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Crushing injury news and a Blackhawks star will miss Chicago's first game of the season against the Panthers


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Julien Trekker
October 7, 2025  (8:31)
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The Chicago Blackhawks organization delivered a crushing injury update about a star player who will be forced to miss the first game of the season in Florida.

After months of waiting, the NHL is finally back, with the Chicago Blackhawks playing this year's inaugural game against the Florida Panthers in a few hours.
Unfortunately, the Hawks head coach Jeff Blashill revealed in a press conference that a star player in Chicago will have to wait before joining the lineup.

Chicago Blackhawks Defenseman Won't Be Ready For Tonight's Season Opener

A tough challenge awaits the Hawks for their first game as they're set to face none other than the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions in their arena.
It'll be even harder, as the defenseman their number-one defenseman, Alex Vlasic, isn't expected to be ready in time for the game.
Jeff Blashill shared the update yesterday:
Vlasic had to leave a preseason game against the Minnesota Wild after getting cut by a skate blade.
You can watch him leave the ice in apparent pain in the video below:
Fortunately, it wasn't as bad as it looked. Vlasic even resumed skating today, showing that he shouldn't miss too many games.
Starting the season on a high note is crucial, especially for a young team.
Here are the lines that were seen at practice yesterday that should be in action tonight, without Vlasic as well as Landon Slaggert, also sidelined with an injury.
Donato-Bedard-Burakovsky
Teravainen-Nazar-Bertuzzi
Dach-Dickinson-Mikheyev
Foligno-Greene-Lafferty

Grzelcyk-Rinzel
Kaiser-Levshunov
Del Mastro-Murphy

Knight
Soderblom

Last season, Vlasic, 24, tallied four goals and 30 assists in 82 games with the Blackhawks. Hopefully, other players will rise up during his recovery.
Previously on Chicago Hockey Insider
Seth Jones reveals a rift between him and the Chicago Blackhawks' Nick Foligno
Connor Bedard shares insights of preparations ahead of season opener against the Florida Panthers
Chicago Blackhawks unveil opening night roster, including several rookies
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Crushing injury news and a Blackhawks star will miss Chicago's first game of the season against the Panthers

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