Blackhawks high protection prospect Artyom Levshunov may miss as much as six weeks with a foot harm sustained earlier this month, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman stated on Friday’s “32 Ideas” podcast. That will sideline him for your complete coaching camp and probably price him a while initially of the common season.
Friedman said earlier in the week that Levshunov would miss a while after taking a puck to the foot, however there wasn’t a lot concern concerning the severity. He added Friday that the 2024 No. 2 general choose will spend at the least the subsequent two weeks in a strolling boot.
It was removed from a assure that Levshunov would make the opening night time roster. If he misses all of camp, that’s nearly a surefire signal he’ll be despatched to the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs to make his skilled debut when he’s able to play. The 6-foot-2 right-shot defenseman turns 19 subsequent month and is coming off a spectacular one-and-done exhibiting for Michigan State, main their blue line with 35 factors (9 G, 26 A) in 38 video games with a team-high +27 ranking. He was named the Massive 10’s Defensive Participant of the 12 months and Rookie of the 12 months.
Blackhawks normal supervisor Kyle Davidson needs to provide his protection prospects room to breathe in Rockford, signing veterans T.J. Brodie and Alec Martinez in free company to create elevated competitors for spots amongst up-and-comers. Levshunov probably had probably the most accessible pathway to a roster spot as a right-shot D-man, although. Chicago’s different query marks — Wyatt Kaiser, Kevin Korchinski and Isaak Phillips — are all lefties.
If Levshunov is out for the complete six weeks, his season debut can be in late October. He can play as much as 9 NHL video games this season earlier than his entry-level contract goes into impact.