Nick Schmaltz News

Schmaltz was a late scratch on Monday after getting hurt in pre-game warmups. If Schmaltz can't play on Wednesday, Lade Pederson will replace him up front and Jordan Oesterle will move back to the blueline.

This is a huge blow for the Coyotes, who gave up Dylan Strome and Brendan Perlini for Schmaltz and now their forward depth will be tested. Schmaltz season ends with 25 points (7G / 18A) in 40 games—five goals and nine assists (14 points) in 17 games with Arizona.

Schmaltz missed Wednesday’s game with an upper-body injury and could miss an extended period of time. Laurent Dauphin has been recalled from the AHL to fill-in for Schmaltz while he is out.

Schmaltz was forced to leave Sunday’s game vs. Vegas with a lower-body injury and will not play on Wednesday. Schmaltz is listed as day-to-day, which makes him questionable for Friday’s game vs. the Devils.

Schmaltz was traded to Arizona on Sunday night and will make his debut in Minnesota on Tuesday. Schmaltz, who broke out in 2017-18 has just 11 points (2G / 9A) in 23 games this season. The 22-year-old is expected to take on a much larger role in Arizona, starting tonight when he skates on the top line with Alex Galchenyuk and Clayton Keller.

Schmaltz missed the Blackhawks last four games with an upper-body injury, but it looks like he might return Wednesday vs. the Blues. Schmaltz had two goals and one assist in the season opener before getting hurt in his first shift of game No.2. The 2014 second-round pick was back on a line with Patrick Kane at Monday’s practice.

Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville col WGN Radio that Schmaltz is “unlikely” to play tonight vs. Minnesota, but is hopeful he’ll be back on Saturday. This is good news for those who picked Schmaltz up after a great season opener as he’s not expected to miss too much time.

Schmaltz collected two goals and one assist while playing on a line with Patrick Kane in the season opener, but lasted just one shift vs. the Blue Jackets on Saturday. With Schmaltz out, Artem Anisimov will re-claim his spot as the second-line centre and Tanner Kero will draw back into the lineup.

During the first few days of training camp, Schmaltz has taken Artem Anisimov’s spot on the Blackhawks’ second line next to Patrick Kane. Anisimov, who has been very successful in that spot in year’s past, is skating on the third line with Ryan Hartman and Patrick Sharp. Head coach Joel Quenneville likes the chemistry between Schmaltz and Kane, which bodes extremely well for Schmaltz’s potential heading into 2017-18. The 21-year-old is coming off of 28 points (6G / 22A) in 61 games during his rookie season.