is starting to be safe. If you want to be really, really careful, it's six months."

Though not an overly skilled player, Talbot has a shining character. He scored both goals against Detroit in the Penguins' 2-1, Stanley Cup-clinching win in June.

"Max always adds life," coach Dan Bylsma said. "You like to add him to the room. You like to add him to the ice."

Talbot said he has to return to form before he will feel ready to play, and that includes confidence that his shoulder can handle any situation.

"I need to be mentally ready," he said. "I need to be able to take a faceoff. If Marc[-Andre Fleury, the goaltender] gets run into by a guy like [Philadelphia's Scott] Hartnell or something, I want to be able to jump in there, drop the gloves or do a little pushing and shoving."

A month after a lot of to-do over center Sidney Crosby's switch to a one-piece composite stick, center Evgeni Malkin is looking at an equipment change.

He has been trying new skates in practice and will see how they feel in tonight's game against St. Louis at Mellon Arena. He's not ready to say he will switch permanently.

"It's a good question," he said, then smiled. "I'll try them in [tonight's] game. After the game, if I score, I will switch."

Malkin, who leads the team with 10 points through eight games, described the skates as a prototype made by a new company. He believes he is the second NHL player to try them, after teammate Sergei Gonchar used them last season.

Malkin tried a different pair early in training camp but didn't care for them. He finds the new ones comfortable.

"A little bit stiffer," he said. "I can push harder."

Sunday, Bylsma was effusive when talking about one of his mentors, St. Louis coach Andy Murray. Yesterday, after a Blues practice at Mellon Arena, Murray returned the favor.

"As you've all learned here, he's a quality guy first of all, a good person," Murray said of Bylsma, whom he coached in Los Angeles.

"He was a cerebral player because he needed to be. He always asked a lot of questions. You could always tell he was going to be a coach. Now I wish I hadn't given him as many answers."

Although he couldn't predict Bylsma would lead the Penguins to the Stanley Cup, he's not surprised things have gone well.

"As soon as he got the opportunity, I knew he would have success," Murray said, although shortly after the Penguins won the Cup, the teacher was still offering his former student some advice coming off such a tremendous run.

"I think I reminded him at the NHL awards dinner that it's not always like that in coaching," Murray said.

Malkin and center Jordan Staal practiced after being given the day off Sunday. ... Tonight is the Penguins' first game of the season on Versus. Because of a contract dispute, DirecTV is not carrying Versus.

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