Blackhawks place Craig Smith on injured reserve

Injury challenges continue for the Chicago Blackhawks as the club announced Friday that center Craig Smith has been added to the injured reserve due to a back ailment.

Smith’s addition to the injured reserve is retroactive to December 12, meaning he is eligible to return to the lineup Saturday, if healthy. Smith has missed the past four games due to the injury.

On the season, the 35-year-old Madison, Wi., native has made 26 appearances in which he has collected six goals and four assists for 10 points. Smith is skating in his first season with the Blackhawks after inking a one-year, $1-million deal with the club in free agency, per PuckPedia.

A veteran of 954 games, Smith has been well traveled the past few seasons, where a year ago he saw 75 games with the Dallas Stars, in which he notched 20 points counting 11 goals and nine assists, then split the prior campaign between the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals. A fourth-round selection by the Nashville Predators in the 2009 NHL Draft, Smith has tallied 444 career points counting 217 goals and 227 assists, in addition to 23 points in 83 postseason appearances.

The Blackhawks also announced a second transaction Friday, assigning 22-year-old defenseman Wyatt Kaiser to the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs, the club’s top minor-league affiliate. Through 28 appearances with the Blackhawks this season, Kaiser has recorded one assist alongside a minus-four rating and 14 penalty minutes. A third-round selection from the 2020 NHL Draft, Kaiser has played part of three seasons with the Blackhawks, totaling 11 assists in 69 career contests.

Holding a 12-19-2 record, the rebuilding Blackhawks sit 12 points shy of a playoff position in the Western Conference. However, the club is in the midst of a three-game win streak and is 4-3-0 since the appointment of interim head coach Anders Sorensen. The Blackhawks will look to push their win streak to four Saturday versus the Calgary Flames.