Bowen Byram’s 'Upper-Body' Injury Tag Is a Familiar Headache for the Blackhawks

The NHL’s favorite medical mystery has struck again. The Chicago Blackhawks announced that defenseman Bowen Byram is officially day-to-day with an upper-body injury, according to Daily Faceoff.

In hockey terms, "upper-body injury" is a catch-all diagnosis that could mean anything from a bruised collarbone to a missing limb. But for Byram, this designation carries a lot more weight than it does for the average player.

"Daily Faceoff reported Byram is day-to-day with an upper-body injury."

Byram is already slated to miss Thursday night's home clash against the Winnipeg Jets. That is a tough blow for a Chicago squad that just managed to scrape together a 5-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins after getting bullied by the New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes earlier in the week.

The real concern here is the history. Anyone who watched Byram during his time with the Colorado Avalanche knows his medical chart reads like a stunt double's diary. He has a well-documented history of concussions and upper-body ailments that have repeatedly derailed his undeniable talent.

When a guy with that specific track record gets slapped with the day-to-day label, you hold your breath. It is the kind of news that makes fantasy managers instantly scramble to the waiver wire and forces bettors to seriously re-evaluate Chicago's defensive depth.

Without Byram eating up heavy minutes on the blue line, the Blackhawks are going to have to shuffle their pairings against a heavy Winnipeg roster. Missing a top-four defenseman is bad enough, but doing it against a team that loves to cycle the puck is how you end up spending 40 minutes trapped in your own zone.

We will see if the day-to-day tag actually means he is close to returning, or if it is just the front office buying time. With the Dallas Stars rolling into the United Center on Saturday, Chicago needs all the healthy bodies it can get before the weekend turns into a track meet.