The Blackhawks are on the verge of getting two key pieces back, and both Patrick Kane and Bowen Byram could be in the lineup again within the next few days.
Head coach Jeff Blashill said, per WGN’s Charlie Roumeliotis, that the pair are only a couple of days away from returning. After skating on their own yesterday, Kane and Byram joined the team for practice this morning, though they were still wearing non-contact jerseys.
Chicago could use the help. The club has stumbled through its first 18 games and sits at 4-13-1.
Kane, 38, has put up one goal and nine points in 15 games, which leaves him third on the team in scoring. The tough part has been the other end of the ice: he’s already sitting at a minus-15, the third-worst mark on the roster.
Byram’s season has also been slowed by injuries. The Blackhawks’ major offseason pickup has managed just one assist in six games and carries a minus-7 rating.
There was another bit of movement in Chicago, too. Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reported that the Blackhawks are bringing former Stanley Cup champion Mark Eaton onto the coaching staff.
The team didn’t specify his exact title, only that he’ll serve as a defensive coach. That fits a clear need, since Chicago has allowed the second-most goals against in the league and the fifth-most shots against.
In Dallas, the Stars made a roster move of their own by recalling defenseman Trey Taylor from AHL Texas. The 24-year-old has been a regular call-up lately, especially with Miro Heiskanen out due to injury. Taylor has appeared in three games for Dallas this season and has yet to record a point.
In Other News...
Stars Still Have One Big Issue Despite Their Strong Start
The early returns on Dallas season have been encouraging, even if they have not looked exactly the way the Stars hoped when they set out to address last springs playoff scoring issues. At 10-5-2, they sit ninth in points percentage and have built a strong foundation on the back end, with Jake Oettinger and Casey DeSmith giving them steady goaltending and Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell and Thomas Harley helping drive the defensive play.
What has not fully arrived yet is the extra offense the Stars were chasing. The changes Glen Gulutzan put in place have helped make Dallas harder to play against, but the scoring has not taken a meaningful jump, leaving the club in an odd spot: good enough to win, structured enough to control games, and still waiting for the attack to catch up to the rest of it. [Read more 🡒]
Stars Still Have One Huge Jason Robertson Decision Looming
The Stars have one more major item on the front-burner as the calendar turns toward December, and it centers on Jason Robertson. General manager Jim Nill said the team will begin contract extension talks with the pending unrestricted free agent forward next month, even though Robertson is not eligible to sign a new deal until Jan. 1. It is the kind of conversation Dallas has to have sooner rather than later, especially with a core scorer whose future carries obvious weight for a team trying to stay in the thick of the West.
For now, the Stars are also taking a broader look at their roster before making any other significant calls. Nill has said the club wants to see everyone healthy before settling into its next round of decisions, which adds another layer to a situation already worth watching closely. Robertson's camp, meanwhile, can afford to let the market develop a bit before anything is finalized, leaving Dallas with a familiar front-office balancing act: plan ahead, stay patient, and hope the timing works in its favor. [Read more 🡒]
Stars Arena Future Just Got More Complicated For Dallas Fans
The arena conversation around the Stars got a lot more complicated after Plano voters turned down a measure that would have allowed venue taxes to help pay for the proposed project. The vote undercut one of the clearest public financing paths tied to the teams future home, and it quickly shifted attention back to Dallas, where city leaders have been pushing to keep the Stars downtown.
With that option off the table for now, the Stars said they will look at other financing possibilities as the process moves forward. Plano officials also plan to revisit how they approach arena funding, leaving the teams next step unsettled and the broader battle over where the franchise lands far from resolved. [Read more 🡒]