Blackhawks defensemen Murphy, Seabrook out with injuries
CHICAGO (AP) -- Chicago's Connor Murphy will miss the start of the season with a back injury and fellow Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook is out with an abdominal injury.
Team physician Dr. Michael Terry says Murphy will be sidelined for about eight weeks. Seabrook is expected to miss about one week. Chicago already had announced that defenseman Gustav Forsling will miss the start of the season because of a right wrist injury.
Corey Crawford has been ruled out for Chicago's first practice of training camp, but he worked with goaltending Jimmy Waite before the rest of the players got on the ice Friday morning. The Stanley Cup-winning goaltender missed the final part of last season with an upper-body injury.
The Blackhawks missed the playoffs last season for the first time since 2008, and the mix of green prospects and aging veterans among the defensemen was one of the issues. The injuries could open the door for 19-year-old Henri Jokiharju, Chicago's first-round pick in last year's draft, to make the team out of camp.