NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Blackhawks announced a trio of health updates on Monday afternoon. First, defenseman Connor Murphy has been activated from injured reserve after dealing with a hip injury. Fellow defenseman Lucas Carlsson is now on injured reserve, retroactive to February 19, due to a groin injury. And finally, centerman Dylan Strome has been placed into concussion protocol and will not practice with the Blackhawks at least for today in Columbus.
MEDICAL UPDATES: Connor Murphy has been activated from IR (right hip).
Lucas Carlsson has been placed on IR (strained groin), retroactive to Feb. 19 and is expected to miss 10-14 days.
Dylan Strome will not practice today (concussion protocol).https://t.co/9dDLOx3jv9
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 22, 2021
Murphy had missed the last five games for the Blackhawks after suffering a right hip injury. He has five points in 13 games this season, averaging 22:45 minutes per game.
Carlsson will be out for the next 10-14 days after being placed on injured reserve for his groin injury. Carlsson has skated in ten games this season, without recording any points, and is averaging 12:43 minutes per game.
Strome has played in all 19 games for the Blackhawks this season, playing primarily in the second-line center position. He has four goals and four assists this season, averaging 16:31 minutes per game, but has been in a slump as of late. Strome has just one assist in his last eight games and has played less than 15 minutes in four of his last five games. His faceoff percentage this season is a poor 44.6%, and he has been above 40% at the faceoff dot only three times in his last nine games, one of those games he took three draws.
It’ll be great to have Murphy back in the defensive rotation, even with the loss of Carlsson, losing Strome leaves another hole in the forwards group for the Blackhawks to fill, who are already thin down the middle without Jonathan Toews and Kirby Dach.
