On Tuesday morning the Chicago Blackhawks shared their season opening roster. There are a few things to consider, so we’ll break that down after you take a look at the list.
If you read the tiny fine print with the asterisks, you’ll note that defenseman Ian Mitchell and forward Jalen Luypen are on non-roster injured reserve (with Jake McCabe) to start the season. They’re both hurt and will stay on the roster until they can be demoted healthy. When McCabe returns the Blackhawks will have to make a decision (read: someone else will have to go to Rockford).
Boris Katchouk and Caleb Jones are on IR, which we expected.
With Caleb Jones, Mitchell and McCabe all injured — and Connor Murphy nursing a bad back — the Blackhawks are carrying ten defensemen. That’s way too many, and way more than they’ll have when the dust settles. But we’re happy to see both Alex Vlasic and Alec Regula on the NHL roster for now.
And, as we noted before, Buddy Robinson has already cleared waivers and can be sent down once once Jason Dickinson figures out his immigration paperwork and joins the team.