A developing story is growing legs and running, here, regarding Swedish center Marcus Kruger. In a nutshell, his Swedish Elite League team is reporting that he is en route to Chicago. Here are a couple of links with some information:
The Third Man In, Chris Block article
Matt McClure at Second City Hockey
Puck Daddy on Marcus Kruger
What does this mean for the Chicago Blackhawks? As speculation rises like the filthy, rancid foam of a porta-potty, people are getting anxious. For my money, this means one of two things, and I will give you the bad news first:
- Patrick Sharp is out for, what could be, the rest of the season.
- The Hawks have no faith in any of the players in Rockberia, and need some depth for the playoffs.
As much as people will play it off, and wish real hard, I'm expecting the first scenario. Even though Tracy Meyers, at CSN, has reported to seeing Sharp walking with a noticeable limp but no brace, the way Sharpie went off the ice the other night looked more serious than when Jordan Hendry was helped off the ice a few weeks ago. We are all well aware of THAT outcome. All that side, The Hawks don't want to burn a year Jeremy Morin's contract, and he has been hurt. They also don't seem to have a great deal of confidence in ANYONE on the Sloar Hogs, so with Kruger's team being eliminated from their playoffs, I guess this was the best option. The Hawks have a log jam at center, but no one is really jumping to that next level. Bolland has been hurt, Frodo is a winger in a center's costume, Dowell isn't lighting the world on fire lately, and Ryan Johnson isn't really anything other than a third line shutdown guy, at best. Lets be frank, here, Bolland is dealing with a concussion, which can be a very tender thing to deal with. If the Hawks have to get hot for this stretch run without Bolland OR Sharp, things are going to get sticky, and I haven't even mentioned Campbell leaving the Defensive core thin. As things get announced, I will try and pass them on, in the meantime, here are some video highlights featuring Kruger (#32):