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Blackhawks' Jake McCabe out 10-12 weeks with injury

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Blackhawks defenseman Jake McCabe underwent cervical spine surgery over the offseason and will miss the start of the 2022-23 season, the team announced Tuesday morning. He is expected to be out 10-12 weeks, which puts him on a timeline to return sometime in late November.

Such a tough break for McCabe, who tore his ACL, MCL and meniscus in February of 2021 as a member of the Buffalo Sabres and spent all of last summer rehabbing before signing a four-year, $16 million contract with the Blackhawks later in July.

I'm told the injury happened a while ago, which helps put the Jack Johnson signing into perspective. The Blackhawks inked the 2022 Stanley Cup champion defenseman to a one-year, $950,000 deal in mid-August for depth purposes, and he's likely to play some heavier minutes out of the gates as McCabe works his way back from injury.

[MORE: Blackhawks prospect rankings: Top 12 going into 2022-23 season]

McCabe, who turns 29 in October, registered 22 points (four goals, 18 assists) in 75 games in his first season with the Blackhawks. He also averaged 20:18 of ice time, which ranked third among team defensemen.

The Blackhawks also announced forward prospect Jalen Luypen will be out 3-4 months after suffering a left rotator cuff injury. He had a breakout 2021-22 campaign in the Western Hockey League, where he recorded 64 points (29 goals, 35 assists) in 66 games for the Edmonton Oil Kings.

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