The Chicago Blackhawks have suffered their first major injury of the season. Defenseman Seth Jones, who leads the team in several categories, including ice time per game (25:43), goals (2), assists (8), points (10), and shots among defensemen (38), has been placed on injured reserve with a foot injury.
“He’s going to be put on IR this afternoon with a foot,” head coach Luke Richardson said Saturday. “I think his right foot, but we won’t really know anymore on that until we get home and get a more in-depth evaluation.” Richardson added that he believed the injury was due to a blocked shot in Thursday’s loss in Seattle.
Instant Analysis
While Jones is undoubtedly a polarizing figure for Blackhawks fans, this is a massive loss. While GM Kyle Davidson did his best to insulate the team against the injury bug by bringing in veteran defensemen Alec Martinez and TJ Brodie as free agents, there is no one on the roster or in their system that can bring the versatility, offense, and overall skill that Jones brings on a night-to-night basis.
Martinez’s return on Thursday helps a little, but I’m not sure how much the Hawks can count on him to stay on the ice. He’s 37 years old and just returning from a groin injury. In his five games this season, he’s averaging 20:44 of ice time. That number will go up with Jones out.
This is also an opportunity for Alex Vlasic to elevate his offensive game. He will likely move to the top powerplay unit, where he spent some time this season already. This season, he’s shown more willingness and more confidence in pinching in and chipping in offensively than he did last season. He’ll have to be even more aggressive in that mindset.
I don’t foresee Kevin Korchinski or Artyom Levshunov getting a call from Rockford, which is the right call. Both can benefit from a conservative development plan, and there’s no benefit to rushing either of them to the NHL, especially in trying to replace Jones. Instead, I expect Isaak Phillips to return to Chicago and rotate in with Brodie and Nolan Allan, based on matchups and performance.
UPDATE: The Blackhawks called up defenseman Louis Crevier to take Jones’ roster spot on Saturday afternoon. Crevier has one assist in 11 games with Rockford this season.
Hopefully, the diagnosis for Jones is encouraging. The Blackhawks are already starved for offense, and Jones is the one defensive player consistently contributing in that regard.
