When Patrick Kane went down, things looked bleak for the Blackhawks. But the schedule makers were good friends to the Hawks when they put together the 2014-15 calendar, and the push for the playoffs could provide Chicago with opportunities to improve.
Teuvo Teravainen got the party started in his return to the NHL lineup, and the Blackhawks handled their business in regulation against the Panthers on Thursday night.
The Blackhawks have traded defenseman TJ Brennan to the Maple Leafs for forward Spencer Abbott.
On Wednesday evening, the Blackhawks posted the following release:
The Chicago Blackhawks announced today forward Patrick Kane underwent successful surgery to repair a left clavicle fracture. The procedure was performed at Northwestern Memorial Hospital by Blackhawks Head Team Physician Dr. Michael Terry and Dr. Bradley Merk.
“Patrick underwent successful surgery today to repair his left clavicle fracture,” Terry said. “The procedure went very well and we anticipate a full recovery in approximately 12 weeks.”
On Wednesday afternoon, the Los Angeles Kings reportedly acquired defenseman Andrej Sekera from the Carolina Hurricanes for a conditional first round pick and a defenseman Roland McKeown (according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie).
McKeown, 19, was the Kings second round pick in 2014. If the Kings make the playoffs, the first round pick is in 2015; if they don’t, Carolina gets the Kings’ first round selection in 2016.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Winnipeg Jets acquired forward Jiri Tlusty from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a third round draft choice in the 2016 NHL Draft and a conditional sixth round draft choice in the 2015 NHL Draft. The trade happens on the heels of Winnipeg placing forward Blake Wheeler on IR.
Also on Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired forward Daniel Winnik from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for center Zach Sill, a fourth round draft pick in 2015 and a second round draft pick in 2016. According to ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun, Toronto will eat half of Winnik’s cap hit as part of the deal.
On Wednesday morning, the Blackhawks made a few roster moves in the wake of Patrick Kane’s regular season-ending injury.
The team placed Kane on LTIR and recalled forward Teuvo Teravainen from Rockford. Chicago also assigned defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk to Rockford as he works his way back from injury.
According to a Russian report, goaltender Ivan Nalimov plans to sign with the Blackhawks after his current KHL season ends.
Nalimov, who turns 21 on March 12, was the Hawks sixth round pick (179th overall) in the 2014 Draft. He has a 10-10-5 record with a .900 save percentage for Vladivostok this season.
Early Wednesday morning, the Chicago Tribune’s Chris Kuc tweeted a few pieces of information from his sources that Blackhawks fans didn’t want to hear.
While being sure to note that nothing is confirmed (yet), Kuc reported that Patrick Kane suffered a broken collarbone in the first period Tuesday night, and is expected to be sidelined for at least six – and possibly more than ten – weeks.
Six weeks from Wednesday is April 8, three days before the end of the 2014-15 regular season. Ten weeks would put Kane out until, conservatively, late in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Alex Petrovic, the Florida Panthers defenseman who put Kane into the boards, received a cross checking minor penalty during the game. He will reportedly not face any additional discipline from the league.
After a brutal performance on Sunday afternoon, the Blackhawks hoped for redemption against the Florida Panthers in the finale of their longest homestand of the season.
But when Patrick Kane suffered an upper-body injury early in the first period, the Hawks found themselves short-handed their leading scorer.
