The organization finally has a day off, and they decided to make some big moves. Just in time, too. Chicago returned from their roadtrip just as the IceHogs were heading off on theirs to Cleveland. We may see some more movement after this weekend when the IceHogs return and the Blackhawks remain at home. For now, the Rockford IceHogs have some wonderful additions to make to their lineup. 

To Chicago

Brad Morrison

Honestly, Brad Morrison was the first name I saw on the release about the roster moves, and I was pretty annoyed. Morrison has been an impact player for the IceHogs this season. He’s their point leader and always seems to be around the net in the offensive zone. Even with players coming down from Chicago, this is a player it hurts to temporarily lose. It remains to be seen whether the Blackhawks give him a look in their lineup. With them facing the Detroit Red Wings twice this weekend, there’s no better time to slot him in. 

Mikael Hakkarainen

Dear Blackhawks fans - Hakkarainen had to be purely a roster numbers move. He hasn’t played horribly, and has seen some penalty kill time. But, nothing about his season so far has suggested he will see NHL minutes. So, don’t even worry about it. I’m sure the Blackhawks would slot in Pirri before him - if he hasn’t completely disappeared. 

Matt Tomkins

With Cale Morris playing very well and Collin Delia being sent down for conditioning, it made sense to bring Tomkins up to the Taxi Squad. He hasn’t been great this year. Maybe some practices with Chicago will kick him into gear. 

To Rockford

Collin Delia

Well, well, well - if it isn’t Mr. Big Deal himself! IceHogs fans have been missing Collin Delia. He’s played two games with Chicago this season and went 0-2. But, those two games came at the beginning of the season when the Blackhawks were a hot mess. Kevin Lankinen and Malcolm Subban have been outstanding in net after the season-opening roadtrip to Florida. Delia hasn’t seen any playing time since, so the Blackhawks sent him down to Rockford for conditioning. 

Here’s the deal, IceHogs fans, Collin can stick around with the team for 14 days before he has to return to Chicago. Otherwise, to stay with the team, he has to clear waivers. With nearly every goaltender being picked off of waivers so far this year, it’s not likely that the Blackhawks risk it. So, enjoy these two weeks. 

Nicolas Beaudin

Nicolas Beaudin being sent down is somewhat of a surprise - only because the coaching staff seemed extremely happy with him. With Connor Murphy coming back from injury, he was simply pushed out of the lineup - whether you agree with the lineup choices or not. Beaudin looked great in most of his games with the Blackhawks and he potted 2 goals in the process.  

Reese Johnson

Reese Johnson slotted into 3 games for the Blackhawks. He didn’t pick up any points, but he worked hard and was noticeable. The roster up in Chicago is pretty full and things have been working well for them. This is a case of wanting a guy to get playing time, but not having room in the NHL lineup for him every night. He hasn’t shown he can be an every day player; some more seasoning in the AHL will be good for him. He’ll bring some more energy into Rockford’s roster.

Wyatt Kalynuk

Wyatt Kalynuk began the season with the IceHogs before being recalled to the Taxi Squad. He didn’t see any playing time with the Blackhawks, and the defense is currently full. It makes much more sense to have him playing heavy minutes with Rockford like he was before the recall. He showed some promise down here and picked up some points. It’ll be nice to see him slot back in, especially if the team continues to play better. 

There’s a lot of player movement here. The IceHogs defense is what I’m most curious about. Many of the current forwards can be rotated in and out of the lineup without much consequence. But, let’s look at the defense. 

Alec Regula - Cody Franson

Michael Krutil - Dmitry Osipov

Isaak Phillips - Cole Moberg

Chad Krys - out with injury.

Assuming Beaudin and Kalynuk slot into the lineup immediately - and I don’t see why they wouldn’t - one or two guys have to come out. Removing two defenders from that lineup allows Derek King to continue with 12F 6D. If they only take out one, they could run with 11F 7D. 

A lineup consisting of 11F and 7D is really not my favorite. In this case, I think I find myself arguing in favor of it. That could totally come back to bite me. But, anyway . . .

There’s no way you bench one of Alec Regula or Cody Franson. Franson is one of the veteran leaders on that blue line, and Regula hasn’t done anything to warrant being scratched. If anything, his play has earned him more ice time. 

On that second pairing, Dmitry Osipov could stand to sit a few games here and there. He would be my first choice to rotate in and out of the lineup. He didn’t have a great start to the year, but he’s gotten better in the last couple of games. Michael Krutil is the youngest guy on the roster, but he’s been solid on the back end. He’s had some rookie mistakes - but the kid is 18. With no better options, having him play every night did not seem like too tall of a task for him. With Beaudin and Kalynuk coming back and the blue line filling up, it does give the coaching staff the flexibility to have him watch a few games if his play starts to slide. He wouldn’t be my first option to scratch, but I would understand the thought process; as long as he doesn’t miss too many games in a row. 

The third pairing should not be touched, in my opinion. Cole Moberg has seen some games out of the lineup already, but he’s been solid back there. He’s only progressing. I’ll admit this could be coming from a place of bias because he was a player I was most excited to watch this year. I would scratch him before Krutil, but I still don’t like the idea of it. 

If Isaak Phillips gets scratched, then I’ll just be angry. 

Okay, that’s dramatic. I would see the reasoning behind it. He’s 1 of 3 2020 draft picks on the roster (Michael Krutil and Chad Yetman are the others). He’s still very young. But, he’s been the biggest surprise for me so far. You never really know what you’re going to get from a 5th round pick, especially right away - even more so on defense. But, he’s been really exciting to watch. He jumps up into plays, he’s not terrible in his own end, and he’s contributing to the offense. He’s got two goals on the season - one being the game winner on Tuesday. He’s got an impressive shot and some nifty hands for a big guy. 

The defensive changes will all depend on which sides they slot Beaudin and Kalynuk on. Before the recall, Kalynuk was playing with Cody Franson. I’m not sure about removing Regula from that spot right now. But, that call may be coming from Chicago and not just from the Rockford coaching staff.

Overall, these moves definitely benefit the IceHogs. After earning their first win on Tuesday against the Cleveland Monsters, you have to assume they’ve got some confidence going into this weekend. Add to that some impactful talent, and we could see some really fun games. 

If nothing else, it’ll be fun to watch Collin Delia in an IceHogs uniform again. Maybe he can give the rookie Cale Morris some pointers while he’s here. This move could work out well for both goaltenders.