from Brian Sandalow of the Chicago Sun-Times,

Now the Hawks – already thin along the blue line – will have to find a way to stay afloat in a competitive Central Division without their franchise defenseman. He’s earned that title because he ignites the offense, is strong in his own end, plays a ton of minutes, provides leadership and can be trusted in all situations and all over the ice.

Yeah, not a typical absence.

“I don’t think we want to change too much in our approach going in and preparing for a game. Guys are going to know they’re going to get more responsibilities,” Quenneville said. “But in our team game, we’ll try to emphasize the importance of playing the right way and taking care of business.”

Doing that without Keith won’t be easy.

It will be especially difficult because of the current state of the blue line, which includes youngsters Trevor van Riemsdyk and Viktor Svedberg and import Trevor Daley. David Rundblad, who hasn’t played since Oct. 7, should get back into the lineup while the Hawks will be looking forward to the return of Michal Rozsival, who could be ready to play when he’s eligible to return from long-term injured reserve on Oct. 30.

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