Collarbone fracture surgery takes 12 weeks of Patrick Kane

Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane underwent surgery Wednesday on his fractured left clavicle and is expected to miss 12 weeks, the team announced.

Blackhawks head team physician Dr. Michael Terry and Dr. Bradley Merk performed the procedure at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

“Patrick underwent successful surgery today to repair his left clavicle fracture,” Terry said in a statement released by the team. “The procedure went very well and we anticipate a full recovery in approximately 12 weeks.”

Kane was placed on long-term injured reserve and only appears likely to return to action this season if the Hawks can make a deep run in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Teuvo Teravainen was recalled from Rockford to fill Kane’s roster spot, but the rookie won’t be counted on solely to fill Kane’s scoring role. Kane is tied for the NHL’s scoring lead with 27 goals and 37 assists and the Hawks will look to fill the void of the 26-year-old’s absence by committee and defensive structure.

The Blackhawks’ issue this season often has been defensive consistency. Their depth hasn’t been the same since they traded Nick Leddy prior to the season to get under the salary cap. Rookie defense man Trevor van Riemsdyk surprised many early on, but he’s been out since Nov. 16 with a knee injury; he could be back in March. Veteran defense men Johnny Oduya and Michal Rozsival haven’t been completely reliable, and the Blackhawks haven’t found an absolute answer in any of their defense man prospects. It doesn’t help them that Oduya also is injured right now. For all those reasons, defensive performance might be Bowman’s most pressing concern.

The next six days should be telling as the Blackhawks piece together a final roster for a stretch run without Kane. And with the Central Division far from being decided, there should be plenty of drama ahead.