Blackhawks center Brad Richards to sit out remainder of regular season

Veteran center Brad Richards will miss the next three games of the regular season the Chicago Blackhawks announced Tuesday.

Veteran center Brad Richards will miss the remainder of the regular season, but is expected to return to action in time for the playoffs, the Chicago Blackhawks announced Tuesday. The team did not specify a reason for Richards missing game time, although SBNation reported Tuesday he is sitting out with an upper-body injury. 

As a result, undrafted free agent Kyle Baun will make his NHL debut Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild. 

Brad Richards is out for the next three games (should be ok for the playoffs). Kyle Baun set to make his NHL debut tonight. #CHIvsMIN

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 7, 2015

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Richards scored 12 goals and recorded 37 points in 76 games played during his inaugural season with the Blackhawks this year.  He spent his previous 13 NHL seasons playing for the Dallas Stars, New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning. 

The Blackhawks are 48-25-6 with three games remaining in the 2014-15 season and sit in fourth place in the Western Conference. 

The Blackhawks signed the 22-year-old Baun last month out of Colgate University. 

- Jack Jorgensen