Thursday’s Dump & Chase: Stuck in the Middle with You

Central Division Roundup

Blackhawks place Corey Crawford on injured reserve again | Chicago Tribune
They hand the crease over to a goalie who is 1-4-3 with a 3.12 GAA and .909 SV% in 11 games (8 starts) this year, and a backup who has never played an NHL game. This will be interesting if Crawford is out for more than the mandatory week.

Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie to miss 4-6 weeks | Denver Post
Barrie blocked a shot with his hand in Saturday's 6-2 victory at Arizona, and will pay the price as he will miss 4-6 weeks with a broken bone in that hand. Yikes. Get well soon, Tyson!

Minnesota Wild know playoff push starts now | Twin Cities Pioneer Press
The Preds can help take momentum from that push with a pair of wins this Friday and Saturday.

Blues sign GM Doug Armstrong to 4-year extension | St. Louis Post-Dispatch
This is definitely a thing that happened.

Oilers Game Day: At Winnipeg Jets | Edmonton Sun
I can't help but read this article in an excited Canadian accent.

Around the Hockeyverse

Down Goes Brown: NHL Western Conference trade grades | Sportsnet.ca
Sean McIndoe continues his look every teams trades from the 2017 calendar year. Spoiler Alert: Poile gets an A (as if one could really justify anything else).

NHL Network to air 11 live games in January | NHL.com
"Any Preds games in there?" LOL, who are we kidding?