With training camp one week away, the Chicago Blackhawks shared a pair of medical updates detailing one veteran blue-liner and one young forward prospect.
According to the team release, defenseman Jake McCabe recently had a successful cervical spine surgery, with his timeline for a return at 10-12 weeks. Additionally, Jalen Luypen injured his left rotator cuff and that was “recently repaired,” but he’ll be sidelined for 14-18 weeks.
The news serves as a tough break for both McCabe and Luypen, but for different reasons.
McCabe, who’ll turn 29 in October, signed with the Blackhawks in 2021 after playing just 13 games during the 2021 NHL season due to a knee injury that cut it short. He played in 75 games with Chicago last season, tallying 22 points (4 G, 18 A) and appeared to get better as the season wore on — perhaps a sign that he was still hampered by that knee injury in the earlier stages of the season. This injury update will have McCabe sidelined until, roughly, Thanksgiving.
Luypen, who turned 20 on June 28, has been soaring up the organizational depth chart with his play in the WHL. He racked up 64 points (29 G, 35 A) in 66 games with the Edmonton Oil Kings and was rewarded with an NHL contract in August. He was ranked No. 13 in our Top 25 Under 25 rankings, a massive leap forward for the 2021 seventh-round pick. But this setback means that Luypen’s professional career with the Rockford IceHogs may not get started until early 2023.