The Chicago Blackhawks placed center Artem Anisimov on injured reserve, the team announced Friday. Defenseman Cody Franson has been activated from IR to replace him on the roster.
The loss of Anisimov blows a hole in the Hawks’ already-thin depth chart up the middle. The team recently recalled rookie David Kampf from the AHL to make his NHL debut after an underwhelming stint from fellow call-up Vinnie Hinostroza. Now without Anisimov, the Hawks essentially have one reliable top-nine center in Jonathan Toews.
Anisimov suffered an upper-body injury in the Blackhawks’ 5-2 loss to the Canucks on Friday night.