Artyom Levshunov and Ryan Donato collided hard during a full-speed skating session at Chicago Blackhawks camp, and for a second, the whole building held its breath.
The two players met head-on at center ice, with Donato taking a solid shoulder hit that knocked him straight down.
Chicago can breathe easy, though. No injury was reported from the collision.
Donato posted 30 points in 82 games last season, going minus-16 for a Blackhawks team that finished 29-39-14.
Levshunov is already dealing with a hand injury of his own, listed as questionable for the start of the season, which made this collision an extra moment of concern for Chicago's staff watching from the bench.
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He posted 24 points in 68 games last season as a 20-year-old still adjusting to full NHL minutes on the back end.
Chicago is understandably nervous about keeping its key pieces healthy right now, especially with captain Connor Bedard still on the shelf.
Why every camp collision matters more this year
Bedard remains out after left shoulder surgery in July, with his return originally targeted for November.
He's already back on skates, a positive early sign, but any additional injury to another core piece would only add more pressure on a rebuild that's already leaning heavily on its young talent.
Chicago named Bedard captain despite his current absence, a decision that puts even more weight on the health of everyone else around him while he recovers.
Levshunov's own hand injury already has his season opener in question, and a second collision like this one is exactly the kind of moment that could have turned a difficult situation much worse.
Head coach Jeff Blashill now has to manage a training camp where full-speed drills carry real risk for a roster that can't afford to lose more pieces before the season even starts.
For now, both players walked away fine. But moments like this are a reminder of how thin Chicago's margin for error already is heading into this season.
Should the Blackhawks scale back full-speed camp drills given their current injury situation?
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