Bowen Byram is making the Blackhawks’ Dad’s Trip, but his return to game action is still up in the air.
Head coach Jeff Blashill said Wednesday that Byram is traveling with the team for the two-game trip, though whether the defenseman will suit up remains to be determined. The Blackhawks were set to fly to Detroit after an optional practice, and Byram was spotted in a white jersey there after wearing a gray non-contact jersey at Tuesday’s morning skate.
Chicago opens the trip Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings at 6:30 p.m. CT at Little Caesars Arena, then heads to Boston to face the Bruins at noon CT Saturday at TD Garden.
The Blackhawks then return home for a game against the Colorado Avalanche on Monday, Nov. 2, at 7 p.m. CT.
Byram hasn’t played since Chicago’s 5-3 win over Pittsburgh on Oct. 13.
He missed his fifth straight game Tuesday when the Blackhawks beat the Kings 2-1 to snap a three-game losing streak. The team has not said how he was hurt, and Del Mastro stepped into the lineup in his place against Winnipeg on Oct.
Blashill has described Byram as day-to-day. The defenseman began skating on his own last week, but he was still limited to a non-contact jersey Tuesday.
There’s also a special-teams wrinkle here: Byram has been out of the top power-play unit, which went 0-for-7 in Sunday’s 3-2 loss to Florida and 1-for-3 against Los Angeles. Acquired from Buffalo in June, Byram later signed a six-year, $75 million deal that made him Chicago’s highest-paid defenseman.
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