Chicago Blackhawks Joey Anderson leaves game vs. Canucks early with injury

It’s unclear as to what caused the injury, as Anderson, 25, played the entirety of both the first and second period, including a shift in the final minute of the second period. There’s no specifics on the injury or the severity of it, as well as whether or not this will keep him out of the lineup for more than Sunday. He left the game with an assist on Nick Foligno’s opening goal in 7:39 of ice time as the Blackhawks lost the game 4-3.

Anderson has just started to get some game action with the Blackhawks amidst all of their injuries, as he has gotten into 12 games at the NHL level with four assists on the year. He’s also played 14 games in the AHL with the Rockford IceHogs, where he has 7 goals and 9 assists for 16 points.

Anderson has been effective at both drawing penalties and being disciplined himself in his limited time in the NHL. Since 2021, he’s tied with Conor Garland for 12th in the league among forwards with 500 minutes of ice time in penalty goals above replacement per 60 minutes with 0.171.

Anderson was a former third-round pick of the New Jersey Devils in the 2016 NHL Draft, and spent parts of two seasons with them before he was dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Andreas Johnsson in the 2020 offseason. Anderson then spent parts of three seasons in Toronto before he was dealt to Chicago as part of the return for Jake McCabe and Sam Lafferty at the 2023 trade deadline.

Anderson is currently on a one-year, $800,000 contract, and is set to become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights at the end of the season.

Should Anderson’s injury cause him to miss more time, both Colin Blackwell and MacKenzie Entwistle were healthy scratches for the game, and one will likely slot into the lineup in his place.

The Blackhawks next play on Tuesday as they look to snap their four-game losing streak when they host the Colorado Avalanche at 8:30 p.m. EST. They currently sit in last place in the league with a 9-20-1 record.