Returning to practice after the All-Star break, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times issued updates on several injured members of the Chicago Blackhawks. Pope reports that Connor Bedard and Anthony Beauvillier were both present in non-contact jerseys, while Connor Murphy only skated for the first half of practice.
Heavily impacted by injuries this season, the Blackhawks have lost a total of 228 man games to injury this year, placing them second in the league in the category behind the Vegas Golden Knights. Although Chicago had no plans on contending this season, the slate of injuries has completely prohibited the team from taking any noticeable step forward in their rebuilding process.
Nevertheless, the organization must get Bedard back into action as quickly and safely as possible. While missing the last four weeks with a broken jaw, Bedard continues to lead the Blackhawks in scoring, setting the team lead with 15 goals and 33 points in 39 games.
Other notes:
- The Buffalo Sabres are ready to get Zemgus Girgensons and Erik Johnson back into the lineup, as both players have been medically cleared by the team according to Joe Yerdon of Bleacher Report. Johnson had previously missed the team’s last four games, while Girgensons only missed the team’s last game before the All-Star break. Likely a seller at this year’s deadline, both players are obvious trade candidates leading up to the March 8th trade deadline.
- David Alter of The Hockey News reported today that the Toronto Maple Leafs have activated forward Bobby McMann from the team’s injured reserve. McMann was originally placed on the team’s injured reserve on January 26th with an undisclosed injury. Missing the team’s last game before the All-Star break, McMann has played in a total of 23 games for the Maple Leafs this season, scoring a total of seven points overall.