Thanks to the imminent return of first-line center Alex Zhamnov and the impending arrival of center/winger Tom Fitzgerald from Nashville, coach Brian Sutter was doing some mental toying with his line combinations Thursday.
Zhamnov practiced and plans to return to action Friday night against the Anaheim Mighty Ducks after missing four straight games and five of the last seven because of an injury to his right hip sustained during the Winter Olympics.
“I feel better,” said Zhamnov. “I think I will play.”
Fitzgerald, who was acquired Wednesday for a fourth-round draft choice and future considerations, was excused from coming to Phoenix for the practice and joined the team in Anaheim. The 33-year-old forward will make his Hawks debut against the Mighty Ducks.
“I wanted to see if Alex was going to be in there before I decided how to use Tom,” Sutter said after practice. “Getting Alex back is important. With him back and with Tom here now, there are a lot of possibilities.”
Sutter may use Fitzgerald as the right wing on the line with a pair of rookies, Mark Bell and Tyler Arnason. The coach also is thinking about playing Fitzgerald with Igor Korolev and Steve Thomas when Thomas comes back from the injured list after missing 45 games because of a fractured ankle.
Sutter hopes to have Thomas in the lineup for Monday’s game with Dallas, which begins a four-game homestand.
“I’m also thinking about moving one of the guys from the top two lines,” said Sutter. “Getting Tom and having [Thomas] again gives us four lines that can do a lot of things. That’s important.
“Until Tyler started scoring (three goals and an assist) in the last seven games, we basically were a team with just two scoring lines. Tyler didn’t have as good a game as he should have Tuesday. He’s got to get better.”
Zhamnov’s absence has taken a significant toll on the scoring of his linemates, Tony Amonte and Kyle Calder. Amonte has been limited to one goal and Calder to one assist in the games Zhamnov has missed.
Meanwhile, second-line center Michael Nylander has shifted into high gear, scoring four goals and assisting on three in the last seven games.
Numbers game: The acquisition of Fitzgerald and the return of Zhamnov leaves the Hawks one player over the roster limit. A forward will be farmed out to Norfolk on Friday.
Comeback commences: Defenseman Boris Mironov, who dislocated his shoulder in a freak mishap involving teammate Steve Sullivan during Monday’s loss in Los Angeles, began his rehabilitation program Thursday.
Mironov rode the exercise bike and did shoulder exercises.
