Steve Montador cleared waivers Tuesday and was assigned to AHL Rockford.

Montador had been skating with the Hawks but hasn't played this season after suffering a concussion on March 27, 2012. It's unlikely this is a conditioning stint since he wouldn't have had to pass through waivers for that, meaning it's possible Montador will spend more than 14 days with the Hawks' AHL affiliate.

There's talk that Steve Montador could use a conditioning assignment before returning to the Blackhawks lineup.

For the time being, Montador is among his Chicago teammates after being activated from injured reserve on Wednesday. Whether he begins his comeback with the Rockford IceHogs or not, Montador couldn't be happier after enduring what he has. "Here we are, I can smile and talk about it a little bit and get on the ice," Montador said. "It's a brand new day."

Steve Montador (concussion) continues to skate.

Montador has not been cleared by the medical staff to play as of yet. He suffered the concussion on February 7, 2012, played in one game on March 27, took another hit to the head, this time from the Devils Mark Fayne and was shut down the remainder of the season. He should be able to return to the Chicago lineup in the foreseeable future but the Blackhawks do not want to rush him if he is not 100 percent.