Keeper of the net. pic.twitter.com/k5w2Powg2r
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 11, 2021
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Transactions
Slew of roster moves today for the #Blackhawks:
— Carter Baum (@CarterBaum) October 11, 2021
• Delia & Subban assigned to Rockford
• Entwistle & Kurashev also assigned (but expected back in Chicago tomorrow)
• C. Jones to LTIR
• Kalynuk & Regula to IRhttps://t.co/E1g1ndndKL
MEDICAL UPDATES: Defenseman Caleb Jones has been placed on long-term injured reserve (left wrist strain).
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 11, 2021
Defensemen Wyatt Kalynuk (right ankle sprain) and Alec Regula (lower back) have been placed on injured reserve.
As predicted by many, MacKenzie Entwistle and Philipp Kurashev were also reassigned to the Hogs but as paper transactions to get the Hawks under the salary cap for Day 1 of the regular season. They are expected to be on the Chicago roster in time for the season opener in Denver.
Since his injury timeline is the longest at 6 weeks, Caleb Jones was placed on LTIR. Wyatt Kalynuk will be out no more than 4 weeks while Alec Regula is day-to-day so they are both on season opening IR. Regardless of Regula's status, he should be returned to Rockford soon.
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Erik Gustafsson
Welcome back @ErkanGustafsson 🥳 pic.twitter.com/OtCv2mwBm0
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 11, 2021
If Gustafsson does suit up, his even-strength time should be sheltered. He will absolutely see no time on the penalty kill. Where he may prove valuable is as the quarterback for the 2nd power play unit. Assuming he's on PP2, it may be possible that both units get equitable TOI.
There's no hiding the fact that Gustafsson is a defensive liability. However, there's also no secret that he's an offensive dynamo if put in appropriate situations and paired with a partner who can skate well and hold down the fort as he has more license to wheel and deal.
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Final Roster
Chicago #Blackhawks begin the season utilizing off-season LTIR to remain compliant
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) October 11, 2021
Cap Hit: $82,160,032
LTIR: C. Jones ($850,000)
ACSL: $81,310,032
Cap Space: $0*
Roster size: 20 (12F - 6D - 2G)
*The club can still place Shaw's $3.9M on in-season LTI.https://t.co/xoSlDEahUi
Forwards * Henrik Borgstrom * Ryan Carpenter * Kirby Dach * Alex DeBrincat * MacKenzie Entwistle * Adam Gaudette * Brandon Hagel * Tyler Johnson * Patrick Kane * Jujhar Khaira * Dominik Kubalik * Philipp Kurashev * Dylan Strome * Jonathan Toews
Defensemen * Calvin de Haan * Erik Gustafsson * Seth Jones * Jake McCabe * Ian Mitchell * Connor Murphy * Riley Stillman
Goalies * Marc-Andre Fleury * Kevin Lankinen
LTIR * Caleb Jones
Season-Opening IR * Wyatt Kalynuk * Alec Regula
IR * Andrew Shaw
Once Kalynuk is able to play again, he should effectively replace Mitchell unless Mitchell is excelling and/or Kalynuk needs a conditioning stint in Rockford. Then once Jones is fully healed, he should render Gustafsson unneeded and pushed to waivers.
Jakub Galvas may prove to be the first blueline recall candidate. At forward, Lukas Reichel may be enticing but Mike Hardman and Reese Johnson could get the nod first. Perhaps Andrei Altybarmakian and Evan Barratt earn their cups of coffee at some point, too.
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Starting Lineups
Tomorrow's blog will be a special edition to forecast the Blackhawks starting lineup to kick off the 2021-22 regular season. For now, here is a preliminary projection of the IceHogs starting lineup and depth factoring in Mitchell returning to the AHL within the next few weeks:
Nylander - Reichel - Morrison Teply - Barratt - Altybarmakian Slavin - McLaughlin - Hardman Pour - R Johnson - Chalupa Wilkie - Yetman - Busdeker G Mitchell - Gicewicz - Osipov
Beaudin - I Mitchell Krys - Galvas Phillips - Regula Stanton - Crevier LeGuerrier - Krutil
Subban Delia Soderblom
Shuttle between Rockford and Indy:
Forwards * Liam Folkes * Kale Howarth * Riley McKay
Defensemen * D.J. King * Cliff Watson
Goalies * Tom Aubrun * Cale Morris
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New Blog Format
Unlike last season when I had a preview on each game day and a recap the morning after, I plan to stop doing these previews and recaps which gets tiring and somewhat repetitive over the course of a season.
I figure every fan knows where to get box scores and highlights. There are many reputable news sites on the web that cover the Blackhawks specifically and the NHL in general. You all know where to get your fix.
Instead, for the new format on this site for 2021-22, I will aim for 3 editorial blogs per week and more if there are any headline news and breaking stories pertaining to the Hawks, Hogs, and prospects.
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Readers' Poll
Click here to participate in a readers' poll to submit your predictions for the 2021-22 Blackhawks season. Thank you to those of you who have already cast your ballots! Poll results will be published in tomorrow's blog as the Hawks square off against the Avs later that evening.
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See you on the boards!