Wyatt Kaiser recalled from AHL Rockford. Rookie D-man Alex Vlasic out with upper-body injury. Fellow rookie Kevin Korchinski in Saskatoon following the death of his father.
The Chicago Blackhawks placed top defenseman Seth Jones on injured reserve Saturday with a shoulder injury, retroactive to Dec. 10. Wyatt Kaiser was recalled from AHL Rockford to fill Jones' spot.
Jones, who leads Chicago and is fourth in the NHL with 25:25 of ice time per game, was hurt late in a 4-2 loss to Washington last Sunday. The 29-year-old Jones hasn't scored this season — despite 60 shots on goal — but has 11 assists and is a legitimate anchor on the blue line.
Rookie defenseman Alex Vlasic, who sat out Saturday's practice, will be a game-time decision on Sunday against the Vancouver Canucks, coach Luke Richardson said. Rookie D-man Kevin Korchinski remains out indefinitely following the death of his father, 59-year-old Larry Korchinski, in their hometown of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan last week.
The 6-foot-4 Jones apparently was hurt on a hit by Washington's Nicolas Aubé-Kubel with just over 4 minutes left in the Capitals victory at the United Center. On the play Aubé-Kubel knocked Jones off the puck in the corner of the Chicago zone, leading to Washington's fourth goal.
The 21-year-old Kaiser opened the season with Chicago and had four assists in 21 games. The Twin Cities area native started strong, but his play and confidence slipped and he was sent to Rockford after a 5-1 loss at Detroit on Nov. 30.
Jones is in the second season of an eight-year contract extension that pays a total of $76 million. The deal was completed by former Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman in July 2021, three months before Bowman stepped down in the wake of the Brad Aldrich sexual assault coverup.