- Chicago Blackhawks forward Andreas Athanasiou has hit a bit of a setback in his recovery from a groin injury, according to NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis. Roumeliotis relays word from head coach Luke Richardson who said that Athanasiou’s gym workouts have been shut down, though he plans to start them back up again now that he’s received clarity on the nature of his injury after visiting another doctor. While there still isn’t a firm timeline as to when the Blackhawks can expect to see the former 30-goal scorer back on the ice, it does seem as though that is still a ways away.
Blackhawks Rumors
Latest On Seth Jones
Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones has not dressed for a game in 17 days due to a shoulder injury, but according to NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis, he could be getting closer to a return. He’s set to begin skating after the team’s five-game road trip concludes, and could see a return to game action relatively quickly after that point.
Jones is the Blackhawks’ most important defenseman and arguably the team’s most important player outside of rookie phenom Connor Bedard. Although he only has 11 points in 27 games this season, he’s averaging over 25 minutes of ice time per night and anchors both the team’s power play and penalty kill. Getting him back in the lineup would do wonders for the Blackhawks’ ability to remain competitive on a nightly basis.
Blackhawks, Phillips Not On Same Page In Terms Of Play
Currently on the roster through an emergency loan from December 9th, the top brass with the Chicago Blackhawks appear unconvinced that defenseman Isaak Phillips has earned a full-time spot with the NHL team, much to the dismay of Phillips. In an article by Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, Pope highlights the disappointment head coach Luke Richardson has had with the inconsistency still present in Phillips’ game.
Regardless of their opinion, without much in the way of NHL-ready talent available to the organization on the blue line, and factoring in the injuries to both Seth Jones and Alex Vlasic, the Blackhawks are all but forced to play Phillips most nights. In 17 games played so far this season for Chicago, Phillips has averaged approximately 18 minutes of ice time per night, playing in a shutdown role with veteran defenseman, Connor Murphy.
For most teams, the ’shutdown’ tandem on the blue line is generally tasked with lining up against the opposing team’s top offensive units, to suppress much of the firepower coming their way. For lack of better words, over his current stretch with the Blackhawks, Phillips has looked largely uncomfortable in his role.
Tyler Johnson Out With Injury
According to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, forward Tyler Johnson is the most recent injury to the Chicago Blackhawks roster, as he did not travel with the team to take on the St.Louis Blues. Johnson joins a growing list of high-priced members of the organization to go down with injury this season, as Seth Jones, Taylor Hall and Andreas Athanasiou all currently find themselves on the team’s injured reserve.
In the final season of a seven-year, $35MM contract originally signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning back in 2017, Johnson was included in a salary dump move to Chicago, who also acquired a second-round draft selection in the deal, that sent Brent Seabrook’s contract back the other way. Having his time with the Blackhawks mired by injury concerns, Johnson has only suited up in 114 games for the franchise, scoring 22 goals and 50 points overall.
- Sticking in Chicago, in an article today from Charlie Roumeliotis of NBCSN – Chicago, he mentions the growing trade value of Blackhawks’ forward Jason Dickinson leading up to the trade deadline. Being one of a handful of teams trying to stay above the salary cap floor, Chicago would have the ability to retain 50% ($1.325MM) of Dickinson’s contract, making him quite the bargain with 10 goals and 32 games this season.
Blackhawks Activate Jarred Tinordi
The Blackhawks activated defenseman Jarred Tinordi from injured reserve ahead of tonight’s game against the Canadiens, as reflected in CapFriendly’s transactions log. In two corresponding moves, defensemen Wyatt Kaiser and Filip Roos were returned to AHL Rockford from their emergency loans.
Tinordi, 31, is in the lineup tonight for the first time in over two weeks. He last suited up on December 5 against the Predators but left late in the game and immediately entered concussion protocol. He was retroactively placed on injured reserve within the week, though head coach Luke Richardson said yesterday that Tinordi was nearing a return (via Scott Powers of The Athletic).
It has been a trying season for Tinordi, as he already missed most of November with an oblique injury. The 2010 first-round pick has never truly solidified himself as an everyday NHL player, but he’s a de facto top-six defenseman for a Blackhawks team missing their top pair of Seth Jones and Alex Vlasic due to injuries, not to mention their existing paper-thin depth. Last season, his first in Chicago, Tinordi played a career-high 44 games and logged no minor-league time for just the second instance of his pro career. Since making his NHL debut with the Canadiens in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, Tinordi has appeared in 165 games for the Predators, Coyotes, Bruins, and Rangers in addition to Montreal and Chicago, scoring four goals, eight assists, 22 points, and posting a -40 rating while averaging 15:19 per game.
The bruising 6-foot-6, 230-pound defender has a snarl to his game but carries little else in the form of offensive or defensive upside. His possession numbers routinely rank near the bottom of the league, posting a cumulative career Corsi share of 44.6% at even strength – a remarkably low number given his 100-plus game run in the league. Tonight, he occupies a second-pairing role alongside Louis Crevier in his return to the lineup.
Kaiser and Roos return to Rockford after being recalled under emergency conditions in direct response to Jones’ and Tinordi’s injuries earlier this month, respectively.
Evening Notes: Blackwell, Kurashev, Broberg
The Chicago Blackhawks have announced that they’ve activated forward Colin Blackwell from non-roster status, and he will make his season debut this evening against the Colorado Avalanche. Blackwell has been sidelined since February 27th as he has been dealing with a sports hernia. Blackwell suffered multiple setbacks through the summer, his rehab process, as well as during training camp and talked at length about his frustration, but it appears that he has overcome the struggles and is set to get back on the ice.
The 30-year-old posted two goals and eight assists last season with Chicago as he dressed in 53 games in his first year with the club. Blackwell has played with five different teams during his five-year NHL career and should have plenty of incentive as he gets back into the lineup. He is set to hit unrestricted free agency next July when his two-year $2.4MM contract will be set to expire.
In other evening notes:
- Scott Powers of The Athletic is reporting that Chicago Blackhawks forward Philipp Kurashev will miss tonight’s game due to an illness. Kurashev is hardly the only player suffering from sickness this time of year as a lot of players have missed games due to illness recently. The 24-year-old is on pace to shatter his career high in points as he has six goals and 11 assists in 24 games this season. The native of Munsingen, Switzerland has never topped 25 points in any NHL season but should do so this year barring any unforeseen slump or injury. No word yet on a timeline for return, but the Blackhawks play twice more before the holiday break.
- TSN Insider Darren Dreger is reporting that Philip Broberg is still expected to be a trade candidate for the Edmonton Oilers, but perhaps not in the way many expected him to be. Dreger believes that Broberg could still be a central piece for the Oilers to add an impact player, but he also thinks that Broberg could become the sweetener in a deal to offload the contract of struggling goaltender Jack Campbell. Broberg has been relegated to AHL duties with the Bakersfield Condors but has been averaging over 25 minutes a night of ice time for the Oilers affiliate. Edmonton would do well to move on from Campbell, and it may cost them Broberg if they wish to do so.
Vlasic Close To Return, Jones Out Beyond Christmas
As the Colorado Avalanche are set to take on the Chicago Blackhawks tonight, the team will still be without defenseman Cale Makar and forward Andrew Cogliano, according to Conor McGahey of Altitude Sports. On Makar specifically, with a relatively easy schedule to finish out the calendar year, the Avalanche may keep Makar out for several games for him to comfortably recover from his ongoing lower-body injury.
- Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago reported that while already on the team’s injured reserve, it is unlikely that defenseman Seth Jones will suit up for the Chicago Blackhawks before the Christmas break. With his injured reserve placement coming just three days ago, Jones would be eligible to return from his shoulder injury on December 23rd. Conversely, in the same report, Roumeliotis mentions that Alex Vlasic is much closer to a return, skating on his own this morning.
Blackhawks Place Joey Anderson On Injured Reserve
The Blackhawks placed winger Joey Anderson on injured reserve Monday morning, Tracey Myers of NHL.com reports. Anderson left Sunday’s loss to the Canucks with a left shoulder injury and did not return.
Anderson, 25, will miss at least seven days, although the team has not issued a specific timeline for his return to the lineup. He had played in 13 straight games since the Blackhawks recalled him from AHL Rockford in late November, recording five assists and a +5 rating while averaging 13:21 per game. His 55.8% Corsi share at even strength leads all Blackhawks players by a wide margin.
Chicago is already without two other regular forwards, Taylor Hall and Andreas Athanasiou, due to long-term injuries. Defensemen Seth Jones and Jarred Tinordi remain on injured reserve with shorter-term ailments.
It’s been a strong showing for a player tabbed as an NHL-AHL tweener, passing through waivers unclaimed at the beginning of the season. A third-round pick of the Devils in 2016, Anderson is now with his third NHL organization after spending parts of three seasons with the Maple Leafs. The Blackhawks acquired him from Toronto in February of last season in the Jake McCabe/Sam Lafferty trade and re-signed him to a one-year, two-way deal worth $800K in the NHL and $475K in the minors in June.
Before his recall, Anderson was off to a torrid start in Rockford, posting seven goals and 16 points through 14 games. While he’s been a strong minor-league producer since turning pro with the Devils in 2018, this is his first time producing above a point-per-game pace.
Now with 109 NHL games under his belt, Anderson is slowly approaching full-time depth NHLer status after playing a career-high 38 games last season for Toronto and Chicago. He’s likely to remain on the Blackhawks’ roster when he’s ready to return. As he’s played more than ten games since last clearing waivers, he must clear again if the Blackhawks attempt to return him to the minors.
Anderson will be a restricted free agent next summer. He is eligible for salary arbitration for the second straight season, although he avoided such a fate last summer by signing an early extension.
Joey Anderson Will Not Return To Game
Already suffering from a serious lack of depth at the beginning of the season, Sturm now becomes the sixth current member of the Sharks to hit the injured reserve, even with forwards Filip Zadina and Alexander Barabanov recently returning from their injuries. Even with so many injuries over the past several weeks, San Jose holds a 6-3-1 record in their last 1o games, moving ahead of the Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks in the league standings.
- Another Western Conference team severely struggling with depth this season, the Blackhawks announced forward Joey Anderson would not return to the ice tonight as the team takes on the Vancouver Canucks. Much like the Sharks, Chicago has a total of five players currently on the injured reserve, most notably players such as Andreas Athanasiou, Seth Jones, and Taylor Hall.
Blackhawks Place Seth Jones On IR, Recall Wyatt Kaiser
The Blackhawks have made a pair of moves on their back end leading up to tomorrow’s matchup against Vancouver. The team announced that defenseman Seth Jones has been placed on injured reserve. Taking his place on the roster is blueliner Wyatt Kaiser who has been recalled from AHL Rockford.
Jones is dealing with an upper-body injury and his placement is dated retroactive to December 10th. That means he’ll be eligible to be activated after missing Sunday’s game. Earlier today, head coach Luke Richardson told reporters including Scott Powers of The Athletic (Twitter link) that there is no timetable for how long his top blueliner will be out.
The 29-year-old is still looking for his first goal of the season but has 11 assists in 27 games along with 64 blocked shots. He’s also logging 25:25 per game, ranking fifth in the NHL in ATOI among all players so Richardson will have to get creative to try to fill those minutes.
As for Kaiser, the 21-year-old is in his first full professional year and has spent most of the year with Chicago, suiting up in 21 games where he has four assists along with 27 blocks while averaging 16:34 per night. Earlier this month, the Blackhawks opted to send him to Rockford to get him some more playing time; he got into five games with the IceHogs and was held off the scoresheet.