Cole Guttman’s Season Is Over
Bad news from Blackhawks practice on Monday: rookie center Cole Guttman‘s season is over.
Guttman, who will turn 24 on April 6, signed with the Blackhawks in August as a college free agent (drafted but not signed by Tampa) after leading the University of Denver to a national championship as their captain last season.
In 14 games with the Blackhawks, Guttman scored four goals with two assists. He also appeared in 39 games with Rockford, registering 16 goals with 14 assists. It raised a few eyebrows when he was not sent to Rockford at the trade deadline, which would have made him eligible for the AHL playoffs.
Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson said Guttman suffered the shoulder injury in November and has been playing through it. He aggravated it again in San Jose on Feb. 25, which we now know is why he was slated to remain with the Blackhawks for the rest of the NHL season.
The loss of Guttman puts additional stress on a Blackhawks’ center group that’s been dealing with plenty of injuries and players leaving via trade over the past few weeks.
