from Mark Lazerus of the Chicagto Sun-Times,

Nobody’s happy about Bickell’s situation. He’s one of the most well-liked guys in the dressing room, and he’s always been one of Joel Quenneville’s favorites. He also carries a cap hit of $4 million per season, with another year left on his contract. And he has no goals and two assists in 24 games, averaging a career-low 9:45 of ice time per game.

Quenneville isn’t happy about benching Bickell. Bickell isn’t happy about being benched. Quenneville can’t give Bickell more minutes until he does something to earn them. But Bickell can’t do much to earn them when he’s playing barely five minutes a night on a fourth line, as he did in the Blackhawks’ last three games.

“It is frustrating to be in that position, knowing that it’s probably tough to do what you want to do in those type of minutes,” Quenneville said. “But at the same time, the opportunity to get more, playing those type of minutes, is in place. You’ve got to try to regain or get some more opportunity based on performance.”

Nothing has worked so far. Bickell’s been shopped around. He’s been scratched. He’s been waived. He’s been demoted. He’s been recalled. And yet he’s right back where he started — frustrated, disappointed, angry.

read on