The Chicago Blackhawks’ Bowen Byram situation has turned into a source of real unease, and the latest update only deepens it.
Byram has been medically cleared to return, but he still has not rejoined the lineup. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on the Saturday Headlines report, Byram’s agent, Darren Ferris, said his client will not come back until he sees a “certain specialist.” Friedman said the Blackhawks and Byram’s camp wanted to clarify the health situation.
What makes the whole thing so murky is the lack of detail. Byram has been out with an unspecified upper-body injury, and the Blackhawks have not said exactly what is going on. That silence has fueled speculation, including the possibility of a concussion, which would bring back memories of an issue Byram dealt with during his time with the Colorado Avalanche.
Coach Jeff Blashill has pushed back on that theory. Reporter Mark Lazerus said Blashill told him definitively a couple of weeks ago that it is not a concussion. Blashill did not have an update this week, though he downplayed the level of concern.
“Obviously we’d like to have him in the lineup, but it’s not necessarily something that’s concerning, I wouldn’t say that. I started with day-to-day and it’s been a lot of days. You wish it wasn’t that, but no, I wouldn’t call it concerning.”
Not everyone is as comfortable with the situation. Mike Harrington said Byram was seen skating on the ice before he stopped and disappeared, adding that “anything and everything is a possibility.”
For Chicago, the timing could hardly be worse. Byram signed a six-year, $75 million contract this summer, and there was already chatter that the Blackhawks may have overvalued what he would bring.
Byram, for his part, believed he was an NHL No. 1 defenseman. In six games before the injury, he had one assist, a minus-seven rating and was averaging more than 24 minutes per night.
It’s still too early to label the trade and contract a mistake, but the early results have not helped quiet that talk. The Blackhawks are 4-12-1 to start the season, and with Byram out, they’ve struggled to steady themselves. Chicago is counting on him as a core piece of any climb back up the standings, but for now there is no timeline for his return.
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