When Michal Rozsival agreed to come back to the Blackhawks last off-season, the 38-year-old veteran defenseman knew he wasn’t going to play in all 82 games.

Or, most likely, in 60 or 70 games.

But 12 of the first 39? That he was not expecting.

“It’s not frustrating, but obviously you’d like to play a little more,” Rozsival said Wednesday before the team embarked on a three-game road trip. “But it’s the way it is.

“The team is playing well, the coaches like what they’re seeing out there and I kind of understand if the team is winning, there’s no reason to make any changes.”

Well, after a three-game losing streak coach Joel Quenneville did in fact make some blue-line changes for Thursday’s game at Nashville, and the Hawks prevailed 3-2 on late goals by Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. Rozsival was in the lineup for the first time since Dec. 11 and Michal Kempny was in for just the second time in 11 games. On Friday at Carolina, Rozsival sat once again, while Kempny remained in the lineup.

The Hawks are carrying eight defensemen this season, meaning two are going to be healthy scratches. Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Brian Campbell were locks all season until Campbell sat out Thursday to snap a streak of 423 straight appearances.

“He started all right, then he played very well, (but the) stretch recently wasn’t as good,” Quenneville told reporters Thursday.

Campbell, though, doesn’t figure to sit out many more games and with Trevor van Riemsdyk having found his form, that leaves one spot for either Rozsival, Kempny or Gustav Forsling.

Rozsival is often the odd man out because the Hawks like the 20-year-old Forsling, despite the Swede’s penchant for making a costly mistake or two during most games. Kempny, meanwhile, looked good early in the season but has struggled lately.

“Sometimes it’s based on performance, sometimes we want to make sure everybody’s staying fresh,” Quenneville said on how the Hawks decide who is in and who is out. “There are a lot of variables when we finally make our decision, but it’s nice to have so many options to discuss.”

Rozsival is a stay-at-home defenseman and has played well when called upon. He said Quenneville hasn’t said much about the lack of ice time — and that’s totally OK.

“I don’t need an ego boost,” said Rozsival, who played 51 games last season and 65 in 2014-15 for the Hawks. “I’ve been around players that have gone through this. I kind of try to find my own way to keep myself ready.

“Once in a while he says something, but it’s not a long conversation — it’s about a two-line sentence. As a player, that’s all you need. I understand the position I’m in.”

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