With football over and the Chicago Bulls living in a state of delirium as they try to inch their way toward a Play-In Tournament birth while beating that continuity drum into a first-round exit from the “postseason,” we need something in Chicago to root for, at least for the next six weeks when real baseball games begin.

So, Tab’s report from Blackhawks practice this afternoon was just what the doctor ordered. After Connor Bedard was back on the ice sporting his green non-contact jersey, Blackhawks’ head coach Luke Richardson delivered a welcomed medical update on Bedard.

Richardson said that the 18-year-old skipped his doctor’s appointment today because the medical team was so encouraged by the imaging results of his healing fractured jaw from last Monday, that they felt it wasn’t necessary to go today.

Bedard will be in the non-contact jersey for the rest of the week and have what Richardson hopes is his final follow-up imaging appointment next Monday, at which point, Bedard will likely be cleared to return to action. Richardson said that he’ll need to get a couple of practices in before he makes his painfully long-awaited return to the lineup, but we’re almost there, friends.

As Tab pointed out today, the Blackhawks schedule next week features a pair of home games against the Philadelphia Flyers and Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday and Friday.

After that, they’ll host the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday, February 25. Chris Chelios will have his jersey retired that night and Patrick Kane will make his return to the United Center in a Red Wings sweater (barf). That game should be the return of Bedard, if not sooner.

Bedard has been sidelined since just after New Year’s with a broken jaw suffered against the Devils. Chicago is 3-10 in the 13 games that Bedard has missed and has four more games between now and the earliest potential return date for Bedard next Wednesday against the Flyers.

Riding a six-game losing streak, the Blackhawks could easily be 3-14 without Bedard and on a 10-game skid next Wednesday. The Blackhawks are averaging 1.3 goals per contest in Bedard’s absence and have been blanked four times while being held to one goal four other times. Before his injury, the Blackhawks were averaging a whole additional goal per contest.

Bedard has 33 points (15G, 18A) in 39 games this season.

Yesterday’s Best

CHICAGO BEARS

• The Pittsburgh Steelers will be in the market for a quarterback this offseason. As per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Pittsburgh is a big fan of Justin Fields.

• And like clockwork this afternoon, Tomlin and the Steelers parted ways with another former Bear, Mitch Trubisky.

• Imagine the Bears successfully acquiring both Caleb Williams and Drake Maye. One NFL Media draft analyst drew up a pie in the sky scenario that would be a best case scenario for the Bears on Monday.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

• Tab broke down the best of the Blackhawks college stars from last week in his latest prospect watch.

CHICAGO BULLS

• Ayo Dosunmu scored a career-high 29 points on 12-18 shooting to help the Chicago Bulls pull off a 136-126 victory. He also went 5-7 from downtown to vault his 3-point shooting percentage to over 40.0 percent this season, which is another career-high.

CHICAGO CUBS

• What if the Cubs don’t end up with Cody Bellinger? Are they open to adding other outfielders before Spring Training?

• We’re 10 days from Cubs single game tickets being available for purchase. A presale opportunity began on Monday. Here are the details:

What’s on deck?

The Blackhawks look to end a six-game losing streak against the Vancouver Canucks tonight at the United Center. Puck drop is set for 7:30 PM CT.