Blackhawks place defenseman on IR with groin injury

Scott Powers of The Athletic reported early on Thursday that Alec Martinez would not be in the lineup Thursday evening for the Chicago Blackhawks while dealing with a lower-body injury. The organization confirmed Martinez would be out of the lineup for this game and then some by placing him on injured reserve and recalling Isaak Phillips from their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs.

Chicago specified Martinez’s injury in the announcement, saying it’s located in his right groin. His absence from the Blackhawks weakens an already scant left side of the Chicago defense. The organization signed Martinez to a one-year, $4M contract this past offseason hoping to add some veteran leadership and Stanley Cup pedigree to their blue line. The Rochester Hills, Mich., native has tallied one assist in four games for Chicago up to this point in the season while averaging just over 21 minutes a night.

Phillips already gets his second look with the Blackhawks after being demoted to the AHL exactly one week ago. The former fifth-round pick of the 2020 NHL Draft may see some time next to Connor Murphy on the team’s bottom-pairing although Powers confirmed this morning that Nolan Allan would be making his second NHL appearance.

Phillips split time between Chicago and Rockford last season scoring four goals and 14 points in 29 games for the latter. Depending on the number of injuries to the Blackhawks’ blue line this season, Phillips should be a frequent recipient of similar roster moves. Chicago added enough depth up and down their lineup this past offseason allowing prospects such as Phillips to gain more confidence in the minors.