(My Sportsbook) - Chicago head coach Brian Sutter gave a rare update on Theo Fleury over the weekend and said that he expects his volatile forward to begin skating within the next two weeks.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he's skating in 10 days to two weeks," Sutter told the Chicago Sun Times. "Whether it's with us or not isn't up to me. It's just the feeling I get from the program, the schedule he's on."

Fleury was suspended two days before his team's season-opener for violating the league's substance-abuse aftercare program.

The Blackhawks head coach also said that he talks with Fleury daily and that his ongoing battle with alcoholism is going "real well." Fleury has spoken to his teammates about the suspension, but has not been to any practices or seen at any games.

"[Treatment supervisors] don't want him on the ice now," Sutter added. "That's a big part of the program. He's doing off-ice workouts every day. They're considered as good as therapy."

As Fleury is showing signs of progress, one player that seems to be falling out of favor in Sutter's eyes is veteran centerman Michael Nylander.

Nylander has struggled in the early going and in Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Calgary Flames, Sutter removed Steve Sullivan from Nylander's line with rookie Shawn Thornton and replaced him with Garry Valk.

"Michael has to pick it up a notch, no question," Sutter told the Chicago Tribune. "The whole world sees that."

Nylander played fewer minutes than any of the other three centers Saturday (13:14) and was a minus-2. On the year, Nylander has two assists and is minus-1.

"What can I say? I can play better," Nylander told the Tribune. "I'm not at the top of my game. I have to be there for the team."

In a move used to inspire his 30-year-old center, Sutter placed a gray jersey in Nylander's locker Sunday morning prior to the start of the team's practice at the United Center.

The color of the practice jersey is a sign of where forwards stand in the pecking order. Green is reserved for the stars such as Alex Zhamnov and Sullivan, while gray is the color the extra players wear, the fourth-liners, guys recovering from injuries, the fighters and those who spend as much time watching games from the press box as healthy scratches as they do playing.

"Michael is a guy we count on," Sutter said. "He was like this until halfway through the season last season too. He has to pick it up."

WHAT'S NEXT

The Blackhawks will wrap up a four-game homestand on Thursday against the Minnesota Wild, then will travel to Carolina, before hosting a three-game homestand to close out the month.