We’ve talked all week about the fact that the Blackhawks’ offense needs to get going – the unit has produced just one regulation goal in each of their last four games. Much of the emphasis over the next few games will be on experimenting with Chicago’s lines to find a combination that works.
On Saturday, Chicago’s offense will have to get better just to counteract a newly banged-up defensive unit. That’s because the Blackhawks’ top minutes-eater and highest-paid skater is out of the picture. It was announced during Saturday’s morning skate that five-time All Star Seth Jones is headed to the injured reserve with a right foot injury.
Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Jones suffered the injury on a blocked shot early in the game Thursday in Seattle. He finished the game, logging 26 minutes on the ice. Since then, he’s clearly taken a turn for the worse. The Blackhawks said they would find out more when they return to Chicago on Sunday.
Jones often draws the ire of Blackhawks fans because of his bloated contract, as he’ll make $9.5 million per year until 2030. He’s also built an identity as the player last on the ice and first off it, which hasn’t been a great look considering that he wears the “A”.
However, Jones plays an invaluable role to a team that definitely needs it. He’s averaging nearly 26 minutes of ice time per game this season, a whole three minutes more than the next highest mark, Alex Vlasic. Jones has also been great on the power play, with two goals and three assists on the unit already.
With Jones out of the picture, it’ll be interesting to see how Chicago’s defensive pairings are jumbled. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Vlasic took his spot on the top pairing alongside either Connor Murphy or Alec Martinez. One of those two will probably play on the second pairing next to Wyatt Kaiser.
The absence of Jones won’t be the only change when the Blackhawks hit the ice Saturday night in Vancouver. Taylor Hall, who has often disappeared on the ice this season, has been labeled a healthy scratch. It’s far from the first time that head coach Luke Richardson has used the healthy scratch as an “addition by subtraction” motivator this season.
“We want to get him more work, and it’s hard to do that in games without getting too frustrated and chasing. That’s our plan. Players never like sitting out, so he’s not happy, but hopefully this is a big step for him and will help our team.”
The team’s projected lines without Hall will be changed again, and if the Blackhawks don’t score much, the groupings will be another indictment on Richardson’s performance as a coach. Ryan Donato is again on the top line next to Connor Bedard and Philipp Kurashev. Teuvo Teravainen is surprisingly a third-liner, as Ilya Mikheyev will join Nick Foligno and Tyler Bertuzzi on the second line.
Donato-Bedard-Kurashev
Mikheyev-Foligno-Bertuzzi
Teravainen-Dickinson-Anderson
Maroon-Reichel-Smith
