The injury Marcus Kruger suffered in Edmonton on Thursday night is pretty severe.
Per CSN Chicago, Kruger underwent surgery today to repair a dislocated left wrist, an injury that will sideline him for the next four months.
It’s a pretty significant blow for the ‘Hawks.
Kruger’s by no means a scorer -- he’s never eclipsed the 30-point plateau, and has just one in 33 games this year -- but, at 25, he’s a veteran guy that’s won two Stanley Cups, and has been a constant fixture in the club’s oft-rotating bottom-six forward group.
Why? Because Kruger can kill penalties.
No Chicago forward averages more shorthanded time per game. In fact, only d-men Duncan Keith and Niklas Hjalmarsson average more PK time on the club.
With Kruger out, the club has recalled former first-round pick Phillip Danault from AHL Rockford. Danault is likely to draw into the lineup and make his regular-season debut on Saturday in Buffalo.