On Thursday, the Chicago Blackhawks got some unfortunate injury news when forward Tyler Johnson landed on injured reserve. But on Friday, a reinforcement entered the mix when Boris Katchouk returned from IR.
After suffering a sprained ankle in a preseason game on Oct. 1, Katchouk missed the beginning of the Blackhawks' season. He has been working his way back at practice over the past week and has now hit the front end of his 4-6 week return timeline.
The Blackhawks acquired Boris Katchouk last season in the trade that sent Brandon Hagel to the Tampa Bay Lightning. He scored seven points (three goals, four assists) in 59 games between Chicago and Tampa Bay in 2021-22.
Katchouk was a second-round pick of the Lightning in 2016, so the Blackhawks will be looking to unlock his potential in his second NHL season.
The Chicago Blackhawks have a back-to-back slate of games this weekend. They will visit the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday and host the Minnesota Wild on Sunday. If all goes well at Friday's practice, Boris Katchouk should be in line to make his 2022-23 season debut in Buffalo.
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