Blackhawks' Niklas Hjalmarsson: Will not compete in Worlds

Hjalmarsson turned down an invitation to suit up for Sweden at the 2017 IIHF World Championship, Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Analysis:

Given that Hjalmarsson missed the final three games of the regular season following the birth of a child, it shouldn't be too surprising he declined to play at Worlds. The blueliner was absent from the scoresheet during Chicago's opening-round series -- he failed to register a point and launched just one shot on goal -- but was by no means the only Blackhawks player to come up short against the Preds.