Blackhawks Trade D Chad Krys to Maple Leafs for F Kurtis Gabriel
(Photo by Todd Reicher via IceHogs Flickr)
When I look down at my phone and see a Twitter notification that features the words “Blackhawks” and “trade” in the same tweet, there’s always a brief moment of panic.
“What did they do now?!”
With it being announced not too much earlier that Dylan Strome would be a healthy scratch - once again - for tonight’s game in Montreal, I was convinced they had finally moved him. Then I actually read the notification and saw it was only a minor league deal.
All of this happened within a matter of seconds, but you all know the feeling.
So far, it seems like Blackhawks interim GM, Kyle Davidson, is only interested in making minor deals. His first player transaction with his new title was sending Malcolm Subban to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for future considerations.
He’s working his way up. Today, he got an actual body in return! Good job, Kyle!
Chicago’s Kyle called up Toronto’s Kyle (Dubas) and made a deal sending IceHogs defenseman Chad Krys to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Toronto Marlies winger Kurtis Gabriel.
Krys has 1 assist in 8 games with the IceHogs this season.
Gabriel has 1 goal and 1 assist with the Marlies.
The Blackhawks drafted Chad Krys in the 2nd round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. He went on to play 3 seasons with Boston University scoring 20 goals and 38 assists in 105 games. He joined the Rockford IceHogs at the conclusion of his 2018-19 college season. He played 64 games for the IceHogs scoring 2 goals and 13 assists for 15 points. He’s still looking to make his NHL debut.
Kurtis Gabriel has a few more miles on his body. After being selected in the 3rd round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft by the Minnesota Wild, Gabriel played one more season in the OHL with the Owen Sound Attack (60GP 16G 35A 51P) before making the jump to the AHL. Since 2013-14, he’s bounced between the AHL and NHL making appearances with the Iowa Wild, Minnesota Wild, New Jersey Devils, Binghamton Devils, Lehigh Valley Phantoms, San Jose Sharks, San Jose Barracuda, and Toronto Marlies. In the AHL, he’s played 332 games scoring 36 goals and 32 assists. In the NHL, Kurtis Gabriel has played 49 games scoring 2 goals and 3 assists.
Gabriel is an interesting add for an offensively-challenged Rockford IceHogs roster. They aren’t lacking gritty guys who are willing to go to the dirty areas and stick up for their teammates. His experience may be the most helpful thing for a very young IceHogs team.
So, what are the Maple Leafs/Marlies getting with Chad Krys?
They’re getting a player who, before turning pro, was considered to have some decent potential as a puck-mover on the back end. The problem is that he’s been extremely unlucky in the injury department since jumping to the AHL. He only played 6 games for Rockford last season and has already missed games to injury this season. He was back in the lineup for Wednesday night’s victory over the Iowa Wild. So, if he can stay healthy in Toronto, there’s a chance he’ll be able to find his game. A change of scenery may be the best thing for his career.
Krys is still only 23 years old. It’s way too early to completely write him off. From missing so much time, he’s just never been able to find any consistency to his game.
He’s had a rough start to the 2021-22 season on both ends of the ice. He has 1 assist in 8 games, and his passing and play-making have been average-at-best. His defensive game needs work.
The plus side is that he’s a very smart player. The next step is getting his brain and body to be in sync. If he can reach that goal AND stay healthy, the Marlies could be getting an effective depth defenseman that may chip in some offense from the blue line. He’s also not going to completely kill the team if he has to slot into the first pair for some games here and there. This should be a great opportunity for him.
Wishing Chad Krys all the best in Toronto. Hopefully we can see him make his NHL debut in a Maple Leafs sweater one of these days.
In the meantime - welcome to Rockford, Kurtis Gabriel!