Big news coming out of Blackhawks land, today, after yesterday’s moves. They announced that defenseman Erik Gustafsson had been recalled from Rockford, while Cody Franson cleared waivers and was assigned to Rockford. Coach Joel Quenneville also confirmed that Brent Seabrook would take the night off against the Ottawa Senators.
Gustafsson joining the already jam-packed Blackhawks defensive corp can be seen as somewhat surprising. Most of the defensemen were playing well and some, like Jan Rutta, were fighting to get back in the lineup despite playing well before injury. Even Cody Franson was not playing badly, per se. What this move does is give the Blackhawks better breakouts from their own end. Gustafsson might not necessarily bring the powerplay prowess that Franson did, but he moves the puck well from his own end and has better footspeed than Franson. Quenneville might simply be just trying to get quicker, after the Golden Knights exposed them Friday night.
It has also been floated that the Blackhawks may be showcasing Michal Kempny and/or Erik Gustafsson for a move in the near future, and the Senators have been linked as a potential trade partner.
Heard this AM, just now, Hawks and Ottawa may be talking about a trade involving Michal Kempny and a Rockford defenseman for one Ottawa roster player. Not sure how serious, but as we've reported, lots of scouting presence from other teams in Rockford recently.
— John Jaeckel (@jaeckel) December 14, 2017
This morning, our very own John Jaeckel brought up that the Blackhawks may simply be resting Seabrook, with four games in six nights before the CBA mandated bye week. Personally, I think this is all just getting blown out of proportion, and that letting an aging vet take the first night of a back-to-back off is reasonable.
2/ That said, is it inconceivable that they'd scratch him based on play? No. But when the alternatives are Kempny and Erik Gustafsson . . . ? May be equal parts rest and "message"
— John Jaeckel (@jaeckel) January 9, 2018