Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Michal Rozsival is out for the remainder of the playoffs.
Rozsival fractured his left ankle during the second period of Game 4 against the Minnesota Wild, the team announced Thursday.
“He will require surgery to repair it,” Blackhawks head team physician, Dr. Michael Terry, said in press release. “He is not expected to return to full hockey activity until next season.”
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Rozsival caught an edge while trying to prevent a Thomas Vanek scoring chance. The 36-year-old needed to be helped off the ice by teammates and was unable to put any weight on his leg. It became immediately apparent Rozsival’s injury would be significant.
Head coach Joel Quenneville described Rozsival’s absence as a “tough loss.”
“You hate to see your teammates in pain like that,” Patrick Sharp said after the game.
Heading into Game 4, Rozsival was averaging 18-plus minutes per game playing alongside Duncan Keith. With Kimmo Timonen not seeing much ice-time, the Blackhawks will have to lean heavily on Keith, Brent Seabrook, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Johnny Oduya. The team also has the option of inserting one of David Rundblad, Kyle Cumiskey or rookie Michael Paliotta.
The Blackhawks completed a clean sweep of the Wild so they’ll have some time to figure things out before they meet the Anaheim Ducks or Calgary Flames in the Western Conference final.
