Report: 2 injuries and 5 lineup changes confirmed for the Blackhawks.

The Chicago Blackhawks made a number of line up changes on Saturday, although not all of them where voluntary in nature. 

Chicago Blackhawks insider Mark Lazerus was the first to break the news when he revealed that 24 year old rookie center Luke Johnson would be stepping into the line up to take the place of injured 28 year old center Markus Kruger. The move is of particular significance to Johnson as it will mark just the 10th National Hockey League game of his professional career, the previous 9 have all come this season. 

Additionally Lazerus is reporting that 28 year old defenseman Brandon Manning will be taking the place of 27 year old defenseman Brandon Davidson on the blue line, although this move does not appear to be injury related. The Blackhawks shocked the hockey world when they made the decision to fire head coach Joel Quenneville earlier in the week and this may simply be a case of wanting to evaluate every player on the roster under different leadership. I expect there will be plenty of roster shuffling over the next several games as the Blackhawks seek to get back to their winning ways.

The worst news of the day however comes directly from the Chicago Blackhawks themselves, although whether nor not you think the news is bad may very based on how you perceive the team. The Blackhawks officially announced just moments prior to puck drop that veteran forward Brandon Saad would not be appearing in today's game due to an injury to his right arm, the specific nature of that injury has not been disclosed by the Blackhawks. 

Now this is of course bad news, you never want to see any player get injured, but Saad has been so bad for the Blackhawks as of late that some segments of the fan base may be relieved to see him pulled out of the lineup regardless of the motivation behind that move. In fact in spite of the recent struggles and in spite of the firing of head coach Joel Quenneville the trade involving both Saad and former Blackhawks forward Artemi Panarin remains one of the most discussed topics within the Blackhawks fan base, and frankly who could blame them given the level at which Saad has been playing.

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