With their roster resembling The Walking Dead instead of an NHL team, Chicago Blackhawks General Manager Kyle Davidson picked up the phone and made a deal this morning for some help at forward.
The Blackhawks sent a conditional seventh-round draft pick in 2026 to the Pittsburgh Penguins for forward Rem Pitlick. Pitlick is a 26-year-old, 5-foot-11, left-handed center from Ottawa. He was drafted in the third round (76th overall) of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by the Nashville Predators. He comes to Chicago after playing 32 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL, putting up 24 points (eight goals, 16 assists).
Trade alert 🚨 pic.twitter.com/XFLSKT6O0i
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 6, 2024
Pitlick also spent time with the Minnesota Wild and Montreal Canadiens organizations since breaking into the NHL in the 2018–19 season.
Make no mistake about it, Pitlick is coming to Chicago, much like defenseman Jaycob Megna before him, to fill the NHL roster that has been decimated by injuries. Last night, forwards Connor Bedard and Nick Foligno went down with injuries. As of this morning, the Blackhawks have reported that Bedard has a fractured jaw and Foligno has a fractured finger.
UPDATE: We have placed Connor Bedard (fractured jaw) and Nick Foligno (fractured left finger) on injured reserve. pic.twitter.com/BZ27gEkcEW
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 6, 2024
The Blackhawks lick their wounds and head home to face the Calgary Flames on Sunday. Puck drop is scheduled for 2 p.m. CST. If you get there early enough, you might have a chance to suit up and play, based on their slim numbers.