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Taylor Hall Wants To Sign Extension With Chicago

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It’s not common for a 10-plus-year NHL veteran to have a strong desire to play for a rebuilding club, especially without having played in a Stanley Cup Final. According to an interview with Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, the Chicago Blackhawks’ Taylor Hall has different ideas about his future.

If Hall has his way he would be with the Blackhawks’ organization through their rebuild and into their next competitive window. Seravalli quoted Hall as saying, “I’d love to stay and be part of this. I’ve moved around quite a bit, maybe more than I would’ve liked or planned at the start of my career. But it’s brought me and led me to some amazing people, and I’ve had a lot of great life experiences, and that’s made me grow up a lot. In saying that, I like it here, I like the organization. Most of all, I really like this team and the group of guys we have. I think I can be a good piece for us as we keep growing“.

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Blackhawks Activate, Reassign Artyom Levshunov

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The Blackhawks have taken 2024 second-overall pick Artyom Levshunov off of season-opening injured reserve and assigned him to AHL Rockford, per a team release today. The move signals that he’s ready to return from a right foot injury that kept him out of rookie camp, preseason, and the first two weeks of the regular season.

Levshunov, 19 next week, should get a fair amount of runway with the IceHogs before being considered for NHL minutes – if he’s called up at all this season. The Belarus native did dominate the collegiate ranks last season, posting 35 points and a +27 rating in 38 games with Michigan State. That performance earned him multiple Big 10 honors, including an All-Rookie Team nod, the Defensive Player of the Year award, as well as Rookie of the Year. He was the Spartans’ nominee for the NCAA-wide Hobey Baker Award for the top collegiate player, and his freshman year showing helped Michigan win the Big 10 regular season title and the tournament championship.

Jumping from USHL to NCAA directly to NHL play is a tall task for anyone, though, especially for a teenage defenseman. Plopping him into a still-rebuilding environment likely isn’t the best thing for his development, and it’s unlikely the Blackhawks’ front office envisions doing so. They’ve been tentative with their defense prospects in recent years and making efforts to shield them from tough NHL minutes before they’re ready, including sending recent top-10 pick Kevin Korchinski down to Rockford after he spent all of last year on the Blackhawks roster.

If Levshunov fails to play 10 NHL games this season, his entry-level contract will slide to the 2025-26 campaign.

Blackhawks Sign Landon Slaggert To Two-Year Extension

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The Blackhawks have inked forward prospect Landon Slaggert to a two-year extension, per a team release. It’s a one-way deal worth $1.8MM in total, working out to a $900K cap hit.

Slaggert, 22, didn’t crack the Hawks out of camp this year on his first try. However, signing him to a one-way extension indicates Chicago likely doesn’t envision that happening again. He’ll require waivers starting next year.

A third-round pick in 2020, Slaggert had an up-and-down collegiate career at Notre Dame. But a strong senior season saw him shoot up the Blackhawks’ prospect rankings, leading them in scoring with 20 goals and 31 points in 36 contests. The well-rounded offensive forward earned a spot on the Big 10 Second All-Star Team and was the Fighting Irish’s nominee for the Hobey Baker Award for the top player in college hockey.

Slaggert signed his entry-level contract last March following the conclusion of his collegiate schedule and immediately reported to the Blackhawks, where he had a goal and three assists for four points in 16 appearances to close out the season. The Indiana native can play both left wing and center but started on the wing, where he averaged 11:16 per game and managed a +1 rating in largely defensive usage.

He was set to become a restricted free agent next summer. For now, Slaggert remains on assignment to AHL Rockford, where he had an assist and a +1 rating in his season debut against Grand Rapids last weekend. He’s a versatile depth piece without many standout strengths but few notable weaknesses, too, likely making him a projectable bottom-six fixture in the Windy City. He’ll now be an RFA upon expiry in 2027.

Blackhawks Place Alec Martinez On IR, Recall Isaak Phillips

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Scott Powers of The Athletic reported early today that Alec Martinez would not be in the lineup tonight for the Chicago Blackhawks while dealing with a lower-body injury. The organization confirmed Martinez would be out of the lineup for today and then some by placing him on injured reserve and recalling Isaak Phillips from their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs.

Chicago specified Martinez’s injury in the announcement saying it’s located in his right groin. His absence from the Blackhawks weakens an already scant left side of the Chicago defense. The organization signed Martinez to a one-year, $4MM contract this past offseason hoping to add some veteran leadership and Stanley Cup pedigree to their blue line. The Rochester Hills, MI native has tallied one assist in four games for Chicago up to this point in the season while averaging just over 21 minutes a night.

Phillips already gets his second look with the Blackhawks after being demoted to the AHL exactly one week ago. The former fifth-round pick of the 2020 NHL Draft may see some time next to Connor Murphy on the team’s bottom-pairing although Powers confirmed this morning that Nolan Allan would be making his second NHL appearance.

Phillips split time between Chicago and Rockford last season scoring four goals and 14 points in 29 games for the latter. Depending on the number of injuries to the Blackhawks’ blue line this season, Phillips should be a frequent recipient of similar roster moves. Chicago added enough depth up and down their lineup this past offseason allowing prospects such as Phillips to gain more confidence in the minors.

Central Notes: Wild, Avalanche, Korchinski

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The Minnesota Wild have shared that  Jared Spurgeon (lower-body) and Joel Eriksson Ek (broken nose) will both miss the team’s Tuesday night matchup against St. Louis. Forward Marcus Johansson is also questionable with an undisclosed injury, shares Michael Russo of The Athletic. Johansson was absent from the team’s Tuesday morning practice, while both Spurgeon and Eriksson Ek also missed the team’s Sunday game.

Injury news hasn’t favored Minnesota through the early going. The absentees – Spurgeon and Eriksson Ek – stand as two of the most-utilized Wild skaters, each playing over 19 minutes of ice time in the team’s season debut. Eriksson Ek recorded an assist and three shots in the outing, while Spurgeon’s only recorded stat was a pair of shots. The duo are both pillars of Minnesota’s lineup, and they left big shoes to fill when they went down with injuries. The Wild responded by moving Zach Bogosian and Marco Rossi into bigger roles on Sunday, though that outing resulted in an overtime loss to Winnipeg.

Minnesota now not only has to find fill-ins for a pair of top-liners, but could also need a replacement for Johansson’s spot on line-three. Johansson has recorded two points in three games through the early going – one of just five Wild with multiple points so far. It’ll be extra forward Travis Boyd who steps in, should Johansson be downgraded to out.

Other notes from the Midwest:

  • The Colorado Avalanche also have a pair of injury updates, announcing that defender Devon Toews (lower-body) is hopeful for the team’s Wednesday game, while forward Jonathan Drouin (upper-body) has been ruled out, per Corey Masisak of The Denver Post. Drouin seemed to suffer an injury in Colorado’s season opener last Wednesday, and has missed both games Colorado has played since. No specifics of his injury have been revealed. Toews also missed Colorado’s most recent game. The specifics of his injury are also unclear, especially with no clear indication of when the injury occurred. Oliver Kylington filled Toews’ role on the top-pair in his’ absence, and stands to continue garnering more minutes should the star sit out once again.
  • Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Kevin Korchinski scored a flashy, coast-to-coast goal in the AHL Rockford IceHogs’ season debut, leading to conversations about when Korchinski may be ready to return to the NHL. He played in 76 games on a deprived Blackhawks blue-line last season, but posted a less-than-inspiring 15 points and -39. That prompted Chicago to assign him to the minors to start this season, with Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson telling Scott Powers of The Athletic that the team hopes it’ll boost Korchinski’s confidence. Davidson acknowledged that the team may have asked too much of the rookie last season, and that building up his confidence will be top priority in the AHL. He told Powers, “You just want him to get that confidence back that he had in junior, and that’s going to take time, especially at the pro level.” IceHogs head coach Anders Sorensen agreed with Davidson, adding that he’s encouraging Korchinski to drive the puck downhill and challenge opposing forwards more. The 20-year-old defender certainly showed that ability with his inaugural AHL goal, and could be on a quick route back to the NHL roster once he gains the confidence to do that routinely.

Blackhawks Activate Wyatt Kaiser, Reassign Isaak Phillips

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As alluded to a few days ago, Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Wyatt Kaiser will start his season against the Winnipeg Jets tomorrow night. The Blackhawks announced they have activated Kaiser off of injured reserve while reassigning defenseman Isaak Phillips to their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs.

Wyatt Kaiser missed Chicago’s regular-season opener against the Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday night due to an illness. Fortunately, he didn’t miss much, as the Blackhawks lost decisively to the league’s newest team.

It may take some time for Kaiser to catch up to speed with the Blackhawks as the former 81st overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft failed to play in the preseason thanks to an undisclosed injury suffered early on in training camp. He’s coming off a 2023-24 regular season tallying seven assists in 32 games while averaging 17:19 of ice time per game. He should slot into the left side of the bottom pair next to veteran Connor Murphy when he’s fully ready to play.

Phillips stayed with the Blackhawks after clearing waivers on the last day before the regular season. He did not skate with Chicago in their opening night loss and will now look to play more consistently in Rockford. Phillips has been a reliable player for the IceHogs since transitioning to professional hockey in 2020-21 scoring 22 goals and 71 points in 171 contests.

Central Notes: Kaiser, Johnston, Bourque, Lehkonen

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Chicago Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson told the media today that young defenseman Wyatt Kaiser will be ready to return to the lineup either late in the team’s season-opening road trip or shortly after (as per Ben Pope of The Chicago Sun-Times). Chicago starts the season with four games on the road, which puts Kaiser’s timeline to return from his illness sometime around mid-October.

The Blackhawks placed Kaiser on the IR this past Friday and made it retroactive to September 19th, but given the timeline, it appears that he may only be out of action for another week or possibly two.

In other Central Division notes:

  • Dallas Stars forward Wyatt Johnston has been called probable for opening night by Stars head coach Peter DeBoer (as per Dallas Stars reporter Brien Rea). Johnston practiced with the team today, albeit in a limited capacity, as he tries to recover from an undisclosed injury. The 21-year-old was the Stars’ leading scorer last year, posting 32 goals and 33 assists in 82 games. The Toronto, Ontario native was also fantastic in the playoffs tallying 10 goals and six assists in 19 playoff games.
  • Stars reporter Brien Rea also reported that Dallas rookie Mavrik Bourque has been called doubtful for the team’s season opener. The reigning AHL MVP posted 26 goals and 51 assists in 71 games last season with the Texas Stars and is expected to take a permanent role in the NHL this season. With Bourque out, it likely means that Oskar Bäck will make his NHL debut in his place.
  • Colorado Avalanche beat writer Evan Rawal writes that forward Artturi Lehkonen won’t be back with the team for a little bit longer. Lehkonen has a five-month check-in at the end of October and that meeting will determine how the team and player can advance from there. Lehkonen underwent shoulder surgery in May and was placed on the injured non-roster list today meaning that he likely won’t return until November at the earliest.

Waiver Wire: 10/6/24

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Today is the major day for the waiver wire as most teams in the NHL are preparing the 23-man rosters for the 2024-25 NHL season. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirmed that all players on waivers from yesterday have cleared. The following list is each player placed on waivers this afternoon as reported by PuckPedia.

Boston Bruins

F Patrick Brown
G Brandon Bussi
G Jiri Patera
D Billy Sweezey
F Jeffrey Viel

Buffalo Sabres

D Kale Clague
G James Reimer
F Lukas Rousek

Calgary Flames

G Devin Cooley
F Jakob Pelletier
F Cole Schwindt

Carolina Hurricanes

F Josiah Slavin
D Ty Smith
F Ryan Suzuki

Chicago Blackhawks 

D Isaak Phillips

Detroit Red Wings

F Sheldon Dries
D Justin Holl
D William Lagesson
D Brogan Rafferty
F Joe Snively

Edmonton Oilers

D Josh Brown
F Drake Caggiula
F Raphael Lavoie
G Olivier Rodrigue

Los Angeles Kings

G Pheonix Copley
F Samuel Fagemo
F Jack Studnicka

Nashville Predators

D Marc Del Gaizo

New Jersey Devils

F Shane Bowers
D Nick DeSimone
F Nolan Foote
D Colton White

New York Islanders

D Samuel Bolduc
F Pierre Engvall
F Hudson Fasching
F Liam Foudy
G Marcus Hogberg
D Grant Hutton
F Fredrik Karlstrom
G Jakub Skarek

New York Rangers

D Matthew Robertson

Ottawa Senators

F Adam Gaudette
F Jan Jenik

Pittsburgh Penguins

D Sebastian Aho
F Bokondji Imama

St. Louis Blues

D Corey Schueneman
D Tyler Tucker

Tampa Bay Lightning

F Gage Goncalves
D Steven Santini
F Jesse Ylonen

Toronto Maple Leafs

G Matt Murray
D Marshall Rifai

Utah Hockey Club

G Matt Villalta

Vancouver Canucks

D Erik Brannstrom

Vegas Golden Knights

F Zach Aston-Reese
F Tanner Laczynski
F Jonas Rondbjerg

Washington Capitals

G Hunter Shepard

Winnipeg Jets

F Jaret Anderson-Dolan

Training Camp Cuts: 10/6/24

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The NHL pre-season has ended, sparking the frantic rush for final roster cuts across the league before the regular season begins. Final rosters are due by 5 P.M. on October 7th and, as always, we’ll follow the day’s cuts below.

Last updated: 4:53 p.m.

Boston Bruins (per team announcement)

G Ryan Bischel (to AHL Providence)
F Patrick Brown (to AHL Providence, pending waivers)
G Brandon Bussi (to AHL Providence, pending waivers)
D Michael Callahan (to AHL Providence)
F Riley Duran (to AHL Providence)
D Jackson Edward (to AHL Providence)
F Brett Harrison (to AHL Providence)
G Kasimir Kaskisuo (to AHL Providence)
F Fabian Lysell (to AHL Providence)
F Georgii Merkulov (to AHL Providence)
F Jaxon Nelson (to AHL Providence)
G Jiri Patera (to AHL Providence, pending waivers)
D Billy Sweezey (to AHL Providence, pending waivers)
F Jeffrey Viel (to AHL Providence, pending waivers)

Carolina Hurricanes (per team announcement)

F Skyler Brind’Amour (to AHL Chicago)
D Domenick Fensore  (to AHL Chicago)
F Sam Gagner (released from PTO)
F Rocco Grimaldi (released from PTO)
F Noel Gunler (to AHL Chicago)
D Aleksi Heimosalmi (to AHL Chicago)
D Anttoni Honka (to NL HC Ajoie)
F Juha Jaaska (to AHL Chicago)
G Ruslan Khazheyev (to AHL Chicago)
D Charles-Alexis Legault (to AHL Chicago)
G Spencer Martin (to AHL Chicago)
D Scott Morrow (to AHL Chicago)
F Bradly Nadeau (to AHL Chicago)
G Yaniv Perets (to AHL Chicago)
F Justin Robidas (to AHL Chicago)
D Ronan Seeley (to AHL Chicago)
F Josiah Slavin (to AHL Chicago, pending waivers)
D Ty Smith (to AHL Chicago, pending waivers)
F Felix Unger Sorum (to AHL Chicago)
F Ryan Suzuki (to AHL Chicago, pending waivers)
F Gleb Trikozov (to AHL Chicago)

Chicago Blackhawks (per CHGO Blackhawks)

F Brandon Baddock (released from PTO to AHL Rockford)
G Drew Commesso (to AHL Rockford)
D Louis Crevier (to AHL Rockford)
F Colton Dach (to AHL Rockford)
D Ethan Del Mastro (to AHL Rockford)
F Cole Guttman (to AHL Rockford)
D Kevin Korchinski (to AHL Rockford)
F Frank Nazar (to AHL Rockford)
F Zach Sanford (to AHL Rockford)
F Samuel Savoie (to AHL Rockford)
F Landon Slaggert (to AHL Rockford)
D Austin Strand (released from PTO to AHL Rockford)

Columbus Blue Jackets (per team announcement)

D Denton Mateychuk (to AHL Cleveland)

Dallas Stars (per team announcement)

D Kyle Capobianco (to AHL Texas)
G Magnus Hellberg (to AHL Texas)
F Cameron Hughes (to AHL Texas)
F Kole Lind (to AHL Texas)
D Alexander Petrovic (to AHL Texas)
F Mathias Emilio Pettersen (to AHL Texas)

Detroit Red Wings (per team announcement)

F Michael Brandsegg-Nygård (to SHL Skellefteå AIK)
G Sebastian Cossa (to AHL Grand Rapids)
F Nate Danielson (to AHL Grand Rapids)
D Tory Dello (to AHL Grand Rapids)
G Carter Gylander (to AHL Grand Rapids)
F Cross Hanas (to AHL Grand Rapids)
F Marco Kasper (to AHL Grand Rapids)
F Carter Mazur (to AHL Grand Rapids)
F Elmer Söderblom (to AHL Grand Rapids)
D Antti Tuomisto (to AHL Grand Rapids)
D Eemil Viro (to AHL Grand Rapids)
D William Wallinder (to AHL Grand Rapids)

Edmonton Oilers (per team announcement)

D Josh Brown (to AHL Bakersfield, pending waivers)
F Drake Caggiula (to AHL Bakersfield, pending waivers)
F Raphael Lavoie (to AHL Bakersfield, pending waivers)
F Noah Philp (to AHL Bakersfield)
G Olivier Rodrigue (to AHL Bakersfield, pending waivers)

Florida Panthers (per team announcement)

D Matt Kiersted (to AHL Charlotte)
F William Lockwood (to AHL Charlotte)

Los Angeles Kings (per team announcement)

G Pheonix Copley (to AHL Ontario, pending waivers)
F Samuel Fagemo (to AHL Ontario, pending waivers)
F Andre Lee (to AHL Ontario)
F Jack Studnicka (to AHL Ontario, pending waivers)

New Jersey Devils (per team announcement)

F Shane Bowers (to AHL Utica, pending waivers)
G Nico Daws (to AHL Utica)
D Nick DeSimone (to AHL Utica, pending waivers)
F Nolan Foote (to AHL Utica, pending waivers)
D Colton White (to AHL Utica, pending waivers)

New York Rangers (per team announcement)

D Connor Mackey (to AHL Hartford)

San Jose Sharks (per team announcement)

D Jérémie Bucheler (to AHL San Jose)
F Nolan Burke (to AHL San Jose)
F Colin White (to AHL San Jose)
D Jimmy Schuldt (to AHL San Jose)

Seattle Kraken (per team announcement)

F John Hayden (to AHL Coachella Valley)
D Josh Mahura (to AHL Coachella Valley)

St. Louis Blues (per team announcement)

F Zach Dean (to AHL Springfield)
F Dalibor Dvorsky (to AHL Springfield)
F Aleksanteri Kaskimaki (to AHL Springfield)
F Mathias Laferriere (to AHL Springfield)
F Hugh McGing (to AHL Springfield)
F Dylan Peterson (to AHL Springfield)
D Samuel Johannesson (to AHL Springfield)
D Hunter Skinner (to AHL Springfield)
G Vadim Zherenko (to AHL Springfield)

Tampa Bay Lightning (per Eduardo A. Encica of the Tampa Bay Times)

F Dylan Duke (to AHL Syracuse)
F Gage Goncalves (to AHL Syracuse, pending waivers)
F Maxim Groshev (to AHL Syracuse)
F Jesse Ylonen (to AHL Syracuse, pending waivers)
F Gabriel Szturc (to AHL Syracuse)
D Steven Santini (to AHL Syracuse, pending waivers)
D Matt Tomkins (to AHL Syracuse)
D Declan Carlile (to AHL Syracuse)
F Ethan Gauthier (to QMJHL Drummondville)

Blackhawks Recall Nine Players, Sign Austin Strand To PTO

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While some teams will be dressing close to their full lineups to end the preseason, the Blackhawks will not be one of them.  Instead, the team announced that they’ve recalled nine players from AHL Rockford while also signing defenseman Austin Strand to a PTO agreement.

The forwards getting the brief promotion are Colton Dach, Cole Guttman, Frank Nazar, Zach Sanford, Samuel Savoie, and Landon Slaggert.  Meanwhile, the blueliners receiving the extra preseason game are Louis Crevier, Ethan Del Mastro, and Kevin Korchinski.

Nazar and Korchinski are the headliners of the group.  Both are projected to be key players long-term for the Blackhawks and should see regular NHL action at some point this season.  Korchinski spent last season in Chicago as he was ineligible to play in the minors, notching 15 points in 76 games while Nazar was a late-season signing after leaving the University of Michigan.  He scored in his NHL debut, his lone point in three contests.

Among the others, five of the seven recalls saw NHL action last season with only Dach and Savoie waiting for their first regular season opportunity at the top level.  Of that group, Guttman saw the most action with 27 games (notching eight points) while Crevier had three helpers in 24 contests.  Slaggert had four points in 16 appearances, Sanford had four helpers in 18 games after being claimed off waivers, while Del Mastro was held off the scoresheet in two outings.

All of these players had already been cut from training camp and barring any injuries of note in the coming days, are all expected to be returned to the IceHogs, potentially as soon as after tonight’s contest against St. Louis.

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