Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Nikita Zaitsev is on the mend from a knee injury that turned out to be more severe than initially thought, according to Coach Luke Richardson's update this past Saturday.
In a twist to his recovery timeline, it was disclosed that Zaitsev also sustained a bone fracture alongside his knee injury back in January, pushing his expected return to the ice to mid-March, even though he's already begun rehab activities off the ice.
Since the injury occurred during a game against the Sharks on January 16, Zaitsev has been sidelined for 14 games. Prior to this setback, the 32-year-old had contributed two goals and five assists over 26 games, clocking in an average of around 16 minutes of ice time per game.
