There have been a lot of ins and outs going on this week in the Chicago Blackhawks’ world, literally and figuratively. There have been many surprises that have been keeping fans on their toes. With that, let’s get into the latest.

Ins and Outs

Connor Murphy – IN

Connor Murphy was declared “unfit to play” since July 15. He since returned to the Fifth Third Arena for training camp on July 21. Positive news coming from a player that is one of the most crucial aspects of the defensive core.

Calvin de Haan – IN

Calvin de Haan has been out since July 14 because he was attending to a family emergency. Like Murphy, de Haan is also a very important piece to the defensive core.

Keep in mind that both de Haan and Murphy skated by themselves instead of with the team. I don’t know what that means for them going forward. It could be that they just have to get re-acclimated to training camp. Whatever their statuses may be, it’s great to see both of them back, nonetheless.

Jonathan Toews – OUT

In an interesting turn of events, center Jonathan Toews has now been declared “unfit to participate.” Blackhawks insider Charlie Roumeliotis gave the rundown on how this came about. He mentioned how Toews left the ice early at camp on July 20 and was out completely the following day. We hope that the Captain is okay and is able to return soon.

Corey Crawford – OUT

Nothing has changed on goaltender Corey Crawford’s status. He still has not shown up to training camp. However, there is a new update to share. General manager Stan Bowman talked to the media on July 21, and he isn’t ready to rule Crawford out completely. This is what Bowman had to say:

We are hopeful. [about Crawford joining the team]. We’ll be able to give you a better idea when we get closer to the weekend, but it’s something that we’re still shooting for. We’re still hoping that’s the case.

from ‘Blackhawks ‘hopeful’ that Corey Crawford will travel with team to Edmonton’, Chicago Sun-Times – 07/21/2020

Head coach Jeremy Colliton has shared similar optimistic sentiments with Bowman on Crawford throughout training camp. But, we will have official word on his status soon enough.

Brent Seabrook – OUT (Possibly)

Blackhawks’ writer Scott Powers, of The Athletic, had an interesting take on defenseman Brent Seabrook in one of his latest articles. He mentioned how he doesn’t really see Seabrook playing against the Edmonton Oilers unless the team is in dire need of him; presuming injuries, etc. (from ‘Five observations from the Blackhawks’ scrimmages as they prepare for Oilers’, The AthleticNHL – 07/20/2020)

Seabrook was already a pleasant surprise coming into training camp since enduring three operations, spanning for December to February, on both of his hips and right shoulder. It seemed like his presence spoke for itself that there was a good possibility that he could play. That could still be the case, but it’s something to continue monitoring.

Strome Comment

As players continue to speak to the media, center Dylan Strome made an intriguing comment on July 20:

The Blackhawks play the St. Louis Blues on July 29. Exhibition game or not, both teams have something to prove going into their respective matchups. The Blues are going to want to show that they can repeat their Stanley Cup championship from last year.

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Chicago is going to try to prove that they belong in the playoffs. So, I’ll be interested to see how Strome’s comments play out. The Chicago/St. Louis matchup is a rivalry at the end of the day. I would be surprised if the matchup wasn’t intense to some extent.

Birthday

Lastly, some fun news from the team this week is that right-wing Andrew Shaw turned 29 on July 20.

As a refresher, in the six total seasons he has played in Chicago, he has 73 goals, 74 assists, 147 points, and is a plus-16 in 348 games played. Happy birthday Shawzy!

What’s Next?

We are less than two weeks out from the official start of the Blackhawks/Oilers series on Aug. 1. So expect plenty of news in that timeframe. We should be getting more updates on the players aforementioned. Also, expect some player standouts from camp, important team highlights, and more!

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