Blackhawks lose recent trade acquisition to injured reserve

The Chicago Blackhawks have moved Anthony Beauvillier to injured reserve with a wrist injury. He joins a long list of injured Hawks, including Taylor Hall, Andreas Athanasiou and Seth Jones. Chicago acquired Beauvillier via trade in late November, sending a 2024 fifth-round pick to the New York Islanders. He has since played in 15 games with Chicago, scoring six points and recording a -3.

Beauvillier’s performances with the Hawks bring his season total up to 14 points in 37 games. That’s a pace of 31 points across 82 games, a step down from the career-high 40 points he recorded in 82 games last season, splitting the year between the New York Islanders and Vancouver Canucks. Beauvillier was a focal piece of the deal that sent Bo Horvat to the Islanders, with Vancouver also receiving Aatu Raty and a 2023 first-round pick. Vancouver flipped the pick to the Detroit Red Wings for defenseman Filip Hronek.

The Blackhawks are experiencing a brutal losing skid, going 4-10-2 since the beginning of December. They’ve been outscored 62-to-33 in that stretch, with opponents averaging a staggering 33.5 shots each game. They’re experiencing the brunt of all of their missing scoring talent, with four of the team’s top 10 scorers currently inactive. It’s not all bad news, though, with generational rookie Connor Bedard looking plenty comfortable in his first year. Bedard has 15 goals and 33 points through his first 37 NHL games, on pace for 33 goals and 73 points. That’s a fantastic way to kick off an NHL career and could be reason for excitement form Hawks fans optimistic that Bedard’s scoring will only go up as the team's other top talents return from injury.