NEWSLETTER
Not the worst case scenario for the Blackhawks, I guess. The team announced on Wednesday that forward Brandon Hagel, who left during Sunday’s game against the Nashville Predators with an injury, will miss the next two weeks. Additionally, forward Tyler Johnson and defenseman Isaak Phillips have been cleared from COVID protocol.
MEDICAL UPDATE: Forward Brandon Hagel will miss approximately two weeks (left shoulder).
Forward Tyler Johnson and defenseman Isaak Phillips have been removed from COVID-19 Protocol.#Blackhawks
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 10, 2021
The Blackhawks have just four games over the next two weeks, so Hagel’s absence from the lineup may not hurt them as much as initially feared. In 13 games this season, Hagel has four goals and six points and ranks fifth on the team for points among forwards.
While Chicago loses Hagel from the forwards group, they get back Tyler Johnson. Out since October 29th, Johnson has one goal and two assists in eight games with the Blackhawks this season. He’ll rejoin the lineup for the first time under Derek King and might find himself taking the place of Hagel, who had been playing on the wing of Jonathan Toews and Dominik Kubalík before his injury.
Isaak Phillips rejoins the Blackhawks after making his NHL debut on October 29th against the Carolina Hurricanes. Phillips has skated in three games with Chicago since being called-up to the NHL roster, averaging 10:51 minutes of ice-time per game. With Wyatt Kalynuk coming off LTIR and Caleb Jones coming back from injury soon as well, it is likely that Phillips will return to the Rockford IceHogs soon.
The Blackhawks are off until Friday night when they host the worst team in the NHL, the Arizona Coyotes. The IceHogs are in action tonight, at home against the Iowa Wild for a 7:00 p.m. CT puck drop.
