With just five days of training camp left to jockey for NHL spots, it’s crunch time for players on the Blackhawks’ roster bubble.
The Hawks signaled that Monday by cutting their camp roster to 30. Forwards Nick Lardis and Samuel Savoie and goalie Drew Commesso were the most notable players sent to Rockford.
Lardis, a third-round Hawks draft pick in 2023, impressed in rookie camp earlier in September, as well as in some practices during the main camp, but he didn’t make a huge impact in preseason action. It makes sense to ease him into pro hockey in the AHL, at least for a few months.
The goaltending situation, meanwhile, was never uncertain, with Commesso always destined to return to Rockford despite his own belief in his NHL readiness. It’s an encouraging sign that he, Spencer Knight and Arvid Soderblom all had save percentages over .930 in their first preseason starts.
Monday was a day off for the Hawks, but there are still three home preseason games on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday for players to make their cases.
Forward battle
The first line (Connor Bedard centering Ryan Donato and Andre Burakovsky), the second line (Frank Nazar centering Teuvo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi), the anchors of the third line (Jason Dickinson and Ilya Mikheyev) and one member of the fourth line (Nick Foligno) have been constants in camp.
Landon Slaggert got the first look on Dickinson’s left wing before he was sidelined with an injury. He’s expected to return to practice Tuesday, so he should be healthy for opening night next Tuesday in Florida, although his role is in flux.
Colton Dach has been a camp standout, securing his NHL job. He’s another candidate to slot onto the checking line.
Sam Lafferty will almost certainly make the roster, too, but his performances this week could determine whether he starts on the fourth line or as a healthy scratch.
Young players Oliver Moore and Ryan Greene are likely battling each other for one available spot. Moore’s speed and tenacity have made him noticeable in every setting, and he’s probably the favorite. But keeping Greene could help the Hawks in the faceoff circle — an overall team weakness. It’s rare and remarkable to see any rookie win 52.3% of his draws, even in the preseason.
The player most in question is Lukas Reichel, whose name continues to float around the trade market. He has plenty of supporters among fans, but the Hawks are bearish about his outlook. Even after he excelled in a 4-2 preseason victory over the Blues on Saturday, coach Jeff Blashill alluded to the reality that Reichel’s free-flowing, top-six-style game doesn’t lend itself to bottom-six roles, which are the only ones available. This could be one of the most pivotal weeks of Reichel’s career.
Defensive battle
Five defensemen — Sam Rinzel, Alex Vlasic, Connor Murphy, Wyatt Kaiser and Artyom Levshunov — appear to have NHL jobs locked down. Vlasic suffered a lower-body injury Sunday in a 4-1 victory over the Wild, but the Hawks claim he’s just day-to-day. Kaiser and Levshunov have become connected at the hip.
Louis Crevier is a good bet to claim the No. 7 defenseman role because the Hawks don’t want to risk placing him on waivers. That leaves prospects Ethan Del Mastro, Kevin Kor-chinski and Nolan Allan — all exempt from waivers — and veteran Matt Grzelcyk fighting for the last spot.
Del Mastro was the clear favorite among that group entering camp, but he has struggled in preseason action, committing turnovers and getting burned by indecisiveness. Korchinski and Allan have displayed their strengths — smooth skating and big hits, respectively — but they’re still raw in other areas. It’s conceivable the Hawks could decide to give all three more time in Rockford and sign Grzelcyk as a short-term placeholder.
“If it was to work out, I could help some of those guys come along,” Grzelcyk said Friday, making his contract pitch. “[I would] not see it as me taking a spot from someone.”
