Blackhawks’ Nick Foligno taking ‘brief leave of absence’ for daughter’s surgery

ST. LOUIS — The Blackhawks will play without their captain, Nick Foligno, for the time being.

Foligno is taking a “brief leave of absence” as his 12-year-old daughter, Milana, undergoes a follow-up surgery related to her congenital heart defect, the Hawks announced Wednesday.

The 37-year-old forward will miss the Hawks’ matchup Wednesday against the Blues at the least, and his availability is unknown for upcoming home games Friday against the Canucks and Sunday against the Ducks.

He had tallied two assists in the team’s first four games, including a brilliant pass to set up Andre Burakovsky’s power-play goal Monday, while averaging 14:15 of ice time in a fourth-line role.

Foligno and his wife, Janelle, run a foundation called The Heart’s Playbook, which supports research and provides inspiration for children dealing with heart disease.

Milana was diagnosed with Moderate Tricuspid Regurgitation and Mitral Valve Arcade as an infant in October 2013, and she underwent an experimental but ultimately successful operation to become — at the time — just the 17th person ever to have a Melody Valve inserted into her heart.

She and her two brothers, Landon and Hudson, have been frequent sights during and after Hawks practices at Fifth Third Arena over the past few years.

“Milana has given us a purpose to continue on and make sure we’re helping the next Milana in the world,” Foligno said in 2023.

Kaiser’s efficiency

Hawks defenseman Wyatt Kaiser has been the second-best defensive defenseman in the NHL so far this season, according to the Game Score analytics model created by The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn.

That metric is partially based on the fact the Hawks have outscored opponents 2-0 and generated a 22-17 scoring-chance advantage during Kaiser’s five-on-five ice time (entering Wednesday). He has received lots of ice time, too, as one of four Hawks — along with Sam Rinzel, Alex Vlasic and Connor Bedard — averaging more than 20 total minutes per game.

Maybe more people should’ve seen this breakout coming, considering Kaiser managed a plus-minus rating of zero each of the last two seasons on Hawks teams with terrible overall goal differentials. But his performance this month has, at last, opened eyes.

Hawks coach Jeff Blashill’s aggressive defensive systems seem particularly well-suited for Kaiser, who has raved about them since the first day of training camp.

“[I’m] continuing to build on [my game]: keeping tight gaps, killing [plays] early, trying to break pucks out early so we’re not stuck in our zone,” Kaiser said. “It’s always been a focus of my game. I think that’s winning hockey.”

Bedard’s time

Bedard’s name falling among those ice-time leaders isn’t surprising. His workload has increased slightly this season, up to 20:47 per game from 19:47 and 20:17 in his first two NHL seasons.

But given the Hawks have been dressing only 11 forwards most games and sometimes double-shifting Bedard as a result, it’s arguably surprising his ice time hasn’t been higher.

“I don’t like to see forwards get up higher than 20 [minutes],” Blashill said. “If you look through most of the teams that are pretty successful — maybe Edmonton is a little different — there’s a balance through their lineup.”

Bedard has recorded only five shots on goal in the first four games, but two of those shots have gone in.

Note: Forward Landon Slaggert was a full practice participant Tuesday and Wednesday. He could return from injury to make his season debut Friday, Blashill said.