While much of the conversation during Monday’s press conference was focused on the current and future players occupying the Chicago Blackhawks roster, a question involving a player from the past also came up during Stan Bowman’s time in front of the podium.
Chicago’s general manager was asked about the status of Marian Hossa, who sat out the 2017-18 NHL season due to a skin condition caused by a reaction to his hockey equipment:
Stan Bowman on Marian Hossa: “What I do know is that his status is unchanged. His physical condition hasn’t improved. There’s no indication he’s going to play next year, either.”
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) April 9, 2018
Hossa played in 1,309 games during his 19 seasons in the NHL, including 534 with the Hawks: the most he played with any one franchise. But it appears the skin condition that caused him so much irritation that he rarely took the ice for practices has not improved and Hossa is expected to remain on LTIR unless something drastic changes.