Hurricanes player nears return to action after multiple sclerosis diagnosis

Carolina Hurricanes forward Bryan Bickell says he’s close to returning to game action — just months after he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

Bickell, 30, told reporters after a conditioning skate in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday that he’s aiming to return during the Hurricanes’ five-game homestand starting on Feb. 17. Carolina played the Washington Capitals on Tuesday evening.

Out since late October, the Hurricanes forward hasn’t played since he and the team announced his multiple sclerosis diagnosis on Nov. 11. Bickell sought treatment after feeling dizzy and suffering numbness in his right leg and arm.

Multiple sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system that targets the brain and spinal cord, “disrupting the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body,” according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. There’s no known cause and no known cure, though the prevailing thought is that it’s due to genetics.

Life expectancy for those diagnosed with multiple sclerosis is 5 to 10 years less than those not diagnosed with the disease.

Bickell’s return to the NHL was up in the air, though he went on record as recently as the All-Star Break to affirm his commitment to returning. Bickell has been taking treatments of Tysabri, an intravenous drug required once a month to manage his symptoms. His next treatment comes within the next few days, and after that he’ll see if returning soon is still on the table.

“It all depends too on what other guys are doing, if they’re going on a huge streak,” Bickell said. “I like to see them win. If they need me, I’m sure an extra week of me skating is not going to hurt me. We’re just going to wait until after the next treatment and after the bye week and go from there.”

Bickell concluded his conditioning skate with the team on Tuesday, but expressed willingness to take a conditioning assignment to the AHL to make sure he was ready to play before joining the Hurricanes again.

The Hurricanes acquired Bickell as part of a Chicago Blackhawks salary dump in the offseason. Bickell appeared in just seven games with Carolina before the diagnosis sidelined him. Bickell won the Stanley Cup with Chicago in 2013 and 2015.