Toews Hits the IR

The Chicago Blackhawks didn't expect to have Jonathan Toews for their line-up on Tuesday night, so with the All-Star break looming, they were able to put their captain on the Injured Reserve, likely retroactive to the weekend.  With a retroactive placement, Toews will get the benefit of being eligible to return to the active roster before they take to the ice again, a week from Tuesday, in Vancouver.

Toews is currently battling an upper-body injury, believed to be an arm or a wrist injury, and it will actually keep him out of the NHL All-Star Game, where he'll be replaced by Flyers forward Scott Hartnell.

Toews has been more than worthy of his All-Star selection this year, as he ranks 13th in overall pool scoring this season with 27 goals and 23 assists in 49 games played with the Blackhawks.  His 27 goals are 2nd in the league to Steven Stamkos, who has 32.

The Blackhawks are one of the league leaders in the standings and the leadership qualities of Toews is certainly one of the biggest reasons why they are so high, so if the injury needs a little bit more rest than just the week of the All-Star break, this could be a pretty significant hit to the Blackhawks going forward.  There is no indication that the injury is that bad, I'm just saying as a general statement.

As far as we can see here, this shouldn't have a big impact on Dale B.'s team, which is sitting with a 10-point lead going into a busy Tuesday night's worth of action. Dale is already without Dustin Byfuglien and Curtis Glencross, but will be getting Christian Ehrhoff back to the Sabres line-up.  His lead should be safe through tonight's action and it will likely be re-evaluated on Monday, when we may get more injury news from his players.