The Chicago Blackhawks have acquired forward Richard Panik from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for forward Jeremy Morin, the team announced Sunday night. The deal ends Morin’s latest stint with the organization after less than a year.
Panik will be joining the Hawks’ roster instead of taking Morin’s spot in Rockford, according to coach Joel Quenneville after the game Sunday.
Morin, originally acquired via trade by Chicago in 2010, never quite found his place with the team. Last year, he was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets for defenseman Tim Erixon in a swap of AHL fodder, then the Hawks re-acquired him over the summer as part of the Brandon Saad trade.
This season, Morin has been playing in Rockford, where he’s spent most of his career. In 28 games with the IceHogs, he’s recorded 22 points, tied for the highest figure on the team with Jake Dowell. The 24-year-old has always produced in the AHL, though, with 132 points in 186 games at that level. Now Morin will try to crack the lineup in Toronto after failing to do so in Chicago and Columbus.
Coming to Chicago is Panik, another 24-year-old forward. Panik has 25 points in 33 games with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL this season. From 2013-15, he played three seasons for Tampa Bay and Toronto, recording 39 points in 151 games. During the 2014-15 season, he set career highs with 11 goals and 17 points in 76 games. Panik’s one-year deal has a $975,000 cap hit. If he’s in the AHL, there will still be a $25,000 hit to the Hawks’ books while he’s buried.