The Chicago Blackhawks made a trade Saturday afternoon that was clearly reactionary. They acquired checking center Rem Pitlick from the Pittsburgh Penguins for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. The probable reason for the move: the Blackhawks left Friday night’s 4-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils reeling. Chicago’s sensational rookie center Connor Bedard was injured on a first-period hit from the Devils’ Brendan Smith, and veteran Hawks leader Nick Foligno, who jumped in to fight smith immediately afterward, was also hurt.
On Saturday, the Hawks revealed that Bedard fractured his jaw on the play, while Foligno broke a finger on his left hand. Both were placed on injured reserve.
Pitlick, 26, will step into a depth role and should have a much better opportunity to earn NHL minutes than he did as Pittsburgh Penguin. He came to them in the summer from the Montreal Canadiens as part of the three-team trade sending Erik Karlsson from the San Jose Sharks to Pittsburgh. Pitlick has played exclusively in the AHL this season, picking up 24 points in 32 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Pittsburgh’s farm club.
Pitlick has 123 games of NHL experience split between the Nashville Predators, who chose him 76th overall in the 2016 Draft, the Minnesota Wild and the Montreal Canadiens. He totalled a career-best 15 goals and 27 points during the 2021-22 season, during which the Habs claimed him off waivers from the Wild. He is the son of former NHLer Lance Pitlick, the brother of Rhett Pitlick and the cousin of Tyler Pitlick.
The Blackhawks sit last in the NHL’s Central Division with an 11-26-2 record. Minus Bedard and Foligno, they suddenly look like a contender to challenge the San Jose Sharks for the top odds in the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery. Macklin Celebrini projects to be the No. 1 overall pick.
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