The Chicago Blackhawks plagued with injuries as Corey Crawford returns to the ice. The Blackhawks defense corps begins training camp plagued with injuries. The Blackhawks are dealing with the ongoing recuperation for Corey Crawford and word came today that defenseman Connor Murphy will miss 8 weeks due to a back injury. In addition to that, it was announced that Brent Seabrook will be out for a week with an abdominal injury. The specific areas of injury are worthy of note as Chicago moves away from the standard “upper body” and “lower body” descriptors in an effort of transparency. Though daunting not all of the news from Chicago was bad.
Chicago Blackhawks Plagued With Injuries
There is some good news from MB Ice Arena as Corey Crawford returned to the ice. He and the Blackhawks goalie coach, Jimmy Waite were the first to hit the ice on the first day of training camp. This is good news for the team and its fans. Crawford is far from game ready but is steadily improving as he recovers from the lasting effects of a head injury that occurred December 23, 2018. He had not skated since February 12, until he took to the ice late last week.
After more than eight agonizing months of uncertainty post-concussion, Corey Crawford finally sounds like he’s in a positive mind-set. Now it’s just a matter of his body catching up. Full column from Blackhawks camp: https://t.co/1ToL154llp pic.twitter.com/no7OMRVCDp
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) September 14, 2018
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Healing From Head Injury Is A Slow Process
There is no timeline for recovery from head injuries and the organization is supporting Crawford in his effort to heal. The Blackhawks are a better team with Crawford in the net. This was apparent as they went from a wild-card spot at the time of his injury to last in the Central division by the end of the 2017-18 season. His recovery will continue until Crawford and his medical team feel that he is ready to return to the ice. Given the nature of his injury and the amount of time off the ice, one would be safe in the assumption that he will not be in net on opening night.
Connor Murphy Out Eight Weeks
In further disheartening news from the Blackhawks training camp defensemen, Connor Murphy and Gustav Forsling will miss eight and 14 weeks for their respective injuries. Murphy is recovering from a back injury and Forsling from a July 31 surgery to repair damage to his right wrist. Forsling was given a 14-week timetable for recovery. Brent Seabrook will also spend a week off of the ice to recover from an abdominal injury.
Murphy is in his second year in Chicago and is expected to be a top-four defenseman. There has been talk of pairing him with Duncan Keith prior to the injury. Blackhawks fans will have to wait a bit longer for that pairing. He is expected to miss 20 regular season games as he recovers. He played 76 games for the Blackhawks last season after coming over from the Arizona Coyotes in a trade.
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