The Chicago Blackhawks announced Wednesday that top defenseman Seth Jones will miss approximately four weeks due to a right foot injury sustained against the Seattle Kraken on Nov. 14.

Jones was officially placed on injured reserve retroactively to that date, with the official news being released on Wednesday by coach Luke Richardson (via Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times).

The blueliner will be ruled out for at least the next 11 games played by the Blackhawks if the recovery timeline holds, marking a huge loss for an already-struggling team.

Jones, who has averaged 25:43 of ice time per game this season and leads the Blackhawks on that front, was injured blocking a shot during the Blackhawks’ 3–1 loss in Seattle to the Kraken.

Although Jones was able to finish that matchup, the injury was later confirmed to be more serious than initially believed.

In 17 games this season, Jones had notched 10 points (two goals, eight assists), leading all Blackhawks defensemen in scoring.

“Unfortunate for us and him, he was rolling along pretty good,” Richardson said on Wednesday. “But that’s just the nature of the business.”

Chicago called up Louis Crevier from the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs to temporarily fill the defensive gap opened by Jones’ absence.

nice to see ya, Louis👋

📰 ➡︎ https://t.co/Hgq6WM1VEI pic.twitter.com/UOPjqecFxz

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 16, 2024

The timeline for Jones’s return aligns with Chicago’s mid-December back-to-back games against the Devils and Islanders scheduled for Dec. 12 and Dec. 14.

The Hawks are a horrible 6-12-1 through the first 19 games of the season, having the worst record in the NHL with just 13 points, trailing second-worst Nashville (15) in the standings.