Connor Bedard returns to the Blackhawks lineup tonight against Pittsburgh, pending one final check from doctors.
Jeff Blashill confirmed it Tuesday. And Chicago needs the help, because the team Bedard rejoins sits 30th in the league.
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He sounded ready. "I put a lot of time and effort into the rehab process to try to come back a little earlier than expected," he said.
He also said he wouldn't be playing if he had any hesitation about his shoulder strength. Good. A half-ready Bedard on this roster helps nobody.
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The numbers waiting for him are ugly. Chicago has scored 12 goals in six games and allowed 26.
The road has been brutal. The Blackhawks went 0-4-0 away from home, a stretch that included a 6-0 loss in Utah.
Saturday night was no better. Carolina left town with a 5-2 win, the second straight loss for Blashill's group.
Nick Lardis could be the odd man out for Bedard's return
Activating him requires a roster move. Beat writer Ben Pope's best guess is that Nick Lardis heads to Rockford, with Dominic Toninato appearing to be in the lineup.
Lardis has two assists through six games, one on the power play. He's also gone minus-6 and is still looking for his first goal.
Toninato, 32, has no points in two appearances. If that's the move, it's the wrong one. A roster this young needs its 21-year-old forwards learning in the NHL.
Sending the kid down to keep the veteran is like benching the new hire so the guy who knows where the coffee is can keep his desk.
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Depth is already thin. Andrew Mangiapane is on IR and expected out until at least October 25.
The bigger question is who the star can lift. Anton Frondell leads the team with four points, and nobody else has more than three.
Patrick Kane has one point in his last five games. Over the full season, he's sitting at a -8 rating.
Then there's the crease. Spencer Knight owns an .885 save percentage, and Arvid Soderblom is at .820. No forward fixes that on his own.
Bedard carries a $15 million cap hit, the third-highest in the league. Nights like this are why Chicago pays it.
Pittsburgh won't make it easy. The Penguins arrive at 3-2-1, and Evgeni Malkin, 40, already has three goals, two on the power play.
Tonight also opens a six-game homestand, with Winnipeg on Thursday and Dallas on Saturday. If the Blackhawks are going to stop the bleeding, this is the stretch.
One player can change a power play overnight. Whether he can change a team giving up 4.3 goals per game is something Blashill can't answer yet.
Should the Blackhawks keep Nick Lardis in Chicago over Dominic Toninato when Connor Bedard returns?
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