It’s been a devastating last two weekends for the Chicago Blackhawks on the injury front.
First, Connor Bedard, the team’s leading goal scorer and point getter, suffered a shoulder injury in the final seconds against the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 12. Then, Frank Nazar, who was filling in for Bedard as the Blackhawks’ top-line center, took a puck to the face just eight days later in a 6-4 loss to the Ottawa Senators.
The Blackhawks will now be without their top two centers and most dangerous playmakers for an extended stretch. Bedard has already been ruled out for the rest of December and is likely to miss at least a week or two in early January. Nazar is expected to be out for roughly one month with his facial injury.
Consistent offense was already hard enough to come by without Bedard, as the Blackhawks have only seven goals in four games since their top player got hurt in St. Louis two Fridays ago. But now that Nazar will also miss multiple weeks, finding the back of the net will be an even tougher task for the injury-plagued group.
While there isn’t anyone in the organization who can step in and properly fill Bedard and Nazar’s shoes, the Blackhawks will take all the help they can get until their two young stars return to the lineup. The team was due for some positive injury news, and they received just that during Monday’s practice, with captain Nick Foligno fully participating.
Foligno, who’s been out since Nov. 15 with a hand injury, traveled with the Blackhawks for the Canadian road trip last week but didn’t play in any of the three games. The 38-year-old has been skating on his own ahead of practice in the past two weeks, but Monday marked the first time he shed the non-contact sweater and rejoined the team.
While he’s no longer known for offensive contributions at this stage of his career, Foligno’s return will certainly help lift the dampened mood in the locker room after the recent injuries to Bedard and Nazar. The grizzled veteran always brings an upbeat attitude to the rink and has been an essential leader/mentor to the young players during the rebuild. Foligno is also often leaned on heavily during times of hardship, and the Blackhawks haven’t shown the same resiliency since he’s been on injured reserve.
In 17 games without Foligno, the Hawks went 4-11-2 and have suddenly sunk into a tie for the fewest points in the NHL with the Seattle Kraken (32). In contrast, just before Foligno got hurt, the team was in the midst of a five-game point streak and had a 9-5-4 record through 18 games.
There have been many contributing factors, in addition to Foligno’s injury, that have led to the Blackhawks’ season slipping away over the last month. But the loss of the captain and one of the few veterans in the room unquestionably played a part in things recently spiraling in the wrong direction.
“He’s a good influence on our team,” assistant coach Mike Vellucci said on Monday.” That’s what we miss the most. When things get a little hairy on the bench, he can stand up and calm people down. He’s been through it a lot in this league for a long time. He’s helpful with the young guys, and he’s a calming influence, for sure.”
While Foligno was a full-go during Monday’s session at Fifth Third Arena, which is also the team’s final practice before the Holiday break, he’s still not guaranteed to draw back into the lineup on Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Vellucci, who was in charge of practice with head coach Jeff Blashill away from the team for a funeral, said that Foligno looked sharp from his perspective. However, there won’t be any final decision made on the captain’s status until after the morning skate.
Whether it comes before or after Christmas, the Blackhawks will be more than thrilled to finally add a player back into the lineup, as opposed to losing another due to injury.
Foligno has yet to score in 16 games this season, but he’s recorded at least 15 goals in each of his first two years with Chicago. An all-hands-on-deck approach is required offensively without Bedard and Nazar, and Foligno’s looming return offers some support to the bottom six.
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