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Chicago Blackhawks Waive Joey Anderson

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April 3: Anderson has cleared waivers, although he isn’t expected to be assigned to Rockford until the Blackhawks finish their season.

April 2: The Chicago Blackhawks have placed forward Joey Anderson on waivers, according to The Athletic’s James Mirtle and CapFriendly. The 24-year-old was acquired by Chicago just over a month ago in the team’s trade of Jake McCabe and Sam Lafferty to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Anderson is a 2016 New Jersey Devils third-round pick who has split time this season between the AHL level with the Toronto Marlies and NHL with both Toronto and Chicago. At the NHL level, Anderson scored three points in 14 games for Toronto, and has five points in 18 games with the Blackhawks.

He’s been in the NHL since a late January recall, one that came after Anderson played in a nine-game stretch for the Marlies, a run where Anderson and the Marlies won all nine games. In total, Anderson has been more of a difference-maker at the AHL level, where he has scored 27 points in 30 games this season and 120 points across 163 career AHL games.

It’s his abilities as an impactful AHLer that likely inspired the Blackhawks’ decision to waive him, as their affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, is currently looking to fend off the Chicago Wolves and secure the fifth and final playoff spot in the AHL’s Central Division. Should Anderson clear waivers and land in Rockford, he’ll be expected to shoulder a significant offensive load and be one of the team’s go-to forwards.

Given that Anderson is a proven AHL commodity and on a league-minimum deal with some team control remaining beyond this season as a restricted free agent, it’s possible a team in need of some help up front decides to put in a claim.

Hockeybuzz’s Michael Augello notes that while Anderson’s former team, the Maple Leafs, might be tempted to claim Anderson to get him back in their organization, they are currently at 49 contracts and their last slot is believed to be reserved for University of Minnesota forward and team top prospect Matthew Knies.

But from the Blackhawks’ perspective, it’s a risk worth taking in order to give their AHL squad a spark. Rockford is on a three-game losing streak, and have been shutout in back-to-back games.

With the reigning Calder Cup champion Wolves just a few points behind them with seven games remaining, getting Anderson to Rockford could be what the IceHogs need to avoid letting a playoff berth slip through their fingers in the final stretch of the regular season.

Chicago Blackhawks Sign Gavin Hayes

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The Chicago Blackhawks have signed forward prospect Gavin Hayes to a three-year, entry-level contract through 2025-26 with a cap hit of $896,667, according to NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis.

Hayes, who’s still just 18 years old, is having a spectacular post-draft season with the OHL’s Flint Firebirds. The left winger finished second on the team in scoring during the regular season, posting 41 goals and 81 points in 66 games. His season could be coming to an end soon, though, as Flint has gone down 2-0 in its first-round playoff series against the Saginaw Spirit, losing by a combined score of 11-2.

Drafted 66th overall in 2022, Hayes is a skilled puck handler with a goal-scoring ability that appears translatable to the professional ranks. He’s a nice secondary addition to a quickly-growing pool of Blackhawks prospects and projects as a middle-six scoring winger.

Hayes, in all likelihood, will be returned to juniors next season, sliding the beginning of his entry-level contract to 2024-25 (or 2025-26, if he’s returned to juniors for two straight seasons).

Jonathan Toews To Return To Chicago Blackhawks Lineup

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On March 28th, we covered reports stating that Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews was attempting to make a comeback from the injuries that sidelined him indefinitely earlier this year in order to play some more games before the end of this season.

With Toews reportedly considering retirement, it seemed as though he may have a desire to have a final send-off from Blackhawks fans, similar to the one Carey Price received last season after making his way back from significant health-related challenges.

With the Blackhawks set to take on the New Jersey Devils in a nationally-televised home game tomorrow, it seems Toews will get his wish. Chicago head coach Luke Richardson told the media, including NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis, that Toews will play in Saturday’s game. It will be Toews’ 47th game of his season, and his first since late January.

In February, Toews issued a statement detailing some of the health-related challenges he was facing, challenges that were seriously threatening his ability to play. In that statement, he disclosed that he was “still dealing with the symptoms of Long COVID and Chronic Immune Response Syndrome,” and that he had “reached the point where [he] had no choice but to step back and concentrate on getting healthy.”

Thankfully, today’s announcement indicates that Toews’ health has improved since that point, which even putting aside any hockey-related considerations is news to celebrate.

From an on-the-ice perspective, Toews’ improved health also means a great deal to the Blackhawks. While the team is currently in prime contention to earn the best odds for the upcoming draft lottery, Toews’ return isn’t about giving the team a better chance of winning some of the few games they have left this season.

Instead, Toews’ return injects some much-needed meaning and significance to what remains of the Blackhawks’ season, as it could be Blackhawks fans’ final few chances to see a franchise icon take the United Center ice.

So while Blackhawks fans and the Chicago market overall remain wholly fixated on the future and the players who might enter the organization in the coming months, Toews’ return serves as an important opportunity for the organization to celebrate its past, and potentially say an official goodbye to the leader of the most successful era in Blackhawks history.

Chicago Blackhawks Reassign Mike Hardman

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After a two-week-long recall, the Chicago Blackhawks have returned forward Mike Hardman to the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs, per NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis.

Hardman, a 23-year-old in his third NHL season, played in eight games with the Blackhawks on this recall, his first of the season. He failed to record a point in eight games and is still looking to score his first goal since the 2020-21 campaign.

A free agent signing out of Boston College in 2021, this year has been a trying one for Hardman. After promising offensive production last year with Rockford, his offense has regressed significantly. In 2022-23, Hardman has managed just four goals and 16 points in 49 games, down from 32 points in 43 games last season.

There’s still some development time left for Hardman, though, and he has one season remaining on his current contract. Set to become a restricted free agent in 2024, he returns to Rockford for the end of the season, looking to gain confidence for a big contract year next campaign.

Chicago returning Hardman to the minors could also be an indication that Jujhar Khaira, currently day-to-day with an illness, is ready to return.

Chicago Blackhawks Extend Brett Seney

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The Chicago Blackhawks have signed forward Brett Seney to a one-year, two-way contract extension, per a team tweet Wednesday.

Seney’s two-way deal will pay him the league-minimum $775,000 at the NHL level. The team did not disclose his AHL salary.

Seney, 27, was acquired by the Blackhawks when free agency opened last July. He’s appeared in seven games for Chicago this season, recording one goal.

The 5-foot-9, 157-pound forward has played in 62 career NHL games, registering six goals and eight assists. He’s a much more seasoned veteran in the AHL, where he’s recorded 188 points in 241 games across six seasons. He sits second in scoring on the Rockford IceHogs this season with 48 points in 50 games.

Born in London, Ontario, Seney is a skilled puck handler who’s had back-to-back elite seasons in the minors after a rough COVID-laced 2020-21 season. While the rebuilding Blackhawks will likely give most of their roster spots to younger talent next season for development purposes, Seney could easily challenge for a roster spot and immediately become one of the more seasoned pros among Chicago’s forward core. He will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2024 upon the expiration of his contract extension.

Jonathan Toews Attempting To Comeback This Season

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  • Chris Johnston is also reporting that Jonathan Toews is attempting to make a comeback this season for the Chicago Blackhawks. Toews is an unrestricted free agent on July 1st and has hinted at retirement as he has dealt with several health issues the past few seasons. Toews has played just 46 games this season, but has been effective when in the lineup with 28 points. Should Toews be able to dress for Chicago it would be an uplifting story to end what has been an otherwise nightmarish season for both player and team. Chicago is mired in one of its worst seasons in decades as they begin what is sure to be a painful rebuild over the next few seasons. For Toews, he would get what is likely to be a final send off after an era of Chicago hockey that saw the captain raise the Stanley Cup on three separate occasions.

Chicago Blackhawks Sign Antti Saarela

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The Chicago Blackhawks have inked another prospect, signing Antti Saarela to a two-year entry-level contract. The deal does not start until 2023-24, and carries a cap hit of $896,250.

Saarela, 21, would have become an unrestricted free agent in June had he not signed, after being selected 123rd overall back in 2019.

The young forward has been playing professional hockey in Finland for years now, first appearing at the Liiga level during the 2017-18 season. His offensive game hasn’t broken out yet, but few players in Europe can keep up with his speed.

Chicago will try to hone that elite skating ability into a valuable NHL asset, and for Saarela, there isn’t really a better landing spot than the Blackhawks in terms of NHL opportunity. The team will be turning over its entire roster in the next few years, and offering plenty of chances to youngsters looking to prove themselves.

An entry-level contract represents a no-risk investment from the Blackhawks, especially given how many open slots they have for next season. Saarela becomes just the 11th player under contract with Chicago through 2024-25.

In 41 regular season games, the speedy forward scored seven goals and 18 points. He added a pair of goals in a six-game series against HIFK that ended yesterday in an overtime loss.

Philipp Kurashev Out For Regular Season

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The Chicago Blackhawks have nine games left before this dreadful season ends, but Philipp Kurashev won’t be in the lineup for any of them. The young forward has been shut down with a shoulder injury for the remainder of the schedule.

Kurashev, 23, suffered the injury just two shifts into a game against the Washington Capitals last week. While it doesn’t require surgery, according to Charlie Roumeliotis of NBCS Chicago, the team isn’t going to rush him back into the lineup when there’s nothing left to play for.

The Blackhawks are still trying to land the best draft lottery odds, after all, and despite his up-and-down year, Kurashev helps them compete on a nightly basis.

The Swiss forward set career highs with nine goals and 25 points this season, averaging a whopping 17:25—up from his previous career average of 12:57.

Kurashev heads into the summer as an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent after his one-year, $750K contract expires. It will be interesting to see if the team tries to sign him to a multi-year deal as a key part of their rebuild, or continues to go year-by-year on low-cost contracts.

Toews Skating, Still Could Return This Season

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  • Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews has been out for nearly two months due to symptoms from long COVID and Chronic Immune Response Syndrome but hasn’t given up on returning this season. To that end, head coach Luke Richardson told Mark Lazerus of The Athletic (Twitter link) that the center has been skating in an effort to get back before the end of the campaign.  There was a recent report that Toews may be considering retirement and if that’s true, that could be fueling his desire to get back for the final few games.

Chicago Blackhawks Reassign Buddy Robinson

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The Chicago Blackhawks have reassigned forward Buddy Robinson to their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, per a team announcement. The move ends Robinson’s latest run of NHL time, a stretch that began when he was recalled on March 13th before a game against the Boston Bruins.

This six-game run began well, with Robinson playing over 11 minutes in his team’s stunning 6-3 victory over the league-leading Boston Bruins. He then helped the Blackhawks to a victory over the Nashville Predators, playing 10 minutes in a 2-1 win. Since that point, though, things have taken a turn for the worse, as Chicago has lost their last four games and been outscored 18-4 in that span.

While Robinson’s ice time has ticked up slightly with each passing game, his contributions did not translate onto the box score. In the losing streak, he registered seven shots on goal and two penalty minutes, and perhaps the most impressive thing he can boast from that stretch is the fact that he had an even plus-minus rating in three of four games despite how decisively Chicago was defeated in those games.

In total, Robinson hasn’t yet found the scoresheet in his seven NHL games this season. He’s been brought to the NHL more for his size and ability to add to a team’s physical game, which is something he leverages his six-foot-six, 232-pound body to be able to contribute.

Now that he’s back in Rockford, Robinson will be able to help the IceHogs in their playoff push. He’s a more accomplished scorer in the AHL than he has been able to be in the NHL, and has 19 points in 45 games this season. His value as a versatile AHL scorer and NHL bottom-six grinder is reflected in the contract he signed last summer, a one-year league-minimum deal that boasted a hefty $475k AHL salary.

If he can help Rockford reach the playoffs and potentially even go on a run, while also bringing bottom-six grit when called upon in the NHL, he’ll put himself in a sound position should he hit the open market in a few months.

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