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Zawaski: Blackhawks Begin Life Without Duncan Keith

By Jay Zawaski--

(CBS) On Tuesday, the Blackhawks announced that star defenseman Duncan Keith will miss four to six weeks after surgery on his right knee. That means an already-thin defensive corps will be truly tested in the weeks to come. If Keith is truly out six weeks, we're talking a minimum of 18 games without their defensive stalwart.

While there's obviously no replacing a player of Keith's caliber, the Hawks have a few options to fill the void.

David Rundblad

Yeah, I cringed too. Rundblad seems to be the immediate fix. He's expected to take Keith's spot in the lineup Thursday night, when the Blackhawks face the Florida Panthers. Rundblad's a solid skater who adds offense but is an absolute adventure in the defensive zone. Someone once described Rundblad's defensive play as "puck-handling a hand grenade." This is frighteningly accurate.

He's not a long-term answer, but he may have more of coach Joel Quenneville's faith than anyone else at this point.

Ville Pokka

Pokka was acquired in last summer's Nick Leddy trade. He nearly made the team out of camp and has spent a few days on the Hawks roster, though never on the ice. Unlike Keith, Pokka is right-handed.

He has a solid offensive element to his game. He's the Hawks' most ready defensive prospect.

That said, I feel like if the Hawks felt Pokka was ready to contribute, he would have gotten a look by now. I'd be shocked, however, if he doesn't get at least a look during Keith's absence. The Hawks have an opportunity to let him learn on the job. With a 3-3 start, I'm not sure how much patience Quenneville will have for training a rookie.

Kyle Cumiskey

Remember Cumiskey? He played for the Hawks last year -- and in some important games. He has the built-in Quenneville trust from their days together in Colorado. He's also a veteran player who may be less prone to disaster than some of the other candidates.

To me, though, this is the least inspiring option. The Hawks know what they have in Cumiskey, and nd it's not much.

Sign a free agent

At training camp, the Blackhawks had two journeymen defensemen on tryout contracts: Lubomir Visnovsky and Jan Hejda. At this point, both remain free agents and could likely be signed for a low cap hit. The Hawks do get salary relief with Keith on long-term injured reserve, so they're covered salary wise until he returns, but they can't go signing any huge contracts.

If a free agent is signed, I'd expect it to be one of these two players -- more likely Visnovsky, who can contribute on the power play in a pinch and has a bit more mobility than Hejda.

Make a trade

This is what Hawks fans seem to want most. Here's the problem: No one wants winger Bryan Bickell. If the Hawks could move a player for an established third or fourth defenseman, they would. But like I said before, the Hawks can't take on any significant salary without moving a chunk of their own.

Bickell's big contract, lack of performance and recurring episodes of vertigo make him untradable. No one wants to take that kind of a risk on a $4-million-a-year player. Could the Hawks take on part of his salary in a potential trade? Maybe, but I still find it hard to believe a team would give up a player of value for Bickell at this point.

As you can see, the Hawks' options are thin and less than ideal. There's no replacing Keith.

The Hawks will have to rely on Brent Seabrook and Niklas Hjalmarsson to carry the load in Keith's absence. They also need Trevor Daley to take the next step in his learning of the system and van Riemsdyk to grow up quickly.

If the Hawks can finish two or three games over .500 while Keith is out, it'd be a victory. Aside from maybe Jonathan Toews, this is the most damaging injury the Hawks could have imagined. At least with Toews, there are other offensive options to fill his spot.

The defense was sub-par with Keith in the lineup. I cringe to think what it might look like without him.

Jay Zawaski is the executive producer of the Spiegel and Goff Show on 670 The Score and the Blackhawks columnist for CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JayZawaski670.

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