Bowen Byram’s start with the Chicago Blackhawks hasn’t gone how he or anyone else would’ve drawn it up.
He was a major trade pickup from the Buffalo Sabres this offseason. The Blackhawks gave up Louis Crevier as well as the Nos. 4 and 45 picks in the 2026 NHL Draft to get Byram and Jordan Greenway from Buffalo.
But Byram struggled in his first six games with Chicago and hasn’t played since.
Through six games, Byram had just a singular point, an assist. He was a minus-7.
His last time out was Oct. 13, when he notched that assist in a 5-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on the power play.
Since then, the Blackhawks have had to play without him, and that will remain true on Tuesday when they host the Los Angeles Kings at 7 p.m. local time in Chicago.
When is Bowen Byram Coming Back?
Bowen Byram’s return date is still to be determined.
The Blackhawks have continued to call him day-to-day, which isn’t particularly helpful in determining his real absence length from afar.
Blackhawks reporter Mark Lazerus reported Tuesday that Byram still had a non-contact jersey on at morning skate before the Kings game.
Bowen Byram still in a non-contact jersey at morning skate.
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) October 27, 2026
Why Isn’t Bowen Byram Playing?
Byram remains out due to what the Blackhawks have called an upper-body injury.
There’s been speculation about it being a concussion, but NHL teams don’t often reveal more than the half of the body to which an injury is relevant.
That can leave fans pretty much in the dark in knowing what to expect going forward, which is a particular bummer given the stock the Blackhawks have placed in Byram — both with his trade cost and then with the contract extension they gave him.
Chicago is allowing 3.9 goals per game, which is brutal, and Byram isn’t on the ice to help either the defense or the offense. Last year in the playoffs with Buffalo, he was a fantastic puck-moving defenseman, but that hasn’t even gotten a chance really this season to show that in the Windy City.
The Blackhawks will hope to have Byram back soon. In the meantime, they have to find a rhythm anyway, or they risk falling out of the race before the season even gets very old.
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