Bowen Byram skates, travels with Blackhawks to Detroit

The first sign came before the team plane even left Chicago: Byram was back on the ice for a morning twirl with a handful of teammates.

Ben Pope

@BenPopeCST

Bowen Byram is skating with Korchinski, Del Mastro and Mangiapane this morning before the Blackhawks’ flight to Detroit to begin their Dad’s Trip

That's Byram skating with Kevin Korchinski, Ethan Del Mastro and Andrew Mangiapane before the flight to Detroit, where the Hawks open their Dad's Trip. Getting on the ice with other guys isn't nothing. He was skating alone in a black non-contact jersey last week and still sat out against Montreal on October 23 and Florida on October 25.

Then Blashill pumped the brakes. Byram gets a seat on the plane, but not a promise of a lineup spot.

Ben Pope

@BenPopeCST

Blashill says Byram is going on the trip, but it’s TBD when/if he’ll play

Ben Pope

@BenPopeCST

Bowen Byram is skating with Korchinski, Del Mastro and Mangiapane this morning before the Blackhawks’ flight to Detroit to begin their Dad’s Trip t.co/mpIdS4uRmL

TBD is coach for "don't ask me again." It's the same thing Blashill has said the whole way through. He's kept Byram day-to-day with an upper-body injury, said he is trending the right direction and hasn't put a date on anything. Byram has been out since a Penguins game where he got hit by a shot. Nobody has said he's ready to take a hit in a real game, and that's the step that's left.

The Hawks need him back for a simple reason: they've been playing him like their No. 1 defenseman. The 25-year-old averaged 24:42 of ice time through his first 6 games, with an assist and a minus-7. Pull that many minutes off a young blue line and everybody else has to move up a spot. That's how Korchinski and Del Mastro have ended up swapping in and out of the lineup.

The trip starts Thursday night against the Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena, with the puck down at 6:30 CT. For Blashill, that's a game against his old team. Then it's a Saturday matinee in Boston against the Bruins. If Byram doesn't play Thursday, Boston is the next date to watch, and the next morning skate will tell you more than any update from the coach. If he takes line rushes with the regular D pairs, he's close. If he's out early with the extras again, it's another TBD.