from Mark Lazerus of The Athletic,

Corey Perry’s unexplained absence — with the team for Wednesday’s morning skate in Columbus and then simply gone, a healthy scratch as a vague “organizational” decision — left an already reeling team without one of its stabilizing forces. And the bizarre circumstances of his departure hang over the team like a black cloud, the latest reputation hit for a team that can ill afford another. The whole hockey world is talking about the Blackhawks, and it’s not because of a November win over Toronto.

“We just don’t know right now,” Richardson said after the game when asked if he knew the details of Perry’s situation, the sixth time he was asked about it on Friday alone.

Even his teammates seem to be in the dark, with Nick Foligno saying Thursday, “We just know he’s not with us.” Speculation is running rampant around the hockey world, with national insiders fishing and flailing for information, local reporters running into brick walls with usually reliable sources, and fans just flat-out making things up online. The Blackhawks very well might have a very good reason to withhold any and all information, but secrecy and vagueness breed wild and baseless speculation, and that’s what we’re seeing.

Until we know something concrete, it’s unethical and unproductive to say much more than that. But like it or not, fair or not, reasonable or not, this has become a league-wide story. Perry is a triple-gold winner and a former league MVP; it’s the leading story on broadcasts and podcasts north of the border. Either what’s happening is a big deal or the Blackhawks are making it a big deal by being so squirrelly about it. And it’s not right that Richardson has to act as a flak jacket for the rest of the organization.

more ($) on the Blackhawks including today's win over the Leafs...