Before boarding the plane to Carolina, the Chicago Blackhawks were on the ice at Fifth Third Arena for practice on Wednesday morning. It’s one of the few sessions they’ll be able to squeeze into a hectic schedule leading up to the Olympic break, with eight games over the next 14 days.
Joining the team as a full participant for the second consecutive practice was newly-turned 22-year-old Frank Nazar, who’s missed the last 14 games after suffering a jaw injury on Dec. 20 against the Ottawa Senators. Nazar didn’t take part in the team’s line rushes on Sunday, but he was back in his usual second-line center spot for the first time on Wednesday. Ryan Donato and Tyler Bertuzzi were skating as his wings.
Nazar’s inclusion all but confirmed that he’s set to return to the lineup when the Blackhawks face off with the Hurricanes on Thursday. After practice wrapped up, the former first-round pick officially announced that he’s been cleared to play.
“I’ve been ready for four weeks, but now I’m allowed to [play],” Nazar said with a chuckle. “I’m ready to go.”
Nazar will continue to wear the half-face shield that he’s been donning since resuming skating over the last two weeks. He mentioned that the doctors told him it’s safer than wearing the full bubble-cage, which could risk applying too much pressure to his jaw.
Neither the Blackhawks nor Nazar ever confirmed it, but the belief is that he broke his jaw after taking a slapshot to the face roughly one month ago. Because of the injury, Nazar couldn’t eat solid food for awhile, and he mentioned that he dropped nearly ten pounds.
“I lost about seven or eight pounds. I’ve gained probably half of that back. But my weight fluctuates throughout the year anyway. So it’s pretty normal.”
Head coach Jeff Blashill confirmed that Nazar is expected to suit up against Carolina when speaking with the media on Wednesday. He won’t be the only key forward drawing back into the lineup either, as Blashill also added that Andre Burakovsky is slated to make his return, too. Burakovsky missed Monday’s 2-0 win over the Winnipeg Jets due to an illness.
As anticipated, Burakovsky rejoined the first line with Connor Bedard and Ryan Greene during practice. That’s been Blashill’s go-to trio atop the forward group for most of the season when all three skaters have been healthy.
With Nazar and Burakovsky back inside the top six, a few players were bumped down in the lineup as a result. Jason Dickinson and Ilya Mikheyev returned to their standard third-line “checking” positions, where captain Nick Foligno joined them on Wednesday. Foligno’s defensive prowess should mesh well with what Dickinson and Mikheyev bring to the table.
Down on the fourth line were rookies Oliver Moore and Nick Lardis, who might find ice time harder to come by now that the Blackhawks are getting healthier. Landon Slaggert skated with the two youngsters once again after they played together against Winnipeg.
Serving as one of the two extra forwards was fellow rookie Colton Dach, who’s missed only one of the Blackhawks’ 49 games this year. While Dach doesn’t provide much offensive firepower, with just nine points (3G, 6A) in 48 appearances, he offers much-needed physicality down in the lineup. Despite averaging 12:00 of ice time per game, he’s seventh in the NHL with 166 hits.
Dach likely will be watching Thursday’s game from the pressbox, which surely isn’t something Chicago wants to happen too often. As the team starts to get closer to full health, there could be a roster move coming to give one of the young players a greater opportunity in the AHL. Both Moore and Lardis will be part of that conversation, and how they play over the next two weeks will weigh heavily in the front office’s looming decisions.
Blashill mentioned that the team is keeping an eye on the situation but doesn’t feel the need to make any sort of transaction just yet.
“I think it’s a good thing to have tough roster decisions. We are certainly mindful of the long-term development of some of the young players… If it gets to a point where there’s a young guy who’s not playing, you potentially look at using Rockford. We’ll take that when it comes. We’re not there yet at all.”
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