Carcillo suspended indefinitely

The NHL suspended Daniel Carcillo indefinitely on Tuesday pending a hearing for his hit on Edmonton defenseman Tom Gilbert in Monday's loss.

There was no official word from the Blackhawks following practice on Tuesday regarding the condition of Carcillo, who apparently suffered a left knee injury on the hit that got him in trouble with the NHL.

Carcillo, who now has been suspended six times during his NHL career, earned a major penalty for boarding and a game misconduct for the Gilbert hit.

Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said Carcillo was undergoing further medical testing on Tuesday.

Quenneville responded “tough to say,” when asked if he feared the worst with Carcillo's injury.

While the Hawks should have known when they signed Carcillo as a free agent there likely would be nights like Monday when he hurt them with a bad penalty, it hasn't been a big issue with Quenneville.

“I think he's been fine,” Quenneville said. “He gives us a nice look. You appreciate what he brings, his intensity. He has some skill to compliment his aggressiveness. We still want him to play with energy, but has a track record that doesn’t help finding that line. His leash is definitely a lot shorter than most or every player. It’s tough finding that right balance, but from our perspective, I think he's doing everything we want.”

Carcillo certainly could have approached the hit differently, but Quenneville wasn't going there.

“It was a quick moment when he was going for a counter hit,” Quenneville said. “He probably had better leverage than the other guy. His intent wasn’t what happened.”

Meanwhile, Gilbert told reporters in Buffalo on Tuesday he should have been more aware it was Carcillo coming at him.

"I should have been more ready for a guy whose made those kind of hits before," Gilbert said.

Quenneville said the Hawks likely would recall a player from Rockford for games Thursday at Philadelphia and Friday against Colorado.

It might be gritty forward Andrew Shaw, who was signed to a three-year entry level contract on Tuesday. Quenneville said the timing of Shaw's signing had nothing to do with Carcillo's injury.

Marcus Kruger didn't practice again Tuesday and in back has had a setback in his recovery from a concussion.