The Chicago Blackhawks are in full tank mode in the 2022-23 NHL season, and things worsened for the team after Patrick Kane went down with an injury earlier this month. Kane has been dealing with a lower-body injury and now the Blackhawks have officially placed him on IR, retroactive to Jan. 3, when he sustained the ailment.

Effectively, this opens up a roster spot for the Blackhawks while Kane continues to recover. An IR stint in the NHL indicates a player must be out of action for at least the next seven days. Kane's placement on the IR is backdated to Jan. 3, so he's already eligible to return to the ice whenever he's deemed healthy enough. In the meantime, the Blackhawks will be able to sign a player to replace Kane while he's on the mend.

The exact nature of Kane's lower-body injury has not been made clear, but he's missed each of the Blackhawks' last two games and will be sidelined once again on Thursday night against the Colorado Avalanche.

Via Mark Lazerus, the decision to place Kane on IR is purely procedural. The Blackhawks plan to make room on the roster for MacKenzie Entwistle, and thus will put Kane on IR in order to open up a roster spot. The expectation is that Kane will be activated ahead of Saturday's tilt against the Seattle Kraken, and he should be ready to play then, barring a setback.

Should Kane return for Saturday's game, he'll have missed a total of three games through his injury. In 37 games this season, Kane has just seven goals and 20 assists, a total of 27 points. He's a -24 in terms of plus/minus, as the Blackhawks have limped to a 10-25-4 record this season.