Did The Blackhawks Just Ice The Worst Lineup In Franchise History?
The Blackhawks host Calgary at the United Center in a Sunday afternoon matinee today, but excitement couldn’t be lower. That’s because, thanks to an almost comical string of injuries to all of the team’s best players, Chicago is set to send a nightmare of a lineup onto the ice – but not a nightmare for opposing defenses.
The injury bug reached its crest Saturday when Connor Bedard and Nick Foligno were both put on IR, but the team has lost a player to a significant injury in nearly every game this year. The Blackhawks, who weren’t the most talented team even when healthy, are missing the following 11 players:
As many as ten of those skaters played huge roles before missing time, and some have missed close to two months of games. As a result, here’s the lineup the Blackhawks are putting on the ice for the game against the Flames:
That’s a tough look. If Zach Sanford’s name looks unfamiliar in the lineup, it’s because he was claimed yesterday in order for the Blackhawks to even field a full squad. However, they won’t actually be able to, as Rem Pitlick, who was just acquired from the Penguins, wasn’t able to arrive at Chicago due to weather. Instead, head coach Luke Richardson has opted for an 11-7 lineup, so things could get interesting.
A lineup this bad before the trade deadline, even if it’s just due to injuries, is a pretty rare sight. In fact, it’s bad enough to ask a pretty gross question – is this the worst lineup in NHL history?
There have certainly been some doozies in the more than 100 years of the NHL’s existence. The Sharks of the early ‘90s, the mid-’70s Capitals, and more were tough to watch. However, without the above list of players, the Blackhawks are icing an AHL lineup in an NHL game. When Philipp Kurashev is by far the best player on the ice, it’s a good sign the team’s in trouble. More Blackhawks fans will be watching today’s game for the novelty of seeing such a bad team than there are hoping for a win.