Chicago defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk is expected to miss the next five to six weeks with an upper body injury according to a report from Scott Powers of The Athletic. TSN’s Mark Masters adds (Twitter link) that the blueliner had his right arm in a sling. The injury was sustained in Friday’s 3-2 loss to Columbus.
Injuries have not been kind to the 25 year old in recent years. Since January of 2014, he has suffered a broken ankle, a fractured patella, and a wrist injury, the latter two requiring surgeries. Powers adds that this particular injury is not expected to require surgery.
It has been a tough start to the season for van Riemsdyk. After playing all 82 games last season, he has seen time in just two of four games this year and last night’s game saw the team dress seven defenders instead of the usual six, reducing his ice time. He has been held off the scoresheet so far this season but had three goals and 11 assists last year.
In the short-term, this will alleviate the logjam on Chicago’s back end as the team has been carrying eight blueliners since the start of the season. This certainly won’t help van Riemdsyk’s trade value though as the team continues to shop him around the league.
[Related: Blackhawks Depth Chart]