The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled forward Marko Dano from AHL Rockford and reassigned Bryan Bickell to the IceHogs, the team announced Monday. This sets up Dano to make his debut with the Hawks when they host the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night at the United Center.
With the Hawks searching for some offensive punch early in the season, they’ll turn to the 20-year-old who was a centerpiece of the Brandon Saad trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets over the summer. Dano, a former first-round pick by Columbus, is considered one of the top young players in hockey after a breakout 2014-15 season split between the AHL and the Blue Jackets.
Chicago wanted to give Dano some extra time to polish his game in Rockford after an up-and-down training camp and preseason. With the IceHogs, he recorded one goal and a team-leading six assists over nine games.
Now Dano will look to bring some of that playmaking ability to a Blackhawks offense that could desperately use it. Chicago has been lost trying to score at even strength this year beyond the second line and could really use someone to drive quality chances. With the lines getting mixed up entering the game, it seems possible we could see a lineup with Artemi Panarin on the first line, Teuvo Teravainen on the second line and Dano on the third. As the team works to balance its scoring and boost that sagging shooting percentage, this is one of the obvious things to try.
As for Bickell, he’s free to head to Rockford after clearing waivers in October. The move frees up $950,000 in salary cap space for the Hawks per CBA rules. While in the AHL, Bickell will technically have a “buried” cap hit of $3.05 million counting against the Hawks’ cap. If he’s recalled back to Chicago, his cap hit will revert back to $4 million.