NHL Buzz: Toews, Johnson back for Blackhawks

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

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Chicago Blackhawks

Forwards Jonathan Toews and Tyler Johnson played for the Blackhawks against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday.
Toews (concussion protocol) had 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) also played. Stillman last played Jan. 21 against the Minnesota Wild; de Haan missed two games. -- Tracey Myers

Winnipeg Jets

Nikolaj Ehlers is expected to return for the Jets when they host the Dallas Stars on Friday (8 p.m. ET; TSN3, BSSW, ESPN+, NHL LIVE).
The forward took part in practice Thursday in a normal jersey for the first time since Jan. 18, when he injured his knee in a 4-3 overtime win against the Washington Capitals.
Ehlers skated on a line in practice with Andrew Copp and Adam Lowry.
"I think he's real close. Look where he was today, that would probably answer your question," Jets coach Dave Lowry said when asked about Ehlers' availability for Friday.
"There will probably be some hiccups, but the expectation is that he's ready to play. … He's with two responsible players, he gives them speed. I look at the other two lines, they seem to have some good chemistry right now."
Ehlers scored 25 points (13 goals, 12 assists) in 34 games this season.
"Now it's a coach's decision," Ehlers said. "I told him I'm ready to go and I talked to the medical staff about it as well. We kind of had a plan in the last week to kind of aim for the next game, and I feel ready for that." -- Tim Campbell

Ottawa Senators

Josh Norris returned to play for the Senators against the Florida Panthers on Thursday.
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 led the Senators with 18 goals and 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."

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Washington Capitals

Anthony Mantha played for the first time since having surgery on his left shoulder when the Capitals hosted the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday.
Mantha was injured Nov. 4 when he attempted to hit Anthony Duclair in the second period of a 5-4 overtime loss at the Florida Panthers. The forward had surgery the following day.
"He's had good days here," Capitals coach Peter Laviolette said Thursday. "… I'm going to go in and talk through that and get a final answer on him. It's obviously real close. We used him in a lot of situations in practice, so we're going to go in and talk with [athletic trainer Jason Serbus] and find out exactly where it's at and if it's a go."
Mantha resumed skating on his own Feb. 9 and returned to practice wearing a no-contact jersey Feb. 21. He was cleared for contact Monday and was a full participant in practice the past two days.
Mantha scored six points (two goals, four assists) in 10 games this season.
Defenseman Justin Schultz also played after missing two games and three of four with an upper-body injury.
The Capitals recalled goalie Zach Fucale from Hershey of the American Hockey League and he was the backup to Vitek Vanecek. Goalie Ilya Samsonov left practice Wednesday after being stung by a high shot and did not participate in the optional morning skate but came onto the ice after the team finished practice. --Tom Gulitti

New York Rangers

Kevin Rooney is out week to week for the Rangers with an upper-body injury.
The forward was placed on injured reserve Thursday. He played 5:26 in the first period of a 5-3 win against the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday before not returning.
Rooney scored 11 points (six goals, five assists) in 51 games this season.
Forward Kaapo Kakko (upper body) will be out a few more weeks, Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said. Kakko has not played since Jan. 21.
Forward Tim Gettinger was recalled from Hartford of the American Hockey League. He has no points in five NHL games this season and scored 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists) in 35 AHL games.