Van Riemsdyk inches closer to return
Trevor van Riemsdyk has taken some big strides this week.
After impressing Blackhawks coaches with improved skating, the injured rookie defenseman participated in the morning skate Friday at the United Center. He kept pace and took part in every drill for his first team workout since his left patella (kneecap) was fractured by a shot Nov. 16 against the Dallas Stars.
"It's definitely a little difficult to come back after being out for so long, but I've been doing it all my life, so it kind of comes back quick," said van Riemsdyk, 23, who missed his 40th game Friday against the Colorado Avalanche. "It's just nice to be out there skating around."
Hawks coach Joel Quenneville is cautiously optimistic.
"We'll take it day-by-day, but significant progress this week and the fact that he got injected into practice was a good sign as well," Quenneville said. "He said he felt good, so it was real nice to see a real positive stretch here for him. We want to get him playing as soon as possible."
The timeframe was originally 3-4 months following surgery, and van Riemsdyk just recently started skating.
"We'll see how he goes here," Quenneville said. "He hasn't had real contact yet, so I think that could really give us a better indication of when (he'll return), but ... I mean this week (he) really turned the corner quickly, so that was a real positive."
If van Riemsdyk can return before the NHL's March 2 trade deadline, it could affect the Blackhawks' plans. The unknown is whether that will be possible.
"That's the goal is to come back and play as I was before," said van Riemsdyk, who had 1 assist prior to the injury. "I'm just going to have to leave it up to the coaches to make those kinds of decisions to see if I'm ready, but it's up to me to make them have to make that decision."
Bottoming out:
The Hawks' scoring load has become too dependent on the top two forward lines.
Bryan Bickell, left wing of the third line, has only 1 goal and 1 assist in the last 13 games. Andrew Shaw, who centers the third line, has no points in 11 straight games. Daniel Carcillo and Ryan Hartman, who've split time on the right side of that unit, combined for 1 assist in the previous eight games.
Numbers for the fourth line are even worse.
"We need to chip in," said Shaw, who had just 4 goals, 2 assists and a minus-6 plus/minus rating in the 35 games before Friday's loss to Colorado. "You need that secondary scoring. We're putting more pressure on the top two lines to score goals every game, so it's tough on them. They're capable of doing it, but secondary scoring always helps."
Carcillo absent:
The only missing player at the morning skate was Daniel Carcillo, who also missed the game to attend the funeral for friend and former NHL defenseman Steve Montador. The former Blackhawks' defenseman died unexpectedly this past weekend at the age of 35.