Alex Vlasic is back, but the Blackhawks’ injury problems aren’t going away.
Vlasic took part in Wednesday’s morning skate and is expected to play against the Jets. The 22-year-old rookie defenseman missed the Hawks’ previous four games with an upper body injury suffered Dec. 14 against the Kraken.
Aware of the Hawks’ health issues, Vlasic had to restrain himself from playing right away.
“I was trying to get back as quickly as I could, but it was one of those things where if you’re not able to do the simple things around the house even or just simple movements, it’s probably not smart to be playing in a game,” Vlasic said. “I kind of had to talk myself down a bit. Right away, I kind of wanted to get back. It was a slow process, but feeling pretty good now.”
While the Hawks got good news on Vlasic and Tyler Johnson - expected to return Wednesday after missing Saturday’s loss to the Blues - the roster is far from complete.
Coach Luke Richardson said Seth Jones (shoulder) will probably be skating on his own by the end of the Hawks’ upcoming road trip, a five-game swing that ends Jan. 5. Joey Anderson (shoulder) is expected to resume skating after Jones.
Andreas Athanasiou (groin) has been on injured reserve since Nov. 23, retroactive to Nov. 9, and Richardson said the veteran forward had to pause his workouts. To get more answers on the lingering issues, Athanasiou saw another doctor.
That does not mean Athanasiou is about to return.
“Unfortunately it’s taken this long to get that far, but at least we have a direction,” Richardson said. “I have no timeline on him, but it’ll probably be after Seth for sure.”
One positive to come from the rash of injuries is more opportunities for players to step up and play different roles. When both Jones and Kevin Korchinski were sidelined, Vlasic had a couple chances on the power play.
“That was cool, that was something I didn’t really expect at all,” Vlasic said. “It’s a great opportunity for everybody coming in and showing what they’ve got when they get the chance to be in the lineup.”
Latest on Reichel
After contributing with Connor Bedard and Ryan Donato during their time together, Lukas Reichel has been back on the fourth line. Richardson said the second-year player - in the midst of a disappointing season - will have to battle through some tough times.
Whether he scores every night, Richardson said, is not the issue. Instead, it’s about the “compete-level.”
“I know he’s not happy with his game, but he’s in the lineup and it doesn’t matter where he is in the lineup,” Richardson said. “He has to figure out how to make an impression and do something to help the team and use all the skills available that he has, being in a straight line and in the battle and the compete-level has to be on the inside a little bit more.”
Halfway?
Wednesday is the Hawks’ 34th game of the season, and Richardson said “it’s not necessarily the second half yet, but we kind of consider it like that after a few days break.”
