Marcus Kruger out four months for Blackhawks

Marcus Kruger basically put his hockey future on hold to remain with the Chicago Blackhawks this season, willing to go short-term in order to stay with a modern day dynasty.

He inked a one-year deal under their cap restrictions, and settled back into his role as a defensive depth forward who plays 13:17 per night, including 2:22 shorthanded. He’s taken the third-most faceoffs on the roster, with a 49.7 winning percentage.

And now he’s out for four months.

From Tracey Myers of CSN Chicago:

Kruger had successful surgery on his dislocated left wrist on Friday morning. Team physician Dr. Michael Terry said the Blackhawks anticipate Kruger “will return to hockey activities in approximately four months.”

Kruger went hard into the boards in the second period of the Blackhawks’ 4-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night. He sat on the bench for a few minutes favoring his left wrist before heading to the locker room.

Bummer for the Blackhawks, as obviously Kruger’s a good soldier and an important defensive forward. But based on the recovery time, he should be good to go for another run at the Stanley Cup, which is why he’s in Chicago to begin with.

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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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