The Chicago Blackhawks are currently drowning in injuries and absences. Defenseman Alex Vlasic is the latest addition to a lengthy list as he won't practice on Saturday due to an upper-body injury.
The 6-foot-6 blueliner saw 20:36 of ice time before exiting early from Thursday's 7-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken. Head coach Luke Richardson deemed it a "precautionary" move at the time as the Blackhawks were getting blown out by the Kraken.
However, Vlasic's absence from practice on Saturday raises even more concerns for a banged-up Blackhawks team. The Boston University product joins Seth Jones (upper body), Kevin Korchinski (personal, non-roster), and Jarred Tinordi (concussion protocol, on injured reserve) on the Blackhawks' injury report.
And that's just among defensemen.
Andreas Athanasiou (lower body, on IR), Colin Blackwell (lower body, on IR), Taylor Hall (right knee, out for season) are also on the shelf. Additionally, MacKenzie Entwistle (illness) missed Saturday's practice after sitting out of Thursday's game.
Vlasic will be a game-time decision for Sunday's matinee matchup with the Vancouver Canucks. If his injury persists, the Blackhawks' defensive corps will be even more depleted than the group that surrendered seven goals against Seattle.
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