Photo credit: NHL.COM/BLACKHAWKS
Blackhawks complete difficult roster move that leaves rookie annoyed
The Blackhawks announced Monday that defenseman Wyatt Kaiser has been sent back to the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League.
This comes with great news that Connor Murphy's return from a groin injury, that has been sidelining him since January 13, could be soon.With Rockford preparing for the Calder Cup Playoffs, it was always the plan for Kaiser to gain experience in postseason hockey.
During his time with the Blackhawks since his recall on March 18, Kaiser appeared in nine games and played consistently on defense, but showed some room for improvement, which is expected from the 21-year old defensemen in his first NHL season.
According to Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson, while Kaiser may not have been thrilled about going back down, he approached it with determination and focused on areas of improvement.
"I'm not sure he was excited to go down — nobody's excited to go down — but there is a bit of a message on what to work on and he took it seriously and he made the most of it. He went down and worked on being the guy that plays a lot of minutes in important situations and he just came back here with, it's not a chip on his shoulder, I think it's just confidence.
Source: NBC Sports Chicago
Blackhawks send Wyatt Kaiser to AHL Rockford with Connor Murphy's return imminent
Richardson noted Kaiser's increased confidence upon returning to the Blackhawks, valuing his growth during his time in Rockford.
| POLL | ||
April 8 | 141 answers Blackhawks complete difficult roster move that leaves rookie annoyed Who would you rather have on the roster for the rebuild? | ||
| 21 year old Kaiser | 109 | 77.3 % |
| 31 year old Murphy | 32 | 22.7 % |
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