The Blackhawks may be down another piece on the blue line Thursday night.
Alex Vlasic is ill and questionable for the game against the Detroit Red Wings, head coach Jeff Blashill said. Puck drop at Little Caesars Arena is set for 6:30 p.m.
CT, and Vlasic was not on the ice for the morning skate in Detroit. His availability is also uncertain for Saturday’s noon CT matchup with the Boston Bruins at TD Garden.
That’s a real wrinkle for Chicago, especially with Bowen Byram already sidelined. Byram is out Thursday and remains a question for Boston as well. He was still wearing a non-contact jersey at the morning skate, and Blashill said Wednesday it was still up in the air whether he would suit up on the trip.
Byram is set to miss his sixth consecutive game because of an upper-body injury. He hasn’t played since the Blackhawks’ 5-3 win over Pittsburgh on Oct. 13, and Blashill has labeled him day-to-day.
The Blackhawks have already had to adjust on the back end. Del Mastro stepped in against Winnipeg on Oct. 15 and played three straight games before Korchinski took over for the last two. Since Vlasic and Byram both shoot left, Vlasic’s illness would leave Chicago without two of its regular left-shot defensemen for the opener of the trip.
Thursday’s game will stream on Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+ and will air on WGN Radio. After the trip’s stop in Boston on Saturday, the Blackhawks return home to face the Colorado Avalanche on Monday, Nov. 2, at 7 p.m. CT.
In Other News...
Blackhawks Could Get Pulled Into A Pricey Young Winger Chase
A young winger with some upside is suddenly on the trade radar, and the Blackhawks have been mentioned among the teams in the mix. Washington is exploring options on Ivan Miroshnichenko, and his agent has been contacting multiple clubs, with interest said to be coming mostly from the Western Conference. For Chicago, it is the kind of conversation that fits a rebuilding timeline in theory, even if it immediately raises the question of how aggressive the front office wants to be for another player still early in his NHL path.
The wrinkle is the price. The Capitals are believed to want to move Miroshnichenko out of the Eastern Conference, and the early asking range being discussed is steep enough to make any interested team pause. If the Blackhawks stay involved, it would likely come down to how much they are willing to pay for potential versus patience, especially with other clubs circling and the bidding not sounding modest. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Have An Early Problem Kyle Davidson May Need To Fix
Through the first 12 games, the Blackhawks have looked like a team that can skate, but not always one that can consistently make life difficult on opponents. The numbers behind that impression are stark enough to raise an early concern: Chicago sits near the bottom of the league in both hits and blocked shots, a sign that the roster still lacks some of the grit and edge that tends to travel well over an 82-game season.
For a team trying to build a tougher identity without blowing up its plans, that leaves Kyle Davidson with a familiar kind of balancing act. The Blackhawks can hope for more bite from the players already in the room, but the article also points to possible outside help in Paul Cotter and Nick Seeler, two names that could add some needed physicality without forcing a major investment. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Trade Rumors Suddenly Put Young Core In The Spotlight
The Blackhawks have found themselves back in the middle of the rumor mill, with multiple NHL teams reportedly scouting their games as trade season chatter picks up. Chicago is said to be exploring ways to add more scoring punch up front, a sign that the front office is at least weighing options as it looks to keep building around a young roster that has already drawn plenty of attention around the league.
What makes the speculation so interesting is the caliber of the names being floated in discussions. Frank Nazar, Oliver Moore, Teuvo Teravainen and Kevin Korchinski have all been mentioned in the mix, which tells you the Blackhawks are not being viewed as a team with only fringe pieces to move. For now, though, it remains all talk, with no official trades on the books and plenty still unresolved about how aggressive Chicago plans to be. [Read more 🡒]