The Chicago Blackhawks will be without top defenseman Seth Jones for four weeks after he sustained a right foot injury against the Seattle Kraken on Nov. 14.
Jones, 30, was placed on injured reserve on Saturday. He may have been hurt while blocking a shot in Chicago’s 3-1 loss to Seattle, coach Luke Richardson told reporters on Wednesday.
“Unfortunate for us and him, he was rolling along pretty good,” Richardson said ahead of Chicago’s game Thursday against the visiting Florida Panthers. “But that’s just the nature of the business.”
Entering Wednesday, Jones — who has 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in 17 games this season — led all skaters in ice time at 25:43.
Jones was the No. 4 overall pick in 2013 by the Nashville Predators. In 814 games over 12 seasons with the Predators (2013-16), Columbus Blue Jackets (2016-21) and Blackhawks (2021-present), the four-time All-Star blueliner has 415 points (92 goals, 323 assists).
“He’s got a calming presence back there with the puck,” fellow Blackhawks defenseman Alex Vlasic said on Monday. “It’s safe to say when he’s out there, you trust him and you’re not worrying about things going wrong or him necessarily making any mistakes.
“He’s very steady and the mistakes he does make he’s able to make up for with his defensive skill, not only the defensive side but offensive as well. He’s a big help and contributes to our offense. So yeah, especially now with us lacking that kind of part of our game, our scoring, (his absence) is definitely hurting us.”
Richardson said defenseman Artyom Levshunov, the No. 2 overall pick by the Blackhawks in this year’s draft, likely won’t be called up to fill Jones’ spot. Chicago’s coach also said defenseman Kevin Korchinski, who along with Levshunov is playing with Rockford of the American Hockey League, is also not expected to join the NHL club.
A fractured foot suffered during the offseason prevented the 19-year-old Levshunov from practicing with the Blackhawks until Oct. 22.
Korchinski, 20, was selected No. 7 overall in 2022 but didn’t play in the AHL least season. The Canadian Hockey League and the NHL have an agreement that a CHL player can’t suit up in the AHL until the age of 20.
–Field Level Media