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Jujhar Khaira

Chicago Blackhawks Recall Lukas Reichel, Brett Seney

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The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled a top prospect, bringing up Lukas Reichel from the minor leagues along with Brett Seney. The club needed some extra bodies after placing MacKenzie Entwistle and Jujhar Khaira on injured reserve (retroactive to December 27).

Reichel, 20, is arguably the team’s top forward prospect, selected 17th overall in 2020. After spending his post-draft season in Germany, Reichel has come and dominated at the AHL level, scoring 93 points in 88 games since the start of 2021-22. During that time he has also received 12 games at the NHL level, but is still looking for his first goal.

Only one of those appearances has come this season, as the Blackhawks continue to keep most of their prospects sheltered in the minor leagues. No more, apparently, as it looks like Reichel may get a chance to test himself at the highest level. In 32 games with the Rockford IceHogs this season he has 36 points, but that actually trails the player he’s coming up with.

Seney, 26, has long been a minor league star and has 38 points to lead the IceHogs and trail only Michael Carcone for the league lead. The undersized forward has just 55 appearances at the NHL level, almost all of them coming with the New Jersey Devils in 2018-19, when he scored all 13 of his career points.

Reichel is in the second year of his entry-level contract and won’t be a restricted free agent until the summer of 2024. The Blackhawks may want to give him a good look before potentially inserting him full-time into the lineup next season. But a return for both players to Rockford should eventually be expected, giving the minor league club a chance to compete for a championship. Rockford is 19-10-3 so far and has won four in a row.

Chicago Blackhawks Re-Assign Lukas Reichel, Place Petr Mrazek On IR

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Dec 7: So much for that. Reichel has been returned to the AHL.

Dec 6: A top prospect is on his way up to the NHL. According to the AHL’s transactions log, the Chicago Blackhawks recalled forward Lukas Reichel from the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs today. In a corresponding transaction, they also placed goalie Petr Mrazek on injured reserve retroactive to December 3, per NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis.

The move comes as Jonathan Toews is set to miss tonight’s game with a non-COVID illness, so it’s feasible that Reichel doesn’t stay up long-term. However, the team’s 17th overall pick in 2020 again dominates the minors and could force the team’s hand.

For the second consecutive season, Reichel is operating at more than a point-per-game pace in the AHL and sits second on Rockford, scoring 10 goals and 23 points in 19 games. With depth players like Jujhar Khaira and Colin Blackwell struggling to produce, Reichel might have the opportunity to get in a meaningful string of NHL action if he performs well tonight.

Mrazek is dealing with his second groin injury of the season, an issue that plagued him last season with the Toronto Maple Leafs as well. Those injuries have limited the team’s presumptive starter to just nine games this year, and his .884 save percentage and 4.06 goals-against average are the worst among the team’s top three goalies. He can return as soon as this weekend.

Tyler Johnson Placed On Injured Reserve

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After suffering an ankle injury on Tuesday, Chicago Blackhawks forward Tyler Johnson has been moved to injured reserve. While it might seem like placement on regular IR is encouraging for his timeline, that’s not necessarily the case. With the Blackhawks nowhere near the salary cap ceiling, there is no need to use long-term injured reserve. It is not clear how long Johson will be out.

It’s a tough blow for Johnson, who was experiencing something of a renaissance with Chicago this season after some down years. The versatile forward had six points through six games, including an assist against the Florida Panthers before exiting. Playing top-six minutes with powerplay time, the 32-year-old was setting himself up to have a nice bounce-back year.

With Johnson unavailable, Jujhar Khaira will move onto the second line with Jonathan Toews and Taylor Raddysh and play the net front on the second powerplay unit according to Charlie Roumeliotis of NBCS Chicago. The Blackhawks have been steadfast in keeping top prospects in the minor leagues to play with the Rockford IceHogs, and this injury likely won’t change that. For now, it appears as though they’ll go with 12 forwards on the roster, though that may change once they head out on the road.

Boris Katchouk Expected To Miss 4-6 Weeks

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The Chicago Blackhawks announced this afternoon forward Boris Katchouk is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a left ankle sprain. Katchouk, 24, was injured in yesterdays preseason game against the Detroit Red Wings, leaving without returning. The injury appeared to happen as Katchouk took a hit behind the net and subsequently fell to the ice.

Although the injury is tough news for Chicago and for Katchouk, who had been playing well this preseason, it could open the door for a young forward to draw into the lineup. Known as a key physical presence whenever he is in the lineup, Katchouk made his NHL debut last season as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he played 38 games prior to being dealt to the Blackhawks in the Brandon Hagel trade. Once he returns, Katchouk should have plenty of opportunities to shine as a part of a rebuilding Blackhawks roster.

Also as part of the Blackhawks announcement, forward Jujhar Khaira is considered day-to-day with an ankle injury of his own. Khaira’s status is a relief for both team and player considering the 28-year-old missed two-thirds of last season due to injury.  Much like Katchouk, Khaira doesn’t bring incredible offensive talent, but when healthy contributes to the physical side of the game, which should prove important to this year’s Blackhawks.

Central Notes: Robertson, Blackhawks, Kayumov

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There has been a greater emphasis on paying young stars big money early in recent years and it would appear that at least one team owner isn’t a fan of that.  Speaking on the Cam and Strick Podcast (audio link) earlier this week, Stars owner Tom Gaglardi lamented the current contract landscape across the league:

A kid in the third year of his entry-level (deal) puts up 40 goals and now he wants to make $7 million. If you want term with that player, he’s going to take you higher than that. … The stars are taking all the money, and the guys in the middle are getting squeezed.

I think there’s a lot of players in the league making a million dollars who are better players, and then the guys who can put the puck in the net are getting too big a piece of the pie. … I don’t like it, but that’s the market, and that’s the way it works.

While not naming him specifically, it’s quite clear that the 40-goal player he’s referencing is Jason Robertson who led the Stars with 41 goals in 74 games last season.  If the asking price on a short-term deal is in the $7MM range as Gaglardi suggests, Dallas will almost certainly have to do a bridge deal to get the 23-year-old under contract without having to part with another player.  They have a little over $6.3MM in projected room at the moment, per CapFriendly, but that could jump closer to $7.5MM if Anton Khudobin is healthy and is sent to the minors.

Elsewhere in the Central Division:

  • There is some uncertainty on the injury front for the Blackhawks with training camps just a few weeks away. GM Kyle Davidson told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that they are still waiting for a firm update on the status of forward Jujhar Khaira who underwent back surgery back in February.  At the time, he was supposed to be away from hockey activities for 10-12 weeks so the fact that his availability is still in question would suggest that there has been a setback.  The 28-year-old had three goals in 27 games in his first season with the Blackhawks.  Davidson also indicated that there are a couple of other players that they’re waiting for information on regarding their availability for the start of camp but didn’t identify who those players will be.
  • Still with Chicago, the Blackhawks were hoping to sign prospect Artur Kayumov this summer, reports Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription link). However, the 24-year-old winger opted to remain with Yaroslavl of the KHL citing family reasons as he signed a one-year deal to stay there instead.  Kayumov had 19 points in 42 games last season and his agent indicated that there’s a chance he could sign with the Blackhawks following the KHL campaign.

Jujhar Khaira Undergoes Surgery

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The Chicago Blackhawks have announced that Jujhar Khaira underwent back surgery yesterday and is expected to be out between 10-12 weeks. Khaira hasn’t played in over a month and is currently on long-term injured reserve.

Signed to a two-year contract last summer that carries a cap hit of $975K, Khaira has played in just 27 games this season for the Blackhawks, and has just three points (all goals) to his name. With this new surgery, it is turning out to be a lost season for the big forward, who was supposed to add some size and versatility to the team’s bottom six.

This kind of timeline likely keeps him out for the rest of the regular season, meaning unless the Blackhawks go on an incredible run and make it into the playoffs, we won’t see Khaira again in 2021-22.

Blackhawks Notes: Khaira, Stillman, Connolly

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Per the Daily Herald’s John Dietz, the Chicago Blackhawks moved forward Jujhar Khaira to injured reserve today. He has a lower back injury, and the move is retroactive to January 17. Khaira can come off injured reserve as soon as the 27th,  meaning the soonest he can return is January 28th at home against Colorado. He has just three goals in 27 games during his first season with Chicago.

More from the Blackhawks today, all per Dietz:

  • Defenseman Riley Stillman was also moved to injured reserve today, dealing with a shoulder injury he sustained last night against Minnesota. The soonest he can return is February 1st, meaning he’ll miss at least the team’s next five games. In his absence, Caleb Jones should see playing time with more consistency. Stillman has a respectable 10 points in 28 games.
  • The team also assigned forward Brett Connolly to the active roster, bringing him up from the taxi squad. He should play in his fifth game of the season tonight, drawing in on the fourth line alongside Sam Lafferty and Ryan Carpenter. Connolly was suspended earlier in the season for interfering with Dallas forward Tanner Kero.

West Notes: Wild, Fowler, Blackhawks, Sharks

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Wild GM Bill Guerin provided an update on a pair of injured Wild players, telling reporters, including Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, that defenseman Jared Spurgeon and center Joel Eriksson Ek will miss a couple more weeks.  Both had been listed as out indefinitely but it appears Minnesota won’t be without two of their top players for much longer.  Spurgeon is dealing with a recurrence of a lower-body injury from two weeks ago while Eriksson Ek suffered an upper-body injury a week and a half ago.

Elsewhere in the Western Conference:

  • While the Ducks were concerned that Cam Fowler’s upper-body injury in Wednesday’s game could be a long-term issue, it doesn’t appear as if that will be the case. Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register relays that the blueliner traveled with the team for their two-game road trip that opens up tonight in Vegas which suggests that the veteran may not be out for long.  Fowler is having a nice season with 17 points in 33 games while leading the team in ice time at just over 23 minutes a game.
  • The Blackhawks received a bit of relief on the injury front yesterday as they announced (Twitter link) the activation of winger Jujhar Khaira and center Henrik Borgstrom from injured reserve. Khaira had missed the last three weeks after being stretchered off the ice in a game against Dallas while Borgstrom had been out just as long with a non-COVID illness.
  • The Sharks had good news and bad news on the COVID front yesterday. The team announced that defenseman Mario Ferraro was placed into protocols while winger Jonathan Dahlen was activated.  Under the new NHL guidelines, Ferraro could return after five days instead of the ten it has been for most of the season.

Mike Smith, Jujhar Khaira Nearing Return From Long-Term Injuries

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Two of the NHL’s more high-profile injury absences should be coming to an end shortly. Both Edmonton Oilers goaltender Mike Smith and Chicago Blackhawks forward Jujhar Khaira are in play to return to their respective lineups this week. Sportsnet reports that Smith will be “available” on Wednesday, while relaying an Associated Press story that has Khaira could be ready to go on Saturday.

Smith, 39, has had a season to forget thus far but hopes that he can stay healthy the rest of the way for the Oilers. The veteran netminder has been out of the lineup for over two months with an undisclosed lower-body injury, which he calls “one of the most difficult injuries of my career”. Smith was injured back on October 19 in just his third start of the season and has not played since. He returned to practice briefly last month before returning to the injured reserve. This sounds less like an in-game injury and more like a nagging issue that became too much to handle, but has since been resolved to some extent. While Smith sounds eager to resume play, Edmonton will not attempt to rush him back yet again, which is likely why the team has not yet named a starter for Wednesday. Smith was excellent for the Oilers last season and will be a key piece of their success this season, but with rookie Stuart Skinner playing well behind serviceable starter Mikko Koskinen, the team does not need to rush Smith back or overwork him either.

The former Oiler Khaira, in his first season with Chicago, has neither the name recognition of Smith nor the lengthy recovery time. However, any time a player is stretchered from the ice his injury status becomes headline news. This was the case with Khaira, who was knocked out by a check from New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba on December 7. Khaira was sent to the hospital and has been on the injured reserve since while going through the NHL’s concussion protocol. Fortunately, it seems the big winger has dealt with what appeared to be a serious head injury rather well. If Khaira does suit up on Saturday, it will be just three-and-half weeks since he suffered the concussion, a stretch made even more tolerable for both he and the Blackhawks by postponements that have kept Chicago out of action since December 18. Khaira has missed just five games as a result.

Jujhar Khaira Released From Hospital; Out Indefinitely

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Last night, after a scary hit that sent him to the ice unconscious, Chicago Blackhawks forward Jujhar Khaira was taken to a nearby hospital and monitored overnight. After extensive testing, he has been discharged and returned home. The Blackhawks have announced that though he suffered a significant injury, Khaira is expected to make a full recovery. There is no timeline for his return to play.

The hit, which was delivered by Jacob Trouba of the New York Rangers, did make contact with Khaira’s head, but also drove directly through his core. It was not penalized, but Trouba did end up fighting Riley Stillman soon afterward.

Chicago has made several roster moves following the game. Mike Hardman and Philipp Kurashev have been recalled, while Wyatt Kalynuk and Ian Mitchell have been sent back to the AHL. Mackenzie Entwistle, who was on injured reserve, has been activated and sent down.

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