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Chicago Blackhawks Reassign Alex Pharand, Samuel Savoie

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With their regular season coming to an end against the Chicago Wolves this past Sunday, the Rockford IceHogs, the AHL affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks, will be receiving some solid reinforcements for the 2023-24 Calder Cup playoffs. In an announcement coming from the team, the Blackhawks have reassigned forward prospects Alex Pharand and Samuel Savoie to Rockford in preparation for the playoffs.

Pharand, who was selected with the 99th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft, just wrapped up his third season with his hometown team, the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League. In 68 games for the Wolves, Pharand scored 17 goals and 30 points in total, tied for 11th on the team in scoring. Although he is a strong skater and can create offensive opportunities with his deking ability, Pharand is more well known as a defensive forward with the ability to backcheck better than most of his peers.

Savoie, on the other hand, was a higher-drafted player compared to Pharand, going 81st overall to the Blackhawks in the 2022 NHL Draft. Carrying a higher-upside offensive potential, Savoie just completed his fourth season in the QMJHL and his first as a member of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. Limited to only 21 games due to a broken femur suffered in Chicago’s training camp on September 30th, Savoie still managed to score 10 goals and 22 points in total.

With the IceHogs set to take on the Grand Rapids Griffins in the Central Division Semifinals, each player will have an opportunity to make an impact at the AHL level. Nevertheless, even if the team is unable to make a deep run in the Calder Cup playoffs, it will be an invaluable experience for two prospects looking to aid the Blackhawks organization in their return to competitiveness.

Blackhawks Focused On Building Up The Roster

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  • Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson shared that it’s time for the team to build up, says Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link). Chicago finished second-last in the league this season, on the back of a forward group that looked desolate when it lost Connor Bedard and Taylor Hall to injury. Finding offensive support will likely be the focus of their building efforts, as the Hawks prepare to weaponize their $38MM projected cap space this summer.

Blackhawks Notes: Vlasic, Murphy, Blackwell

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The Chicago Blackhawks could ink rookie defenseman Alex Vlasic to a long-term deal this summer, shares Ben Pope of The Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link). Vlasic told Pope, “I want to be [in Chicago] as long as possible.” The 22-year-old defenseman is set to become a restricted free agent for the first time in his career this season, having played through his 2021 entry-level contract.

Vlasic was maybe the surprise of the season in Chicago, fighting his way up to top-pairing ice time early in the year and not relinquishing it. He would go on to record 16 points and 45 penalty minutes in 76 games, while averaging nearly 22 minutes of ice time. He became the de facto partner for top defenseman Seth Jones – with the pairing recording over 850 even-strength minutes together, Chicago’s only pair to play even 400 minutes together.

Vlasic carved out a confident role and should be due a confident deal when he re-signs this summer. Pope compared Vlasic’s negotiations to K’Andre Miller and Mattias Samuelsson when trying to project what a new deal may look like. Both players pulled in a cap hit of around $4MM, though Miller signed a short-term bridge while Samuelsson received seven years. It’s likely Chicago leans on the side of longer term, with brighter days yet to come.

Other notes out of the Windy City:

  • Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy shared that the injury that held him out of the season finale wasn’t exactly a reinjury of his groin injury, but more of a “tweak”, per Pope (Twitter link). Murphy added that the injury will affect his off-season training plans, though he’s happy to have time off to get back to full health. Murphy played in just 46 games this season, recording eight points, 40 penalty minutes, and a -19. He served in a solid role, averaging nearly 20 minutes of ice time, though that may have been out of necessity more than desire for a Hawks blue-line that iced 12 different defensemen this season. Murphy will hope to regain health and hang onto his strong role in Chicago as he approaches his eighth season with the club next year.
  • Hawks forward Colin Blackwell shared that he would love to stay in Chicago, per NBC Sports’ Charlie Roumeliotis (Twitter link). Blackwell is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer – one of 19 free agents in Chicago’s system. He’s spent the last two seasons in Chicago, totaling 22 points in 97 games with the club. While meager scoring, Blackwell has served in a reliable bottom-six role and maintained his discipline, totaling just 16 penalty minutes over the last two seasons. He’ll likely return to a consistent fourth-line role if he signs a new deal with Chicago.

Blackhawks Notes: Johnson, Bedard, Kurashev, Captaincy

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The Chicago Blackhawks can expect to lose Tyler Johnson this summer, reports Ben Pope of The Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link), with the veteran forward instead hoping to sign with a playoff contender. Johnson told Pope, “I’m obviously thankful for being here, I’ve met a lot of good people, but it wasn’t exactly like I envisioned or wanted.”

Johnson’s Blackhawks career certainly hasn’t gone as the team may have expected either. He joined the Hawks ahead of the 2021-22 season, after years of filling a solid role, and routinely challenging 50 points, with the Tampa Bay Lightning. But as forewarned by his last two years in Tampa Bay, injuries have heavily limited Johnson’s career in Chicago. He’s missed 97 games over the last three seasons, including playing in just 26 games in 2021-22 due to a neck injury. Those absences have kept him from finding a true groove with the Blackhawks, scoring just 70 points in 149 games and never averaging more than 16 minutes of ice time. Chicago iced one of the youngest lineups in the league this season and seems bound to do much of the same next year, as they attempt to build a franchise around Connor Bedard. After years of injury issues and low scoring, it’s easy to see why the 33-year-old Johnson may prefer a more productive end to his career. He’s set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st.

Other notes out of Chicago:

  • Speaking of Bedard, he’s confirmed that he is headed to the World Championship with Team Canada, per The Athletic’s Scott Powers (Twitter link). This is hardly a surprise – Bedard has been a fixture of international hockey since he tied Connor McDavid’s record for U16 scoring (14 points) at the World U18 Championship in 2021. Bedard has officially totaled 21 points in 11 games with Canada’s U18 team and 31 points in 14 games with the U20 team. He’ll look to build on that phenomenal scoring this summer, now at the top level of international play.
  • Bedard’s linemate, Philipp Kurashev, will also be headed to the World Championship to play for Team Switzerland, shares Pope (Twitter link). Kurashev and Bedard quipped that their top goal will be to score on Petr Mrazek, who will suit up for Team Czechia. This will be Kurashev’s fourth consecutive season attending the World Championship, having totaled 13 points in 24 games over the last three tournaments.
  • Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson shared that the team isn’t yet sure if they’ll have a captain next season, per NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis (Twitter link), adding that it’ll be an off-season conversation with the coaches. The Hawks haven’t had a captain since Jonathan Toews’ career ended in the 2022-23 season, though they did have five different alternate captains last year. Whoever takes on the role will be setting history, becoming the first Blackhawks captain since a 20-year-old Toews took on the role in 2008. Toews’ 14-year tenure in the role makes him one of the longest-tenured captains in NHL history – a list led by Steve Yzerman’s 19 seasons leading the Detroit Red Wings.

AHL Shuffle: 4/19/24

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Half the league has played their last games for the 2023-24 campaign, while the other half is gearing up for postseason action starting tomorrow. Either way, squads are making roster adjustments today, whether it’s assigning players back to the minors after their NHL seasons came to a close or recalling reinforcements for their playoff runs. We’ll keep track of all of today’s moves here:

  • The Bruins have recalled center John Beecher and defenseman Mason Lohrei from AHL Providence. Both will be available for tomorrow’s Game 1 of Boston’s first-round series against the Maple Leafs. The pair of youngsters were assigned to the minors throughout the last week for playing time down the stretch after spending most of the campaign on the NHL roster. They’ll likely be scratches for tomorrow’s contest, but after combining for 93 games played in the regular season, head coach Jim Montgomery won’t hesitate to plug them into the playoff lineup.
  • The Flames have assigned forwards Matthew Coronato and Adam Klapka, defenseman Ilya Solovyov, and goaltender Dustin Wolf to AHL Calgary. The NHL club’s regular season came to an end last night in a 5-1 win over the Sharks, a game all four players involved in today’s transaction played in. Wolf, one of the league’s top goaltending prospects, ended his season on a high note with 16 saves on 17 shots after putting up underwhelming numbers down the stretch for the Flames. All four will play major roles for the Wranglers over the next couple of weeks, at the very least, as they’ve clinched a spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
  • The Capitals have recalled goaltender Mitchell Gibson from ECHL South Carolina. The 24-year-old, who has no NHL experience, is in his first full season of pro hockey after spending the last four seasons in collegiate hockey at Harvard. He’ll serve as a Black Ace and emergency backup as their first-round matchup against the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Rangers gets underway. A fourth-round pick of the Caps back in 2018, he has a .899 SV%, 2.56 GAA, three shutouts, and a 22-14-3 record in 42 appearances with South Carolina this year, as well as a .915 SV% and a perfect record in two showings with AHL Hershey.
  • In a similar move, the Predators have brought up netminder Gustavs Grigals from ECHL Atlanta. Undrafted, the Latvian had spent the season in the Nashville organization on a minor-league contract before receiving a two-way deal from the Preds on deadline day. The 25-year-old was excellent last year for UMass-Lowell after transferring from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, posting a .924 SV% in 24 games and earning Hockey East Third All-Star Team honors. He’s adjusted decently well to the pro ranks, posting a .900 SV% and three shutouts behind a defensively challenged Atlanta squad in 34 appearances with an 11-19-0 record.
  • The Blackhawks have assigned forward prospect Lukas Reichel to AHL Rockford to finish his season. Chicago expected the 21-year-old to take a major step forward in his development this season and supplant himself as a top-six fixture for the future along with Connor Bedard, but it didn’t work out that way. The 2020 first-round pick was arguably among the worst players in the league this season, limited to five goals and 16 points in 65 games with a -29 rating despite seeing second-line looks for much of the season. His average ice time dipped to almost 14 minutes per game by the end of the campaign, however.
  • The Jets have assigned forwards Nikita Chibrikov, Parker Ford, Brad Lambert, and goaltender Collin Delia to AHL Manitoba. Winnipeg recalled the foursome yesterday to provide reinforcements for yesterday’s regular-season finale against the Canucks. Chibrikov and Lambert made their NHL debuts, with the former notching his first NHL goal in the process. Delia backed up Laurent Brossoit while Jennings Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck was given the night off entirely, while Ford was a healthy scratch. Delia was again recalled under emergency conditions later Friday, suggesting he’ll be available as a Black Ace/emergency backup for Game 1 against the Avalanche on Sunday.
  • The Coyotes have made likely the final group of transactions in franchise history, returning forwards Dylan Guenther, Josh Doan, Aku Raty, and defensemen Michael Kesselring and Vladislav Kolyachonok to AHL Tucson. The sale of the team’s hockey operations to Salt Lake City-based Smith Entertainment Group was approved by the NHL’s Board of Governors yesterday, rendering the Coyotes franchise inactive and establishing a new franchise in Utah. The five youngsters will finish the season in the Calder Cup Playoffs with the Roadrunners. Some of these players, likely Guenther and Doan at a minimum, will travel to Salt Lake City and will be a part of that team’s opening-night squad next season. The others may remain in Tucson, which is expected to serve as the Utah franchise’s minor-league affiliate.
  • The Oilers have assigned defenseman Philip Broberg and winger Adam Erne to AHL Bakersfield. The pair were recalled earlier in the week to allow the Oilers to rest stars like Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard before kicking off their first-round playoff series against the Kings in a few days. They’ll return to playoff-bound Bakersfield for now but will be among the first in line for recalls if necessary.
  • The Kings have assigned forward Alex Turcotte to AHL Ontario. He’d spent most of the last week in the minors on an LTI conditioning loan, but was activated off LTIR and reinstated to the NHL roster on Tuesday. He didn’t play in the Kings’ final game of the regular season last night, though. The 23-year-old presumably won’t be in their Game 1 lineup against the Oilers and will report for playoff action with the Reign.
  • The Islanders have summoned goaltender Jakub Skarek from AHL Bridgeport, per the league’s media site. The 23-year-old comes up to serve as the extra/reserve netminder as the Islanders begin their first-round series with Bridgeport eliminated from playoff contention. The 2018 third-round pick has again struggled in the third-string spot, posting a .888 SV% and 7-22-6 record in 36 appearances for the AHL Isles this year. He was passed over for recalls earlier in the regular season in favor of veteran Kenneth Appleby.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Taylor Hall Out Of Blackhawks' Season Finale

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  • Taylor Hall won’t be slotting into the Chicago Blackhawks’ season finale, per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun Times (Twitter link). This news comes despite Hall appearing at the team’s Thursday morning skate. He’ll close his season having not played since November 19th, when he suffered an ACL injury that required surgery. Hall played in just 10 games this year, the fewest games of a season in his 14-year career. He scored four points in those appearances. Hall is under contract with Chicago through the end of next season, carrying a $6MM cap hit.

Blackhawks Reassign Ethan Del Mastro

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The Blackhawks announced they’ve assigned defenseman Ethan Del Mastro to AHL Rockford. As expected, he’ll finish the season in the minors after playing his first two NHL games over the past week.

Chicago recalled Del Mastro, 21, for his NHL debut last Thursday. He didn’t record a point but excelled in shutdown usage, posting a 45.2 CF% and +0.3 expected rating in a pair of losses to the Predators and Hurricanes. The Hawks were outshot by a combined total of 70-42 in those contests.

The 2021 fourth-rounder is in his first professional season with Rockford, where he’s settled in as their number-one defenseman with seven goals, 37 points, and a +15 rating. All of those are team highs among blue-liners. It’s a promising early sign for the former OHL All-Star, who also took home gold with Canada at last year’s World Juniors. With veterans, Jaycob Megna, Jarred Tinordi and Nikita Zaitsev on expiring NHL deals, Del Mastro may be playing his way into an opening night roster spot next October.

Two seasons remain on his entry-level contract, with a cap hit of $856K. He’ll be an RFA in 2026.

Petr Mrázek To Represent Czechia At Worlds, Martin Mišiak Signs AHL ATO

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  • Blues breakout winger Jake Neighbours has likely played his last game of the season, interim head coach Drew Bannister said Saturday (via NHL.com’s Lou Korac). The 22-year-old is dealing with an upper-body injury he sustained on April 6 against the Sharks. He’s missed the last three games and is on track to miss St. Louis’ final two after they were eliminated from playoff contention last night. It puts a bow on a good campaign for the 2020 first-round pick, who set career highs with 27 goals, 11 assists and 38 points in 77 games while creeping into top-six minutes (15:42 per game). While his nearly 19% shooting rate is likely unsustainable, he’s been steadily increasing his shot volume – averaging 1.88 per game this season compared to 1.23 last year. He’ll be eligible to sign an extension beginning July 1, with his entry-level contract set to expire in 2025. Bannister also said that defenseman Torey Krug won’t suit up in tomorrow’s game against the Kraken but could return for their final game of the season in Dallas on Wednesday. The left-shot offensive defenseman is day-to-day with an upper-body injury sustained on April 10 against the Blackhawks, already keeping him out of one game.
  • A pair of European Blackhawks players found themselves in the news today, including starting goaltender Petr Mrázek. He told reporters today, including Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, that he’ll join the Czech national team at the conclusion of the season in advance of this year’s World Championship in Prague and Ostrava. The 32-year-old has only suited up at the Worlds twice, once as a teenager in a backup role in 2012 and again as the starter in 2017, posting a .881 SV% and 2.47 GAA in four outings. It was quite a strong season for Mrázek in the Chicago crease, managing to stay healthy and start a career-high 51 games. He did so quite competently, recording a .906 SV% behind a leaky Blackhawks blue line that resulted in him accumulating 4.7 goals saved above average, his highest mark in eight years. He or Ducks up-and-comer Lukáš Dostál will likely occupy the starter’s crease for Czechia at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. Additionally, 2023 second-round pick Martin Mišiak signed an ATO with AHL Rockford today and will make his North American professional debut. The Slovak winger spent the 2023-24 campaign with the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League, racking up 23 goals and 47 points in 60 games with a -14 rating.

Blackhawks Sign Frank Nazar To Entry-Level Deal

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Blackhawks first-round pick Frank Nazar will sign his entry-level deal and join the team immediately, The Athletic’s Scott Powers reports Saturday. Nazar, the 2022 13th overall selection, had his sophomore season at the University of Michigan end Thursday after Boston College eliminated them in the semifinals of the national tournament.

The 20-year-old was the second of three first-round selections Chicago made that year, five picks after defenseman Kevin Korchinski. A collegiate rival of Nazar’s, University of Minnesota defenseman Sam Rinzel, was selected in the mid-20s.

The Detroit-born forward is an exceptionally intelligent passer and was one of six Wolverines to hit the point-per-game mark this season, notching 41 points (17 goals, 24 assists) in 41 games. He struggled away from the puck, posting a -7 rating, second-worst on the team and 11 points worse than any other elite offensive threat on the stacked Big 10 member squad.

Part of that was due to a slow start. Nazar missed all but 13 games last season due to hip surgery and was sluggish early on, logging four points in his first seven games. That changed in a 10-1 drubbing of Lindenwood in late October, in which he rattled off three assists and kickstarted an eight-game point streak with four multi-point outings.

That momentum carried into the New Year when he joined Team USA for the World Juniors and notched eight assists and a +9 rating in seven games to help fuel the Americans’ gold medal run. Upon returning to campus, he posted 14 points in six games with Michigan but was more inconsistent in closing out the season, ending the year with three goals and two assists in seven games of Big 10 and national tournament play.

Viewed as a steal at the time of his draft, Nazar was billed as a top-10 threat by multiple public scouting outfits. He hasn’t displayed the overall development and consistency you’d like to see from a top-10 pick yet, but he does look to still provide solid value for his 13th-overall billing. Nazar remains a bit of a raw talent, but Chicago will get him to at least one of their final three games this season to see where he’s at compared to NHL competition. A strong showing now could boost his chances of cracking next season’s opening night roster, although his overall game would likely benefit from a little bit of seasoning with AHL Rockford.

If all goes well, Nazar will be a top-nine lock by the end of his entry-level deal in 2026 and join the multitude of other recent Blackhawks first-rounders in helping the franchise become consistent championship contenders once again. The 5’9″ forward can play both center and wing but is likely more suited for the latter at the professional level. He was the second-ranked prospect in the organization behind 2023 first-round pick and University of Minnesota center Oliver Moore in The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler’s February ranking.

The financial terms of Nazar’s ELC have yet to be disclosed. It will be a three-year deal, though, and upon expiry, it will make him an RFA, putting him in line to need new deals at the same time as Korchinski and franchise center Connor Bedard.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Blackhawks Activate Connor Murphy From Injured Reserve

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The Blackhawks announced today they’ve taken defenseman Connor Murphy off injured reserve ahead of Friday’s matchup with the Predators. He’ll return after missing 34 games with a groin injury, which he said last week was osteitis pubis, a type of chronic inflammation.

Healthcare providers term osteitis pubis a rare cause of inflammation in the groin and hip area, but Murphy isn’t the only NHLer dealing with it this season. Sharks captain Logan Couture’s season ended because of it at the All-Star break after only six appearances. While rare, sports injuries are its most common cause due to repetitive strain on groin and hip joints, muscles and tissues, per the Cleveland Clinic.

Murphy, 31, is no stranger to injuries. Before skating in 80 games last season, Murphy missed over 10% of the season in four straight seasons in Chicago from 2019 to 2022. He’s in his seventh season with the Blackhawks, who acquired him and minor league forward Laurent Dauphin from the Coyotes in 2017 in exchange for declining premier shutdown defender Niklas Hjalmarsson.

The 2011 first-round pick has since become a steady presence on the Chicago blue line, sneaking into a consistent top-four role after being buried in bottom-pairing minutes in his first season with the club. He’s failed to control possession quality at even strength through much of his time in the Windy City but has often been tasked with taking on the most difficult defensive assignments, making nearly 60% of his zone starts in the defensive zone.

Murphy hasn’t played in nearly three months, last suiting up against the Stars in a 3-1 loss on Jan. 13. In 43 games before the injury, he notched two goals, six assists, eight points, a -19 rating, and 40 PIMs while averaging 19:51 per game. His core possession metrics, a 44.4 CF% and a 44.1 xGF% are up from last season by multiple percentage points. Despite the lengthy absence, he still ranks third on the Hawks with 105 blocked shots and sixth with 106 hits.

He may not be 100% recovered, but getting into game action to close out the season should help him and the Blackhawks assess his recovery and his ability to manage the inflammation. If necessary, surgery can address the issue.

The Blackhawks made a corresponding transaction earlier this week by assigning defenseman Wyatt Kaiser to AHL Rockford. After recalling rookie Ethan Del Mastro from Rockford earlier today, they now have eight defensemen on the roster.

Murphy, an alternate captain, is signed through 2026 at a $4.4MM cap hit. His four-year extension, signed in August 2021, includes a 10-team no-trade list. He and Seth Jones are the only Chicago blueliners signed to one-way deals next season.

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