The Chicago Blackhawks are missing a couple of strong veterans in their lineup. The initial expected return dates for Alec Martinez and Laurent Brossoit were supposed to be around Nov. 6, but the dates for both have been pushed back.
37-year-old Martinez has only played four games because of a groin injury and will now reportedly return around Nov. 14. Brossoit, still dealing with a knee injury, has the same timeline to join the team, but hasn’t suited up for a game yet.
Initial reports said that both veterans would return after the Blackhawks’ last road trip to California, but it appears as though missing three more games has been added to that. Chicago just lost back-to-back games at home against the Detroit Red Wings and on the road again vs the Dallas Stars. The Blackhawks didn’t play poorly, but couldn’t come away with a win.
Fortunately for the recovery timeline of Martinez and Brossoit, the Blackhawks only play once more before Nov. 14. This game comes Sunday at home against the Minnesota Wild. This won’t be an easy task as the Wild are one of the top teams and should be heavily favoured against Chicago.
It’s likely that Isaak Phillips will be sent back down to the AHL once Martinez returns. Compared to all six other defensemen currently on the roster, Phillips has hardly played, dressing for only three games. Chicago is going to choose to keep Wyatt Kaiser and Nolan Allan in the NHL over him for now.
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It will be a tough decision to send Arvid Soderblom down to the AHL after such a strong start. He has been the backup to Petr Mrazek and was supposed to open the season as the third string goalie, but he is taking full advantage of the opportunity he has this season to show he is ready to play in the NHL right now.
Soderblom has a 2.27 GAA and .933 SV% which is so much better than it was last season. Fortunately he is exempt from waivers, but when Brossoit returns, this might spark some trade interest from other teams.
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