The Chicago Blackhawks’ blueline will be without its best player for the next few weeks. The Blackhawks have announced that defenseman Seth Jones will miss the next three to four weeks due to an injury to his right thumb. Per head coach Luke Richardson, Jones injured his thumb blocking a shot in yesterday’s game.
This news comes as the Blackhawks have gotten off to a surprisingly strong start. The team is 4-3-1, an impressive early-season record for a squad most expected to spend most of this season in the basement of the NHL standings.
Jones’ play has helped Chicago get off to this quality start. The 28-year-old defenseman has four assists in eight games and has registered 25:14 time-on-ice per game, more than five minutes higher than the next-most-utilized player. Four of those minutes per night come on the penalty kill and nearly four have come on the power play. He’s been an all-situations defenseman for Richardson, who will now need to find a new way to fill that heavy workload.
The Blackhawks’ defense beyond Jones is shaky. Connor Murphy and Jack Johnson each play over 19 minutes per game, and it’s possible that one or both of these players sees their ice time rise to above 20 minutes per game in Jones’ absence. This injury certainly isn’t ideal for the Blackhawks, especially with number-one goalie Petr Mrazek still sidelined.
Still, it’s an early test of the team’s mettle that will at the very least provide an opportunity for others to make more of a mark on the Blackhawks’ season than they might have been able to with Jones healthy.
Ah!, finally, the tank is ON!
What if…? What if the ‘Hawks go full-on in next-man-up mode and only stumble a couple of times? They seem damn determined to mess with us for carping on them in the off-season.
Then, again, tonight’s effort so far may mean otherwise…
(the worst lead in hockey—the 22-second lead)
So if the Hawks keep holding their own without Jones, Which of these statements is true.
1. Stan Bowman is an idiot for trading for this guy?
2. Stan Bowman is an idiot for hiring Jeremy Colliton?
3. Stan Bowman is an idiot for giving Jones all that money?
4. Davidson is a genius for filling in the roster with tradeable assets?
5. Davidson is a genius for leaving the young guys develop in the minors gradually?
6. All of the above
7. None of the above
I can’t comment on the last one because I’m not a CHI expert, but I feel at least the first four are true.
I know one thing Davidson did that I’ve been harping on for years is the Hawks have gone from the WORST face off team in the league, To the best. That’s quite an accomplishment and the fact that the other team doesn’t automatically get the puck every face off has helped immensely. It’s an overlooked skill in today’s game. For years the only guy they had that could win a face off was Toews and when he was hurt or tired in key situations they were sunk. It’s probably the main reason for an immensely improved penalty kill.