Chicago’s blue line will be short a key piece Thursday night, with Bowen Byram ruled out against the Winnipeg Jets because of an upper-body injury.
Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill told reporters that Byram is considered day-to-day and will not dress for the game. Blashill did not say exactly what caused the injury, though Byram was struck by a shot in Tuesday’s 5-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Byram still managed to log 24:37 in that game and picked up his first point with Chicago in the process.
With Byram unavailable, Ethan Del Mastro is expected to step into the lineup. Teuvo Teravainen also took reps on the power play during morning skate.
The absence will be just the second game Byram has missed this season. His other setback came when he left the team before his expected return against the Buffalo Sabres on Oct. 3 to be present for the birth of his twin girls.
Through the early part of the 2026-27 season, Byram has one assist, a minus-7 rating and an average ice time of 24:42.
It has been a rocky opening stretch for the 25-year-old in his first year with the Hawks. Chicago landed him in June in a trade with the Sabres that also brought in Jordan Greenway, then signed him to a six-year extension worth $12.5 million per year beginning in the 2027-28 season. But the results haven’t followed, as Chicago has won only two of its first seven games.
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