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Chicago Blackhawks regroup after Keith's knee surgery

The news spread around the Blackhawks' locker room like wildfire on Tuesday:

Duncan Keith out 4-6 weeks after undergoing knee surgery.

The reactions were exactly what you'd expect from players who have emerged atop the hockey world three times in the last six seasons.

There were no wide eyes. Nobody panicked. And there was no mass chaos.

Instead, Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, Patrick Kane and others talked about how they expect to keep thriving, even without the do-everything playoff MVP.

"There's no doubt we're aware of the void that he leaves if he gets hurt," Toews said. "But it's a challenge for everyone in our room - defense or forwards or even goaltenders to step up and try to play better without him."

Assuming the 4-6 week timetable doesn't change, it means Keith (who had surgery to repair a meniscal tear in his right knee) will miss between 12-18 games. He figures to be placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR), but the Hawks made no such move Tuesday.

For the time being, this forces David Rundblad into a full-time role. Rundblad's run might not last very long, though, because Michal Rozsival (ankle) is eligible to come off LTIR when the Hawks play at Minnesota on Oct. 30. That's just four games away.

It also means inexperienced players like Trevor van Riemsdyk and Viktor Svedberg will be logging more ice time. Including the postseason, those two have just 33 games in the NHL between them.

Kyle Cumiskey is still rehabbing from a lower-body injury, and while he signed a one-year deal last week and was assigned to Rockford, the 28-year-old isn't available yet.

"Obviously, it's bad news for us because missing a player like (Keith) is gonna be big shoes to fill," said Marian Hossa, who Keith talked to a few days ago about discomfort in the knee. "But on the other hand, we've got lots of young players on the D and … they can step up."

Trevor Daley, still adjusting to the Hawks' system, will also need to step up his game immediately and become more of the offensive force he was in Dallas.

It will be interesting to see if the Hawks change how they play while Keith is out. Last year, when Patrick Kane broke his collarbone and missed the final 21 games, Quenneville's squad tightened up defensively and tried to win as many low-scoring games as possible.

The first reaction is to think that they may try the same tactic in this scenario, but Quenneville's comments after practice seemed to indicate otherwise.

"I think offensively we want to make sure that we're playing as much offense as we can because we don't have to check and make them (the young defensemen) worry about their own end," Quenneville said. "With Kaner you miss a big chunk of your offense.

"With Duncs it's almost like you miss both parts of your game. So I don't think you want to over-emphasize one area. I think we're going to have to be strong in our total team game."

Hawks fans looking for silver linings can realize two things:

• If this had to happen, the timing couldn't be better. Not only is it early in the regular season, but the Hawks (3-3-0) also have eight of their next 12 games at home.

They absolutely must take advantage of that fact because hovering around .500 in the Western Conference isn't going to cut it. Last year it took 97 point to reach the playoffs (Calgary was 45-30-7) and two years ago it took 91 points (Dallas was 40-31-11).

"There's some great teams in the division and you think what it's going to take to get into the playoffs," Quenneville said. "I think you're talking about needing every point."

• Keith figures to come back fresh and re-energized. An ironman of sorts, Keith has played in at least 74 games in each of the last nine full regular seasons. Add in the fact that he's been in 64 playoff games the last three years and averaged an incredible 31:07 of ice time in last season's Stanley Cup run and you can see why some wear and tear was to be expected.

"In this case, at a certain point, something's got to give," Toews said. "He's been playing his tail off for three years in a row - more ice time than anybody."

Said Hossa: "I think it's gonna help (him) benefit from having a little bit (of a) break. Obviously, you don't want to have a break like that … but (when he comes back) I think he's gonna be fresh and he'll be ready to go."

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