Blackhawks activate Seth Jones from injured reserve

All signs had been pointing in this direction for a few days, but the Chicago Blackhawks made it official on Wednesday afternoon when they activated No. 1 defenseman off of injured reserve:

Jones injured his right thumb while blocking this shot during the second period of the Blackhawks Oct. 25 game against the Buffalo Sabres:

Jones finished that game but was placed on injured reserve a few days later, sidelining him for about three weeks after he’d played in the team’s first eight games, tallying four assists while leading the team with an average ice time of 25:14. The Blackhawks had a 4-3-1 record after that game. With Jones sidelined, the team went 2-6-2 and Jones’ absence was almost certainly part of the reason for that slide.

His return bumped Ian Mitchell out of the lineup, based on how the defensive pairings looked during Wednesday’s morning skate:

Both Jones brothers appear to be in the lineup for Wednesday night’s homecoming game against the Dallas Stars.