- Lukas Reichel could be set to lose a significant amount of money on his first NHL contract after his entry-level deal, per The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus, who shares that the promising 21-year-old was set for a comfy pay raise from his entry-level contract prior to the season, but now may only receive a cheap qualifying offer as a restricted-free agent after a season of struggles. Reichel has managed just eight points through 34 games this season and currently sits with a -19. And while Reichel continues to struggle, Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson and head coach Luke Richardson both told Lazerus that Reichel has proven he’s an NHL talent, and that a move to the AHL isn’t in the cards yet.
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Blackhawks Rumors
Blackhawks Place Taylor Raddysh On IR, Recall Boris Katchouk
The Blackhawks have made a pair of roster moves this morning as the team announced that they’ve placed winger Taylor Raddysh on injured reserve with a left groin strain. Taking his place on the roster will be winger Boris Katchouk who has been recalled from AHL Rockford.
Raddysh was a bright spot on Chicago’s offense last season, putting up 20 goals and 17 assists in 78 games in his first season of being a full-fledged regular after coming over from Tampa Bay in 2022. That was good for a tie for fourth in team scoring. However, production has been harder to come by this year as the 25-year-old has been limited to just five goals and five assists through 35 games so far despite logging over 16 minutes a night in playing time. Those numbers will stay put for the time being as with the placement, Raddysh will be out for at least the next week after being injured in the first period last night against Dallas.
As for Katchouk, he came to Chicago in the same swap as Raddysh but hasn’t had the same level of success. He had 16 points in 58 games last season and was with the Blackhawks for the first couple of months of the year, notching two goals and two helpers in 17 contests before clearing waivers earlier this month. Since then, he has played in six games with the IceHogs, picking up three tallies and two assists. He can play in ten games or be up for 30 days before needing to go through waivers once again.
Nick Foligno Open To Extension With Blackhawks
Before free agency opened up, the Blackhawks acquired the negotiating rights to winger Nick Foligno from Boston as part of the Taylor Hall trade. From there, they wasted little time signing him to a one-year, $4MM contract, one that many viewed as an overpayment but GM Kyle Davidson clearly valued his potential off-ice contributions as well.
To his credit, the 36-year-old has bounced back nicely this season, already notching eight goals and nine assists through 34 games, good for third on the team in scoring. One reason for the improvement is the fact that he’s logging more than five minutes per game extra compared to a year ago. Speaking with Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription link), GM Kyle Davidson indicated that it’s not too early to be thinking about the possibility of an extension and that there’s no reason that they wouldn’t want to keep him around while Foligno himself stated that he’s open to discussing a new deal as well:
I’m definitely open to talking. We got to move this in the right direction, so I want to be a part of that and helping. It’s great to hear (Davidson has been thinking about that). I’ve really haven’t had a ton of conversation with Kyle on that. But I’m of the mindset right now, I’m just taking it day by day, kind of being in the moment. And if that presents itself, we’ll discuss it with my agent and see if there’s a way forward. But all signs from me right now are I’m really loving everything about this organization and the guys and, like I said, trying to help push this in the direction I expect it to go.
Since Foligno is playing on a one-year agreement, he is ineligible to sign an extension until January 1st; Davidson noted that the two sides aren’t even able to discuss a new deal until then.
Having said that, it certainly would make sense for this arrangement to last a little longer. Davidson noted how Foligno has shown his value off the ice with a very young roster while on it, he is certainly contributing as well. The Blackhawks also have the benefit of being able to pay an above-market rate as they are now to keep him around; per CapFriendly, they barely have $35MM in commitments for next season which means they’re looking at roughly $30MM in needed spending simply to get to next year’s cap floor.
On the other hand, an early extension would take away the possibility of moving him at the trade deadline. Chicago has two of its three remaining salary retention slots available (the other is being used on Jake McCabe) and Foligno at a prorated $2MM price tag (if they retained the maximum 50%) would likely be appealing to some playoff-bound teams. A contract before the deadline would then take that potential return off the table.
But if Chicago values Foligno as much as it appears they do, getting him to put pen to paper on a new deal in the near future is worth foregoing what would likely be a mid-to-late-round selection in the draft. Accordingly, it feels like there’s a good chance the two sides will be able to work something out, even if they have to wait a little longer to officially start discussions.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Blackhawks Prospect Roman Kantserov Signs Two-Year Extension In KHL, Isaak Phillips Set To NHL Roster
KHL club Metallurg Magnitogorsk announced a flurry of contract extensions Thursday morning, including a two-year pact for Blackhawks right-wing prospect Roman Kantserov. The 19-year-old will remain in Russia through the 2025-26 season, although he wasn’t expected to challenge for NHL ice time before then.
- Sticking with the Blackhawks, the team converted defenseman Isaak Phillips’ emergency call-up to a regular one today, per CapFriendly. Phillips received his third call-up of the season earlier this month after youngster Kevin Korchinski took personal leave from the team after the death of his father. Korchinski returned to play for Chicago before the holiday break, but Phillips remained on the roster under emergency conditions as Seth Jones, Jarred Tinordi and Alex Vlasic were also sidelined with injuries. Jones remains out, but Tinordi and Vlasic are now healthy. That gives Chicago seven defenders on the active roster, including Phillips. The team’s choice to keep Phillips around instead of returning him to AHL Rockford is notable, given some comments made by head coach Luke Richardson earlier this week. He expressed disappointment in Phillips’ inconsistency despite the player’s belief that he’s ready for a full-time NHL role, calling him a “50-50 player” with some equal flashes of skill and defensive lapses. In 18 games across multiple recalls with the Blackhawks this season, Phillips has five assists and a -6 rating while averaging 18:08 per game. His 44.3% Corsi share at even strength and -3.8 expected rating are rather middle-of-the-pack on a weak Blackhawks roster, and only Jones and Korchinski have put up better possession metrics on the Chicago blueline this season.
- The Jets brought depth forward Dominic Toninato back up from AHL Manitoba prior to yesterday’s 2-1 loss to the Blackhawks, Jets color analyst Mitchell Clinton relayed. Toninato, who was waived just over two weeks ago, slotted into the lineup against Chicago in the wake of a lower-body injury to David Gustafsson, logging an assist in his first appearance of the season for Winnipeg in 8:23 of ice time. The Jets did not assign Toninato to the minors immediately after he cleared waivers, however, instead waiting until just before the holiday break to do so. Toninato, 29, was a healthy scratch in all 17 Winnipeg games he’d been rostered for this season before last night’s showing.
Latest On Andreas Athanasiou
- Chicago Blackhawks forward Andreas Athanasiou has hit a bit of a setback in his recovery from a groin injury, according to NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis. Roumeliotis relays word from head coach Luke Richardson who said that Athanasiou’s gym workouts have been shut down, though he plans to start them back up again now that he’s received clarity on the nature of his injury after visiting another doctor. While there still isn’t a firm timeline as to when the Blackhawks can expect to see the former 30-goal scorer back on the ice, it does seem as though that is still a ways away.
Latest On Seth Jones
Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones has not dressed for a game in 17 days due to a shoulder injury, but according to NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis, he could be getting closer to a return. He’s set to begin skating after the team’s five-game road trip concludes, and could see a return to game action relatively quickly after that point.
Jones is the Blackhawks’ most important defenseman and arguably the team’s most important player outside of rookie phenom Connor Bedard. Although he only has 11 points in 27 games this season, he’s averaging over 25 minutes of ice time per night and anchors both the team’s power play and penalty kill. Getting him back in the lineup would do wonders for the Blackhawks’ ability to remain competitive on a nightly basis.
Blackhawks, Phillips Not On Same Page In Terms Of Play
Currently on the roster through an emergency loan from December 9th, the top brass with the Chicago Blackhawks appear unconvinced that defenseman Isaak Phillips has earned a full-time spot with the NHL team, much to the dismay of Phillips. In an article by Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, Pope highlights the disappointment head coach Luke Richardson has had with the inconsistency still present in Phillips’ game.
Regardless of their opinion, without much in the way of NHL-ready talent available to the organization on the blue line, and factoring in the injuries to both Seth Jones and Alex Vlasic, the Blackhawks are all but forced to play Phillips most nights. In 17 games played so far this season for Chicago, Phillips has averaged approximately 18 minutes of ice time per night, playing in a shutdown role with veteran defenseman, Connor Murphy.
For most teams, the ’shutdown’ tandem on the blue line is generally tasked with lining up against the opposing team’s top offensive units, to suppress much of the firepower coming their way. For lack of better words, over his current stretch with the Blackhawks, Phillips has looked largely uncomfortable in his role.
Tyler Johnson Out With Injury
According to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, forward Tyler Johnson is the most recent injury to the Chicago Blackhawks roster, as he did not travel with the team to take on the St.Louis Blues. Johnson joins a growing list of high-priced members of the organization to go down with injury this season, as Seth Jones, Taylor Hall and Andreas Athanasiou all currently find themselves on the team’s injured reserve.
In the final season of a seven-year, $35MM contract originally signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning back in 2017, Johnson was included in a salary dump move to Chicago, who also acquired a second-round draft selection in the deal, that sent Brent Seabrook’s contract back the other way. Having his time with the Blackhawks mired by injury concerns, Johnson has only suited up in 114 games for the franchise, scoring 22 goals and 50 points overall.
- Sticking in Chicago, in an article today from Charlie Roumeliotis of NBCSN – Chicago, he mentions the growing trade value of Blackhawks’ forward Jason Dickinson leading up to the trade deadline. Being one of a handful of teams trying to stay above the salary cap floor, Chicago would have the ability to retain 50% ($1.325MM) of Dickinson’s contract, making him quite the bargain with 10 goals and 32 games this season.
Blackhawks Activate Jarred Tinordi
The Blackhawks activated defenseman Jarred Tinordi from injured reserve ahead of tonight’s game against the Canadiens, as reflected in CapFriendly’s transactions log. In two corresponding moves, defensemen Wyatt Kaiser and Filip Roos were returned to AHL Rockford from their emergency loans.
Tinordi, 31, is in the lineup tonight for the first time in over two weeks. He last suited up on December 5 against the Predators but left late in the game and immediately entered concussion protocol. He was retroactively placed on injured reserve within the week, though head coach Luke Richardson said yesterday that Tinordi was nearing a return (via Scott Powers of The Athletic).
It has been a trying season for Tinordi, as he already missed most of November with an oblique injury. The 2010 first-round pick has never truly solidified himself as an everyday NHL player, but he’s a de facto top-six defenseman for a Blackhawks team missing their top pair of Seth Jones and Alex Vlasic due to injuries, not to mention their existing paper-thin depth. Last season, his first in Chicago, Tinordi played a career-high 44 games and logged no minor-league time for just the second instance of his pro career. Since making his NHL debut with the Canadiens in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, Tinordi has appeared in 165 games for the Predators, Coyotes, Bruins, and Rangers in addition to Montreal and Chicago, scoring four goals, eight assists, 22 points, and posting a -40 rating while averaging 15:19 per game.
The bruising 6-foot-6, 230-pound defender has a snarl to his game but carries little else in the form of offensive or defensive upside. His possession numbers routinely rank near the bottom of the league, posting a cumulative career Corsi share of 44.6% at even strength – a remarkably low number given his 100-plus game run in the league. Tonight, he occupies a second-pairing role alongside Louis Crevier in his return to the lineup.
Kaiser and Roos return to Rockford after being recalled under emergency conditions in direct response to Jones’ and Tinordi’s injuries earlier this month, respectively.
Evening Notes: Blackwell, Kurashev, Broberg
The Chicago Blackhawks have announced that they’ve activated forward Colin Blackwell from non-roster status, and he will make his season debut this evening against the Colorado Avalanche. Blackwell has been sidelined since February 27th as he has been dealing with a sports hernia. Blackwell suffered multiple setbacks through the summer, his rehab process, as well as during training camp and talked at length about his frustration, but it appears that he has overcome the struggles and is set to get back on the ice.
The 30-year-old posted two goals and eight assists last season with Chicago as he dressed in 53 games in his first year with the club. Blackwell has played with five different teams during his five-year NHL career and should have plenty of incentive as he gets back into the lineup. He is set to hit unrestricted free agency next July when his two-year $2.4MM contract will be set to expire.
In other evening notes:
- Scott Powers of The Athletic is reporting that Chicago Blackhawks forward Philipp Kurashev will miss tonight’s game due to an illness. Kurashev is hardly the only player suffering from sickness this time of year as a lot of players have missed games due to illness recently. The 24-year-old is on pace to shatter his career high in points as he has six goals and 11 assists in 24 games this season. The native of Munsingen, Switzerland has never topped 25 points in any NHL season but should do so this year barring any unforeseen slump or injury. No word yet on a timeline for return, but the Blackhawks play twice more before the holiday break.
- TSN Insider Darren Dreger is reporting that Philip Broberg is still expected to be a trade candidate for the Edmonton Oilers, but perhaps not in the way many expected him to be. Dreger believes that Broberg could still be a central piece for the Oilers to add an impact player, but he also thinks that Broberg could become the sweetener in a deal to offload the contract of struggling goaltender Jack Campbell. Broberg has been relegated to AHL duties with the Bakersfield Condors but has been averaging over 25 minutes a night of ice time for the Oilers affiliate. Edmonton would do well to move on from Campbell, and it may cost them Broberg if they wish to do so.