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The Chicago Blackhawks are going through a stretch of injuries rarely seen in professional sports. They lost five key guys during a five-game road trip, including All-Star rookie Connor Bedard. Bedard and veteran leader Nick Foligno were placed on injured reserve Saturday morning. Bedard is out with a fractured jaw, and Foligno will miss time with a fractured finger suffered in a fight with New Jersey Devils defenseman Brendan Smith, who injured Bedard.
There were only nine skaters who participated in practice Saturday morning. It wasn’t because today was an optional skate but because that was all that was left. The few guys who were in the room after practice still had an aura of shell shock to them.
Head coach Luke Richardson said he is using exercise and wine to help him cope with this recent stretch of awful luck.
“We thought last year was difficult, but nothing compared to this now,” he said. “It’s not just one little thing or chronic injuries; these are substantial. It’s not a week; it’s weeks. And that makes it even more difficult.”
The number of injuries to key players is unfathomable at this point. Before Bedard and Foligno went down, the team was already missing Taylor Hall, Andreas Anthasiou, Seth Jones, Joey Anderson, Taylor Raddysh, Tyler Johnson, and Anthony Beauvillier. The Blackhawks are now missing almost their entire top nine up front and their best defenseman.
“I don’t think I’ve seen anything like this,” veteran forward Ryan Donato said. “It’s tough to see those guys go down, especially being leaders, but the next guy has got to step up and perform.”
Donato has spent a lot of time playing on Bedard’s line and knows that the mental side of missing time can hurt just as much as the physical injury.
“It’s horrible,” he said. “He’s a kid that loves being around the rink and the game. To take that away from him is a big blow to him and us. We hope the best for him.”
Jason Dickinson has grown organically into a leadership role since arriving just before opening night last season. He has also become one of the team’s best offensive players behind Bedard. He will now be forced to be both the team’s biggest leader and best offensive option on the ice.
“Those are two big holes to fill, and a lot of it will fall on me,” Dickinson said of most recent injuries. “As a group, everyone can step up and bring something for us. We need everyone to play bigger than they are so we have a chance.
“Connor was very upset last night. I talked to him about being positive and being okay with where he is. Nick was also just extremely frustrated. He was rattled that it happened. I don’t know how many fights he’s been in this year, but of course, it’s this one that goes and gets hurt.”
Dickinson said it was a strange flight home from New Jersey as the team tried to figure out who was left to play.
“A couple of us sat there and talked about everything and just laughed,” Dickinson revealed. “What else is there to do? It’s just comical at this point. Bodies keep dropping for us, and we just can’t catch a break. So, what else do you do but laugh at it? It’s unbelievable.”
Regarding a broken jaw, Columbus Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner suffered a similar injury on Dec. 9 and returned to practice this morning. Richardson suffered a broken jaw in his career and returned to skating in less than six weeks. However, he mentioned his injury was more severe as a slap shot broke his jaw “right in half.”
The Blackhawks acquired forward Rem Pitlick from the Pittsburgh Penguins today, and he is expected to play tomorrow against the Calgary Flames. They also claimed Zach Sanford off waivers from the Arizona Coyotes, so they will have 12 forwards to skate on Sunday.
Sanford is a veteran of 316 NHL games with the Washington Capitals, St. Louis Blues, Ottawa Senators, Winnipeg Jets, Nashville Predators, and Coyotes. He played eight playoff games for the Blues during their run to the Stanley Cup in 2019. His best season came in St. Louis when he had 16 goals and 30 points in 58 games during the 2019-20 season.
Pitlick has 123 games of NHL experience with the Predators, Minnesota Wild, and Montreal Canadiens, with 15 goals and 37 points. He played a career-high 66 games for the Canadiens in 2021-22 when Luke Richardson was an assistant.
“I know him from Montreal,” said Richardson. “He’s got a of speed. He’s a character guy but not a big guy. He has the speed and experience of playing in the league. That will be a good boost to have someone I know a little bit.”
While today’s news seems like the end of the world for Blackhawks fans, there appears to be some reinforcements on the way. Jones, Anderson, and Raddysh all skated on their own after practice. They will need to practice with the team before being declared game-ready, but at least they are progressing. Richardson said Athanasiou is back working in the gym, so he is trending in the right direction after his recovery process stalled out.
This team will be challenged like never before over the next few weeks. This is a chance for some guys to prove they deserve a bigger role or, quite possibly, stay in the NHL once the Blackhawks regain health. Hopefully, the Hockey Gods are satisfied and will tell the injury bug to leave the dressing room in Chicago.
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