Blackhawks should look to Rockford for reinforcements

The Chicago Blackhawks currently have a dismal record of 4-12-1, and they’ve lost eight of their last nine games. Headed into a matchup against the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes tonight (Nov. 7), things are looking pretty bleak for Chicago.

But general manager Kyle Davidson is playing the long game with this rebuild, and head coach Jeff Blashill is adamant he believes in this young team. Plus, the focal point of the defensive group, Bowen Byram, has only played in six games, currently sidelined with an upper body injury. Patrick Kane hasn’t played in the last two contests and Connor Bedard missed the first six games of the season. They haven’t been at full strength yet, and they’ve had a super tough schedule to start this 2026-27 campaign.

As much as the fanbase wants to see Blashill outed, do you really want Bedard to be on his fourth coach in just his fourth NHL season? It might be frustrating for the fans, but the most logical path might be staying the course right now. Yes, it would be giving up on yet another season. But it might be the best thing in the long run. In the meantime, the Blackhawks can look to the Rockford IceHogs for some temporary tweaks. Here’s a few thoughts on players from Rockford that could provide a temporary fix.

Boucher already on board

With Kane sidelined, the Blackhawks called up 29-year-old tough guy Dillon Boucher to play for the first time in the NHL. Nick Lardis would’ve been recalled, but he’s currently out with an injury of his own. “I liked him in training camp,” said Coach Blashill about Boucher.  He brings, he's kind of a galvanizing guy. I think we could use some of that, some of the physicality that he brings. I just thought it was something that could help us in that area of the game … it just can bring energy and physicality.”

In two games with the Hawks, Boucher has done just that. He’s recorded nine hits and one blocked shot while averaging just 8:11 minutes of ice time. But the real spark he gave the team was the heavyweight fight he had with the Lightning's Jeff Viel.

“He's brought a lot of energy for us,” said teammate Alex Vlasic after the fight. “He's one tough guy. Happy that he's here. He's an awesome teammate and person. So yeah, he was definitely gushing (blood) a little bit, good to get the boys fired up. He knows that meant a lot for us out there."

Beyond being an energy guy and someone that willing to defend his teammates, Boucher contributed three goals and eight points in 53 games with the IceHogs last season. He also seems to be having a good influence on the Blackhawks when it comes to physicality. Against the Lightning on Nov. 5, the team was credited with a season high 31 hits. Boucher led the way with seven hits, while Cole Smith had six and Frank Nazar four.

Boucher is obviously just a temporary addition, but he’s having a positive impact in making the Blackhawks harder to play against.

Hayes deserves a look

Fans might feel the top prospects such as Sacha Boisvert or A.J. Spellacy might deserve a look with the Blackhawks. But both are playing as members of the bottom-six forwards, and neither has scored a goal or registered a point yet for the IceHogs. Even Marek Vanacker, who’s been playing on the second line, has yet to register a point. It might be a lot to ask these first-time pros to come up to a struggling Blackhawks team.

But a player that might be intriguing is Gavin Hayes, now in his third season with the IceHogs. The Blackhawks’ 2022 third round draft pick (66th overall) currently leads the team with eight goals and 14 points. At the time of this writing, he’s currently on a six-game goal streak and seven-game point streak both lead all active AHL players. (tweet)

We all know the Blackhawks are having trouble scoring goals. Could Haye’s skill translate to the NHL. It sure wouldn’t hurt to give the 22-year-old a look.

Slaggert could be an option

Another option could be Landon Slaggert. After all, Slaggert has 102 NHL games under his belt, including 53 games with the Blackhawks last season. Over a span of three seasons, Slaggert has logged six goals and 17 points with the Blackhawks. He’s already familiar with the Blackhawks and their systems, so it would be a relatively seamless transition.

For the IceHogs, the 24-year-old currently plays on the second line and has contributed two goals and four points in 11 games. He’s more of a bottom-six guy in the NHL, who provides energy and is relentless in pursuing the puck. This is obviously something the Blackhawk’s could benefit from right now.

Slaggert went through and cleared waivers earlier in the season. But if he was recalled, he wouldn’t have to go through waivers again until playing either 10 NHL games or being on the roster 30 cumulative days.

Call up Commesso

Finally, I feel like this is something that’s a definite must-do for the Blackhawks. Backup goaltender Arvid Soderblom has really struggled this season. In four games played, the Swedish netminder has a subpar .846 save percentage and a 4.49 goals against average. In his time in the crease, he’s allowed a whopping 18 goals. This is not ideal.

This obviously hasn’t instilled a lot of confidence for the Blackhawks, and they’ve been leaning heavily on Spencer Knight. It can be argued it’s too heavy of a workload for the No. 1 goalie. He’s suited up for 13 of the Blackhawks’ 17 games so far, logging a .891 SV% and a 3.34 GAA. In the last few games, Knight’s play hasn’t been as strong. It might be helpful if he could get more rest and recovery in-between starts.

Enter Drew Commesso. The 24-year-old made a case for himself in three starts for the Blackhawks last season, with a respectable .918 SV% and 2.31 GAA. He earned his first NHL career shutout in a 3-0 win over the Nashville Predators on Jan. 10. In this contest, Commesso made 36 saves.

Granted, Commesso’s stats aren’t the greatest with the IceHogs right now. Through seven games, he has a .890 SV% and a 2.74 GAA. However, his is better than Soderblom’s numbers, and Commesso is considered the backup goaltender of the future after Soderblom’s contract ends after this season.

Why not give Commesso a chance now?!

The Blackhawks are certainly in a tough spot right now, but making drastic changes might not be the best in the long run for this rebuilding squad. It might be better to stay the course and give the young talent the time they need to gain experience and grow their game. In the meantime, some reinforcements from Rockford could provide a spark.

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