Rob Blake on the IR

The Sharks have reportedly put Rob Blake on the Injured Reserve on Thursday, citing an upper-body injury, which was not clarified this afternoon. By putting Blake on the IR, he will be out of the line-up for at least a week and depending on the injury, he could be out for longer, it's hard to say. The Sharks did recall Derek Joslin from the AHL to fill in for him during his absence.

In the first 16 games of the season, Blake has one goal and five assists from the blueline. He ranked third on the team among defensemen in scoring and he was providing some pretty good minutes for the Sharks. He'll be a tough player to replace for any length of time out of the line-up.

Blake is a member of John P.'s Draft team, now becoming the second active player on the injured list for him, behind Brian Rafalski, who is currently out with the flu.

On the Sheet, Blake was taken only once in Box 11, so his absence will be missed by one team, for now.