The Chicago Blackhawks announced on Tuesday that Defenseman Gustav Forsling will miss 14 weeks after having successful surgery on his right wrist. The announcement comes just days after the team wrapped up its annual fan convention in Chicago.
Without any set backs the Blackhawks could expect him to be healthy roughly around the first week of November. Last year, Forsling played in 42 games for the Blackhawks, scoring 3 goals and 10 assists. He spent most of his ice time paired with Jan Rutta.
Team Physician Dr. Michael Terry: "Gustav Forsling underwent surgery today on his right wrist. The surgery went well and the expected recovery time is 14 weeks." #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/J54VSM89iL
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) July 31, 2018
Forsling and Rutta looked pretty good at the start of the season but started to fall off after a couple of weeks. Forsling was sent down to the AHL where he finished out the season playing 30 games, scoring 1 goal and 7 assists.
The defenseman needs more time to develop for the Blackhawks, we definitely saw some flashes last year. He is perfectly capable of controlling the offense on the backend but still needs to work on his defensive abilities to lock down a spot on the Blackhawks roster. Unfortunately, the surgery on his wrist will add some time to his development process.
With Gustav Forsling out for the beginning of the season we can get a better idea of what the defense pairings will look like:
Keith – Murphy
Gustafsson – Seabrook
Manning – Rutta
The Blackhawks will need to add a top 4 defenseman or it’s going to be just like last year, where the team struggled on that part of the ice. There’s just not a lot going on with the defense, it’s a mix of old players and depth defensemen. I’m sure the Blackhawks are well aware of their situation and will try to address it before the season starts.
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