The Chicago Blackhawks didn’t make any additional trades after sending Anthony Beauvillier to Nashville on Thursday, but that doesn’t mean the roster won’t be changing a bit.
First, word came down that Boris Katchouk had been claimed by the Ottawa Senators after the Blackhawks placed him on waivers yesterday:
Katchouk was sent to Chicago by Tampa Bay as part of the package that sent Brandon Hagel to the Lightning in 2022. Katchouk appeared in 38 games this season, tallying 9 points (5 G, 4 A) along the way. He’ll be a restricted free agent this summer, and I’ll primarily remember his brief tenure as a Blackhawk for the 72 different breakaways he was unable to convert on this season. Vaya Con Dios, Boris.
The Hawks also announced three separate roster moves this afternoon, two that were expected, and one that was not:
- Defenseman Nikita Zaitsev (knee) was activated from injured reserve
- Defenseman Louis Crevier was assigned to Rockford
- Defenseman Isaak Phillips was assigned to Rockford
Crevier and Phillips were sent down to ensure that they’d be eligible for the AHL playoffs, though it now sounds like there’s a possibility they both may stay there for the time being:
The Zaitsev activation is a bit more unexpected, as he’d been on injured reserve since going down with a knee injury during the Jan. 16 game against San Jose.
Zaitsev and forward Andreas Athanasiou will both travel with the team to Washington D.C. in hopes they may get back into game action on Saturday night against the Caps.