“Laurent Brossoit, Artyom Levshunov and Wyatt Kaiser begin the season on IR”

The Blackhawks announced to reporters yesterday that he is expected to play goalie Laurent Brossoit and defenders Artyom Levshunov And Wyatt Kaiser will all begin the regular season on injured reserve. Mario Tirabassi of CHGO Sports delivered the news.

There is still no concrete timetable for a return for Kaiser, the only one in the group placed on standard IR. The accommodation due to illness applies retroactively to September 19th, said Tirabassi. That was the first day of training camp in Chicago, which Kaiser has not yet fully participated in. Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reported earlier this week that pre-training camp tests indicated an undisclosed concern about Kaiser's health that was of a serious nature, but that he had since been cleared. However, he is still running at full speed and will not be ready for the season opener on October 8th in Utah.

However, Kaiser shouldn't miss too much time after that. That's good news for the Hawks, who hope to make the 22-year-old more of a starter this season. A third-round pick in 2020, he was split relatively evenly between Chicago and AHL Rockford last year. However, it seemed like he had taken a step forward in his NHL appearances, recording seven assists and an even rating in 32 games. With an average playing time of 17:19 per game, they certainly could have done worse with a young defender on a rebuilding team.

Meanwhile, Brossoit and Levshunov begin the season on the non-roster list, which is no surprise. Both suffered knee and foot injuries, respectively, late in the offseason that the team said would keep them from training camp and put their availability for the regular season opener in question. Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson However, he said Thursday that Brossoit is on track to return at some point during their season-opening road trip, so he will likely be added to the roster by the end of next weekend.

The 31-year-old will serve as a far better replacement Petr Mrazek this year after posting a sparkling .927 SV% in limited usage with the Golden Knights and Jets over the last two years. This is a huge improvement compared to the 25-year-old's playing level Arvid Söderblom Last year, he posted an .879 SV% and 3.92 GAA in 32 appearances behind Mrázek and was on pace for one of the worst stats in the NHL.

He or Kaiser will be the first to return to action. Levshunov's season debut, whether with Chicago or Rockford, will have to wait until mid- to late October. Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson said on Sept. 20 that the 2024 second-round pick was still four weeks away from returning to play after getting a puck on his foot in rookie camp. Levshunov, who turns 19 later this month, had 35 points and a +27 rating in 38 games for Michigan State as a freshman last year before immediately signing his entry-level contract after being signed by Chicago.