Blackhawks’ Craig Smith to return following 11-game absence due to back injury

Chicago Blackhawks center Craig Smith will return to the lineup Wednesday against the Edmonton Oilers after missing the past 11 games due to a back injury, reports Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio.

Smith has been sidelined since early January, marking his second absence related to a back injury this season after missing an eight-game stretch from the same ailment through late December. In all, Smith has made 30 appearances with the Blackhawks this season in which he has registered six goals and five assists for 11 points with 24 penalty minutes and a minus-seven rating.

The 35-year-old Madison, Wis., native joined the Blackhawks in July, agreeing to a one-year, $1-million deal in unrestricted free agency. Prior to joining the Blackhawks, Smith spent the 2023-24 campaign with the Central Division rival Dallas Stars where through 75 showings he notched 11 goals and nine assists for 20 points. Smith then added two more points through 14 postseason outings.

A veteran of 958 career contests counting stops with the Nashville Predators, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, Stars, and Blackhawks, Smith has recorded 217 goals and 228 assists for 445 points. With the Predators, Smith was a five-time 20-plus goal scorer, while on two occasions he cracked the 50-point plateau. Through 83 appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Smith has tallied nine goals and 14 assists for 23 points. Smith was originally chosen by the Predators in the fourth round of the 2009 NHL Draft.

Entering Wednesday’s contest against the Oilers, the Blackhawks are in the midst of a two-game losing skid and sit second-to-last in the Western Conference with a 16-31-5 record and 37 points. The two sides have split their season series to date, with the Blackhawks coming away with a 5-2 road win in early October before then falling 4-3 to the Oilers on home ice in mid-January.