From NHL.com's Tom Gulitti:

Carolina Hurricanes forward Bryan Bickell said on Tuesday he is targeting the five-game homestand that begins on Feb. 17 to return after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

Bickell, 30, has not played since Oct. 30. The Hurricanes announced on Nov. 11 that he had been diagnosed with the disease after he had been suffering from numbness in his right arm and leg and some dizziness.

"I feel good," Bickell said after a conditioning skate at Verizon Center, where the Hurricanes face the Washington Capitals on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET: CSN-DC, FS-CR, NHL.TV). "I obviously don't feel good right now, I just got skated pretty hard, but it's going to help me down the long run. I think we're getting there and getting close to getting back in the rotation. We're shooting for probably after the bye week and then kind of day by day from there."

The Hurricanes play at the Dallas Stars on Saturday and then go on their five-day break. They return on Feb. 17 against the Colorado Avalanche to open a five-game homestand that includes games against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 19, Pittsburgh Penguins on Feb. 21, Ottawa Senators on Feb. 24 and Calgary Flames on Feb. 26.

Continued