Blackhawks Bits: Multiple injury updates, Toews and Kane trade chatter

Feb 6, 2023 - 7:03 PM

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The Chicago Blackhawks return to game action this week and it sounds like they’ll be getting a boost with some veterans potentially returning.

• Tyler Johnson’s ankle injury wasn’t as severe as initially feared and he’s been cleared to return to the lineup Tuesday night vs Anaheim.
• Jared Tinordi could be back as early as Friday this week after being a full participant in practice on Sunday. He’s been out since he took a puck to the mouth in the Dec. 18 game against the New York Rangers. The injury required jaw surgery, and after having all his wires and screws removed on Jan. 25, the first thing Tinordi did was get a burger from Five Guys (Food take: solid choice but there are currently six Small Chevals within the Chicago city limits. Come on, man).
• Forward Jujhar Khaira started skating Monday morning — the first time he’s been seen on the ice since he suffered a back injury before Christmas.
• Goaltender Alex Stalock appears to be close to returning as well after his second concussion this season. He wasn’t a full participant in practice on Sunday but was working out on the ice with goalie coach Jimmy Waite. If Stalock continues to feel better, there’s a chance he could join the Hawks on their upcoming four-game Canadian road trip — which starts on Saturday in Winnipeg.

• A couple of Jonathan Toews notes. First, he missed practice again on Monday after sitting out Sunday as well and is now out for Tuesday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks.

Toews also missed the Jan. 24 game against the Vancouver Canucks and has recently implied he hasn’t been feeling 100 percent.

• In other Toews news, Mark Lazerus and Peter Baugh got together over at The Athletic to talk about what a Toews trade to the Colorado Avalanche might look like. The two teams would probably have to get a third team involved to retain some salary, and Colorado doesn’t have a second-round pick until 2025, so it’s probably a long shot.
• Some trade chatter also hovered around Patrick Kane, who was asked about the looming deadline and reaffirmed that he’s made no decision when it comes to waiving — or not waiving — his no-movement clause:

• Kane’s name also came up on the “32 Thoughts” podcast with Sportsnet reporter Elliotte Freidman, who talked to some other NHLers about Kane’s health and those other players have noticed a different version of Kane this season:

• Tuesday night against Anaheim will be the first of the Hawks final 13 games before the trade deadline — five at home and eight on the road.
• Finally, it’s also time for the AHL All-Star festivities — the skills competition was on Sunday with the game being played Monday night. The IceHogs were well represented by Lukas Reichel, Brett Seney and David Gust yesterday.