Chicago Blackhawks’ Victor Ejdsell Recalled; Dylan Sikura Could Arrive Soon

The Chicago Blackhawks will get an early look at a prospect they traded for earlier this season, calling up Victor Ejdsell on an emergency basis

In late February, the Chicago Blackhawks traded Ryan Hartman to the Nashville Predators for a pair of draft picks and prospect forward Victor Ejdsell. Surprisingly, we’ll get to see this Swedish youngster before the 2017-18 season is out.

Ejdsell was recalled from the Rockford IceHogs on Sunday on an emergency basis. What exactly this emergency is, I’m not quite sure. But we get to see a young guy who was just acquired in a trade, so let’s roll with it.

Ejdsell is a big body, checking in at 6-foot-5. The Blackhawks were interested in his services prior to the Predators signing him to an entry-level contract in May 2017.

Ejdsell recorded an assist in two games with the IceHogs after tallying 34 points in 50 games with the Swedish Hockey League’s HV71 squad earlier this season.

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Where Ejdsell slots into the lineup isn’t totally clear, but considering Patrick Kane is now moonlighting at center, it’s anyone’s guess how Ejdsell will be deployed.

Sikura on the move?

Treasured prospect forward Dylan Sikura, meanwhile, may play for the Blackhawks before the regular season is through.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times’ Mark Lazerus, a source informed him Sikura could be in the Blackhawks’ lineup as soon as Thursday after Sikura’s college team, Northeastern, was ousted from the NCAA tournament.

Sikura notched 54 points in 60 games this season for Northeastern, and Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman has lauded Sikura whenever asked about the youngster.

Here’s how getting Sikura on the roster would work, according to Lazerus:

The winger now is expected to sign with the Hawks and burn a year of his entry-level contract by playing the final five games of the season, a common move to entice college seniors to sign with the team that drafted them.

So for those who were wringing their hands, assuming Sikura would spurn the Blackhawks because they’re finally having a non-playoff season, it appears those fears can go by the wayside.

How the Blackhawks would shoehorn Sikura into the lineup after adding Ejdsell is also anyone’s guess, but the Blackhawks are continually finding ways to give their roster a different look before the season ends in a couple weeks.

This move all but guarantees Sikura will start the 2018-19 campaign with the Blackhawks. This is exactly what happened with Kyle Baun previously, as he burned a year of his entry-level contracted and played some regular-season games with the Blackhawks in 2014-15.

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Of course, that ended with Baun playing just two games in Chicago the next season before ultimately being traded. Let’s hope the Sikura situation does not turn out similarly.