The Blackhawks have been hurt by injuries this year — Brian Campbell and Dave Bolland have both missed time, and Marian Hossa, who is still out but may return soon, has been out twice with lower-body injuries.
But the injury Sunday to winger Patrick Kane, one of the top players in the NHL, could be more serious. The Sun-Times’ Adam Jahns reports that some sources say Kane could be out for “weeks” while others say it may not be that serious and “could have been worse,” although “worse” could mean anything from a worse sprain to a broken bone — who really knows?
We are likely to learn later today more details from coach Joel Quenneville and the Hawks’ brass. If Kane is out for an extended period of time, someone will likely be called up from Rockford to replace him on the roster — Blackhawks management really likes what they’ve seen from Jeremy Morin so far this year, so it probably will be him again, although it could also be Ryan Potulny, Ben Smith, Brandon Pirri or Evan Brophey, all of whom have spent quite a bit of time shuttling back and forth between the Ice Hogs and the ice at the United Center this season.
Whoever it is, he’ll take Kane’s roster spot, but the Hawks will miss Kane’s leadership and goal-scoring abilities. The Blackhawks’ next game is Wednesday night at the United Center against the Dallas Stars.