Which IceHogs defensemen will be with the Blackhawks on Friday?

The NHL trade deadline is on Friday, making this week a busy week for the Blackhawks. They’ve already made one move that has been predicted since the start of the season. Pending unrestricted free agent Connor Murphy was sent to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a 2028 second-round draft pick. The trade ends a nine-year tenure with the Blackhawks for Murphy. In 547 regular-season games, he had 34 goals and 90 assists for 124 points, 390 penalty minutes, and was a minus-36. He also had four assists, four penalty minutes, and was a minus-1 in nine playoff games. His leadership qualities were good enough to earn him an “A” for his last six seasons in Chicago. The defense core has gotten considerably younger after losing a key veteran. Now the question is, which IceHogs defensemen will be up permanently after the trade deadline?

Del Mastro and Korchinski are obvious choices

With Wyatt Kaiser still out after getting injured before the Olympic break, the Blackhawks called up Sam Rinzel and Kevin Korchinski. Rinzel was the obvious call-up, as he was a mainstay before the break. Korchinski was only called up as an injury replacement. But with Murphy now traded, that opens up a major spot that could be filled by him. However, that isn’t a certainty, as another familiar face joined the team Tuesday morning. Ethan Del Mastro was called up, bringing the team’s defenseman total to 7. They both have a lot to prove, as they are in the last years of their NHL contracts. It’s clear that Blackhawks management wants to give them one last chance before making a final decision on their future. Bringing them up after the trade deadline will showcase their skills in the final months of the season.

Harding or Kuzmin could get called up

Murphy might not be the only defenseman moved by Friday. Matt Grzelcyk is also a pending UFA with tons of trade speculation. If he goes too, more people will be called up. The IceHogs are preparing for that, as they’ve added Jeremie Bucheler from Indy as well as Brayden Hislop and Jake Murray on PTO’s within the last week. There are four other defensemen with NHL contracts with Rockford, but two of them would be perfect call-ups. Taige Harding would be a toughness replacement for Murphy, and Dmitry Kuzmin has familiarity with Levshunov. Losing Murphy means losing toughness on defense, and more help for Levshunov will be beneficial as he completes his first full season in the NHL. Plugging them into the lineup would be a good move as the Blackhawks begin to shape their defensive core, hopefully jumping into the playoffs sooner rather than later.

The next few days will be very interesting

The interesting thing about the trade deadline is that every team approaches it differently. Some teams are obvious buyers, some are obvious sellers, and others do nothing. The Blackhawks immediately made a splash by trading Murphy to Edmonton. It seems like a similar move will be on the horizon before the week is done. Grzelcyk could very well be traded to a contender, leaving more holes in their defense. Of course, he could stay, leaving Del Mastro and Korchinski to battle for playing time once Kaiser returns. But if he leaves, they’ll have to call up more defensemen, with Harding and Kuzmin being optimal replacements. After all, the IceHogs are also reloading their defensemen, which could be a clue for this week’s moves. No matter what happens, it’s clear the Blackhawks are rebuilding their defense as they shift their focus toward becoming contenders.