Blackhawks' Alec Martinez: Taken off injured reserve
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Martinez (groin) was activated off injured reserve ahead of Thursday's matchup with Seattle, per the NHL media site.
Martinez was officially deemed a game-time decision by head coach Luke Richardson, but his removal from injured reserve clears the way for the blueliner to suit up versus the Kraken. Considering the Michigan native hasn't reached the 20-point mark in three consecutive seasons, fantasy players probably shouldn't be expecting a ton of offensive output by Martinez the rest of the way.
Martinez will be a game-time decision for Thursday's tilt against Seattle, per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Martinez hasn't played since Oct. 15 due to the injury. He has an assist, one hit and 15 blocks in four appearances with Chicago in 2024-25. If he's ready to return Thursday, he'll likely serve on the top pairing alongside Seth Jones while Nolan Allan, who has dressed in Chicago's last 12 games, might shift the press box.
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Blackhawks' Alec Martinez: Might be available for Thursday
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Martinez (groin) practiced Wednesday and might be able to play Thursday, per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Martinez hasn't been in the lineup since Oct. 15 due to the injury. A determination about his status won't be made until Thursday, but if he is ready to go, then Martinez will likely serve on the top pairing alongside Seth Jones. That would probably result in Nolan Allan being a healthy scratch after remaining in the lineup for 12 straight games.
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Blackhawks' Alec Martinez: Won't return during road trip
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Martinez (groin) won't return during the Blackhawks' current road trip, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports Wednesday.
Martinez has been traveling with the Blackhawks during their current five-game road trip, but he's been ruled out for the final three matchups, which will take place Thursday in San Jose, Saturday in Los Angeles and Sunday in Anaheim. His earliest chance to return to action will be Nov. 6 against Detroit, and even if he isn't available against the Red Wings, it wouldn't be surprising to see him back in action sometime in early-to-mid-November.
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Blackhawks' Alec Martinez: Will travel with team
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Martinez (groin) is getting close to returning and will travel with the Blackhawks on their upcoming five-game road trip, which will begin Saturday in Dallas, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports Tuesday.
Martinez is expected to miss Tuesday's game versus Vancouver and Friday's clash against Nashville, but beyond that he might be able to draw back into the lineup. He has an assist, a hit and 15 blocks across four appearances this season. Martinez will serve in a top-four role when healthy.
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Blackhawks' Alec Martinez: Lands on IR
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Martinez was placed on injured reserve Thursday due to a right groin injury.
Martinez had already been ruled out for Thursday's home opener against the Sharks due to what was initially described as a lower-body injury, and he'll be sidelined for at least a week after being evaluated by the team's training staff. Nolan Allan will take Martinez's place in the third pairing alongside Connor Murphy on Thursday, while Isaak Phillips was recalled from AHL Rockford in a corresponding move.
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Blackhawks' Alec Martinez: Out of action Thursday
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Martinez (lower body) will miss Thursday's home game versus San Jose, Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN reports.
Martinez will be evaluated by the Chicago training staff and more should be known Friday. Martinez signed a one-year contract with the Blackhawks in the offseason after playing parts of the last five seasons with the Golden Knights. Martinez has an assist, four shots on goal and 15 blocked shots in four games this season. Nolan Allan is slated to take Martinez's place in the lineup alongside Connor Murphy on the third pairing.
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Blackhawks' Alec Martinez: Earns helper in loss
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Martinez recorded an assist and blocked two shots in Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Flames.
Martinez picked up his first point in four games with the Blackhawks. The defenseman has also done what he does best, racking up 15 blocked shots so far. The 37-year-old accumulated 165 blocks in just 55 regular-season contests with Vegas last season. Martinez should see top-four minutes throughout 2024-25, but his offense is likely to be limited, which in turn reduces his viability in fantasy formats that don't count blocks.
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Blackhawks' Alec Martinez: Going to Windy City
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Martinez signed a one-year, $4 million contract with Chicago on Monday, Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.
Martinez compiled four goals, 17 points, 72 shots on net and 165 blocked shots in 55 regular-season contests with Vegas in 2023-24. He can log over 19 minutes per game but will likely serve as a veteran depth defender for the Blackhawks in 2024-25.
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Golden Knights' Alec Martinez: Enters lineup, earns assist
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Martinez notched an assist and blocked two shots in Saturday's 2-1 overtime win over the Wild.
Martinez sat out four games, presumably as a healthy scratch. With Alex Pietrangelo (illness) returning, Martinez joined him on the third pairing for Saturday's contest. Martinez has 17 points, 69 shots on net, 157 blocked shots and a plus-5 rating through 49 contests, but the Golden Knights have many capable options on defense, so he may not be an everyday player down the stretch.
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Golden Knights' Alec Martinez: Removed from IR
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Martinez (lower body) was activated from injured reserve Sunday, per Jesse Granger of The Athletic.
Martinez appears to be ready to return to the lineup Sunday versus New Jersey following a four-game absence. He has compiled four goals, 16 points, 67 shots on net and 152 blocked shots in 45 contests this campaign.
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Golden Knights' Alec Martinez: Undergoes lower-body procedure
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Martinez, who was put on injured reserve Wednesday, has undergone a lower-body procedure that will keep him "out of the lineup short term," GM Kelly McCrimmon told Jesse Granger of The Athletic on Friday.
Martinez has four goals, 16 points and 152 blocks in 45 appearances this season. He's likely to serve in a bottom-four capacity once he's healthy, but Martinez probably won't have much of a role on the power play.
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Golden Knights' Alec Martinez: Surfaces on IR
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Martinez (undisclosed) was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, Jesse Granger of The Athletic reports.
The specific nature of Martinez's injury is a mystery, but he'll miss Vegas' next two games at a minimum now that he's on IR. With Martinez, who's picked up 16 points and 152 blocks through 45 contests this campaign, on the shelf, look for Ben Hutton or Daniil Miromanov to draw into the lineup versus Vancouver on Thursday.
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Golden Knights' Alec Martinez: Adds two more helpers
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Martinez recorded two assists in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the Predators.
Martinez wasn't negatively impacted by Shea Theodore's return Tuesday, aside from losing his power-play role. With five helpers over his last two games, Martinez is enjoying one of his best bursts of offense this season. He'll likely be focusing on the defensive side of things going forward, but he's had a good campaign with 16 points, 57 shots on net, 126 blocked shots and a plus-6 rating through 39 appearances.
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Golden Knights' Alec Martinez: Distributes three helpers
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Martinez notched three assists, two shots on goal, three blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Monday's 4-0 win over the Sharks.
Martinez assisted on the Golden Knights' last three goals of the game, including one on the power play. He had gone four contests without a point entering Monday. Martinez's time to shine may be near a close -- Shea Theodore (upper body) was activated from long-term injured reserve but didn't play Monday. If Theodore returns Tuesday versus the Predators, Martinez will likely lose some ice time and his power-play role. Through 38 appearances, Martinez has 14 points, 56 shots on net, 125 blocked shots and a plus-5 rating as a defensive ace in a top-four role.
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Golden Knights' Alec Martinez: Dishes two assists Saturday
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Martinez notched two assists, three shots on goal, five blocked shots and a minus-2 rating in Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Red Wings.
The Michigan native helped out on both of Vegas' tallies against his home state's team. Martinez enters the bye week with six helpers over his last nine outings -- he's been effective at both ends of the ice since moving onto the top pairing. The 36-year-old blueliner is up to 11 points, 49 shots on net, 109 blocks and a plus-3 rating through 33 contests overall.
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Golden Knights' Alec Martinez: Supplies helper Monday
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Martinez notched an assist, three blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Monday's 6-5 overtime loss to the Devils.
Martinez has four helpers, 22 blocked shots and a plus-5 rating over the last six games. The 36-year-old has been on the top pairing with Alex Pietrangelo in recent contests. Martinez is up to nine points, 44 shots on net, 98 blocks and a plus-5 rating through 30 appearances. While he's unlikely to sustain his recent pace for long, he's worth a look in formats that reward his defensive contributions.
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Golden Knights' Alec Martinez: Puts up assist in win
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Martinez notched an assist, two shots on goal and four blocked shots in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Penguins.
Martinez has embraced a larger role with three assists over the last five games. He'll likely continue to see big minutes with Shea Theodore (upper body) and Ben Hutton (upper body) among the Golden Knights' injured defensemen. Martinez is up to eight points, 43 shots on net and 95 blocked shots through 29 appearances this season.
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Golden Knights' Alec Martinez: Assists in consecutive games
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Martinez notched an assist, two PIM, two hits and two blocked shots in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Flames.
Martinez has picked up a helper in each of the last two games. His assist Saturday came on the lone Vegas goal of the game by Chandler Stephenson. Martinez won't pile up points with much regularity, instead focusing on the defensive side of things. The 36-year-old has seven points, 39 shots on net, 83 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating through 26 contests overall.
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Golden Knights' Alec Martinez: Helps out on power play
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Martinez logged a power-play assist and blocked five shots in Thursday's 2-1 overtime win over the Bruins.
Martinez helped out on a Jack Eichel tally in the third period. The assist snapped a five-game point drought for Martinez, who is not typically a consistent contributor on offense. Both of his assists this season have come on the power play, but he's added just four goals with 39 shots on net and 81 blocked through through 25 appearances.
