Hawks expect Kane back for start of playoffs

It's official: Patrick Kane will miss the remainder of the regular season.

But he is expected to be back for the start of the postseason.

The Blackhawks' leading scorer (69 points) was placed on long-term injured reserve Friday with an apparent knee injury he suffered in Wednesday's win over St. Louis.

"We're going to get him ready, and if things go as planned, he should be fine in the playoffs," said Hawks general manager Stan Bowman. "There's nothing that's changed since the original injury.

"He's going to follow the same rehab protocol and he should be fine."

And despite Kane's style of play on the ice, Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said that should not be a factor when No. 88 returns.

"I don't think so at all," Quenneville said. "I look back and I can't remember the last time, health-wise, that Kaner missed a game. He's gotten stronger and built himself up every single summer and progressed over the course of a season. I don't think that should change at all.

"I think the rest is probably the part, him being freshened going into the playoffs will be something that could be a bonus. Looking on both the injury and the rest, I think it could be healthy for his game."

Comings and goings:

Patrick Kane's departure and Teuvo Teravainen's arrival were just two of a plethora of lineup changes the Blackhawks have gone through the past couple of days.

With Bryan Bickell (upper body) joining Michal Rozsival and Brandon Saad on the sidelines Friday against Carolina, the Hawks on Thursday signed free-agent forward Matt Carey and recalled forward Jeremy Morin from Rockford.

"There's a lot happening and it's an exciting time," Stan Bowman said. "But we'll try not to lose focus of the important thing, which is just keeping the effort going forward."

Morin has 24 goals and 23 assists in 47 games with the IceHogs, and lately he has been red-hot with 15 points in his last 16 games.

"I've had some success down in Rockford; I feel good about my game right now," Morin said "They wanted me to mature as a player and that's what I've been working on."

Carey, 22, who joined the team late Friday, recorded 37 points in 38 games this season as a freshman at St. Lawrence University.