Will Keith be ready in time for opener?
We've likely never seen a group of photographers and reporters sprint from one athlete to another faster than Friday at Johnny's IceHouse West when a Blackhawks PR man yelled:
"Duncan Keith is available!"
In three seconds flat, cameras and tape recorders went from Scott Darling's mouth to Keith's, with everyone wanting to know how the star defenseman's right knee is feeling on the first day of Blackhawks training camp.
The answer, as it turns out, probably should sound an alarm bell or two.
"I tried to use some time this summer to rest it and do some different things," Keith said after participating in the second practice Friday. "Once I started skating it didn't react very well. So I had to do a few different things to try and get it ready."
Because the knee, which Keith had a procedure on to repair a meniscal tear last October, wasn't feeling great, he opted to skip playing for Canada in the World Cup of Hockey. He instead concentrated on getting ready for the NHL season and has been skating at Johnny's since the beginning of September.
"It was disappointing I wasn't ready to go for the World Cup; it would have been fun to play in," Keith said. "I need this time. Maybe I wouldn't be where I am right now if I didn't take the time to let it rest and not start skating again until a couple of weeks ago."
Keith did not take part in Friday's scrimmage at Johnny's, and he will not play in Saturday's Training Camp Festival at the United Center.
One thing assistant coach Mike Kitchen noticed as he watched Keith during the past couple of weeks was the 33-year-old defenseman was pushing himself too hard. Kitchen, who along with Kevin Dineen will run camp until Joel Quenneville returns from assisting Team Canada, essentially told Keith to tone it down.
When asked if it's bothersome to the organization that Keith is still feeling something in the knee, Kitchen said: "All players, when you get to a certain stage in your career, you're going to feel different aches and pains. It's something that you probably just have to manage through the rest of your career. … I think he'll come back, he'll be fine. … We're not that concerned about it."
Still, it is somewhat concerning that Keith couldn't guarantee he'll be ready for the season opener on Oct. 12 against St. Louis. Keith did say he likes "the progression" but wants to evaluate things day by day.
During Friday's short 30-minute practice, it was evident Keith was testing the knee with quick cuts and short bursts. When asked about the trademark speed that helped him become one of the league's top D-men, Keith said he doesn't believe he's lost a step.
"I'm confident, I feel strong out there," Keith said. "I feel like this off-season has given me a lot of time to basically recover from six, seven, eight seasons prior to that. I feel great mentally and strength-wise I feel good.
"It's just kind of those little things out on the ice ... (but) basically (I'm) getting better and better every day."
• Follow John on Twitter @johndietzdh