NHL Buzz: Toews, Johnson expected back for Blackhawks

Welcome to the NHL Buzz. Throughout the 2021-22 season, NHL.com will have you covered with the latest news.

Chicago Blackhawks

Forwards Jonathan Toews and Tyler Johnson are expected to play for the Blackhawks against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday (8:30 p.m. ET; SN1, SNE, SNO, NBCSCH, ESPN+, NHL LIVE).
Toews (concussion protocol) has not played since Jan. 26, when he had an assist in 16:08 of ice time in a 8-5 win against the Detroit Red Wings. Johnson, who had surgery on his neck Dec. 3, last played Oct. 29 against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Blackhawks coach Derek King said each would have limited ice time.
"They won't be happy with me," King said Tuesday. "They're probably going to want 20-plus minutes right off the bat, but they won't be able to handle it. So I'll just have to monitor them and pick my spots for Toews."
Toews and Johnson reportedly practiced on a line with Alex DeBrincat on Wednesday, and Johnson was on the top power-play unit.
Defensemen Riley Stillman (upper body) and Calvin de Haan (right groin) are expected to play. Stillman last played Jan. 21 against the Minnesota Wild; de Haan missed two games. -- Tracey Myers

Ottawa Senators

Josh Norris will return to the lineup for the Senators against the Florida Panthers on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; BSFL, TSN5, RDS2, ESPN+, NHL LIVE).
The forward missed 15 games since sustaining a shoulder injury in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 27.
"I'm good to go tomorrow," Norris said after practice Wednesday. "It's been kind of a long time sitting out and watching, but I'm healthy and that's all that matters.
"I didn't really know for a bit there what the timeline was going to be, so once I kind of felt more comfortable with my injury and how things were going ... we just kind of set a date and it happened to be tomorrow."
Norris leads the Senators with 18 goals and has scored 26 points in 36 games.
"It's been a long process, but we wanted to make sure he was 100 percent ready to go," Senators coach D.J. Smith said. "Probably could have played the last couple (of games) but we wanted to make sure that he was comfortable."

Edmonton Oilers

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is week to week for the Oilers with an upper-body injury.
The forward was injured Saturday in the first period of a 4-3 win against the Florida Panthers. He did not play Sunday in a 2-1 loss at the Carolina Hurricanes, or Tuesday in a 3-0 win at the Philadelphia Flyers.
"Nugent-Hopkins went [to Edmonton] because he's not day to day, he's more week to week," Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft said Tuesday. "That's where we're at with that upper-body injury."
Nugent-Hopkins was third on the Oilers with 37 points (seven goals, 30 assists) in 45 games.
Defenseman Duncan Keith returned to play Tuesday after missing nine games with an upper-body injury sustained Feb. 9 in a 4-1 loss to the Blackhawks. -- Adam Kimelman

Montreal Canadiens

Joel Edmundson was cleared for contact and practiced in full for the first time this season Monday and the defenseman joined the Canadiens for a four-game road trip that began with an 8-4 loss at the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.
Montreal plays at the Calgary Flames on Thursday (9 p.m. ET; SNW, TSN2, RDS, ESPN+, NHL LIVE).
It is not known when Edmundson could make his season debut. He has been out with a back injury and has not played since Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on July 7, 2021, when the Canadiens lost the best-of-7 series in five games to the Tampa Bay Lightning. He returned to practice wearing a no-contact jersey last week.
"He's an amazing guy, on and off the ice," Montreal forward Josh Anderson said Tuesday. "He's a true leader for all the guys in that locker room. With this year being tough, with the injury that he's had, he still feels a part of our team. He's in there every single day working hard, doing the things that he needs to do, and I know a lot of guys in that locker room look up to him."
Edmundson recently lost his father, who died from lung cancer in January.
Joel Armia returned to play against the Jets. The forward sustained a facial cut Feb. 17 against the St. Louis Blues and missed four games. He has scored seven points (two goals, five assists) in 38 games this season.