While in the middle of Tuesday night’s contest against the Vegas Golden Knights, the Chicago Blackhawks completed a trade with the Florida Panthers to acquire defenseman Ian McCoshen in exchange for forward Aleksi Saarela. McCoshen will report to the Rockford IceHogs.
Blackhawks deal Saarela to Panthers, acquire McCoshen
The Aleksi Saarela era came to an end before it could even truly begin. Saarela was traded to the Florida Panthers for defenseman Ian McCoshen on Tuersday night after failing to make the Blackhawks’ NHL roster out of training camp and playing five games with the Rockford IceHogs in the AHL. Through those five games, Saarela has been under performing his usual AHL standards. After two seasons with the Charlotte Checkers and back-to-back seasons of 25 or more goals, Saarela had tallied just one assist in his time with the IceHogs. He was originally acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes, along with Calvin de Haan, in exchange for Anton Forsberg and Gustav Forsling this summer.
McCoshen will join the IceHogs from the Florida Panthers’ AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. A second-round draft pick in 2013 by the Panthers, McCoshen has skated in 60 games with Florida in the NHL and 115 AHL games with Springfield. So far this season, McCoshen has tallied four assists in seven games in the AHL. He is currently on a one-year, two-way contract worth $700,000 in the NHL and $250,000 in the minor leagues.