After moving out Riley Stillman recently, the Blackhawks made a move to add some grit on their back end as NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston reports (Twitter link) that they claimed Jarred Tinordi off waivers from the Rangers.
The fact that Tinordi was picked up might come as a bit of a surprise as he passed through unclaimed back in January, but Chicago feels it has a need for the 30-year-old. He’s coming off a season that saw him spend most of his time with AHL Hartford, where he had a goal and four assists along with 56 penalty minutes in 32 games. Tinordi also got into seven games with New York, picking up a single goal.
Tinordi has played in 109 career NHL contests over parts of nine seasons, picking up 132 blocks and 242 hits over that span. Being a reserve defenseman is a role that he is accustomed to, and that’s likely what helped convince Chicago to make this claim. As a rebuilding squad, the Blackhawks are better off having a veteran as the seventh defender who only suits up in certain matchups than having a youngster in the press box. Tinordi is in the final year of his contract, which carries a $900K cap hit. He will be eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer.
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