The Chicago Blackhawks have placed defenseman Nikita Zaitsev on non-roster for personal reasons.
Subsequently, the team recalled defender Filip Roos from the Rockford IceHogs. Zaitsev missed practice on Wednesday and will not play against the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight. A return timeline isn’t known right now.
Zaitsev, 32, has one goal in five games with the Blackhawks this year. He was acquired from the Ottawa Senators last year, registering three points in 18 games with the Hawks.
More of a shutdown defenseman, Zaitsev originally signed as an undrafted free agent by Toronto in 2016-17. He spent the first three years of his career there, scoring a career-high 36 points in 2016-17. The Senators picked him up in the trade that helped send Cody Ceci to Toronto in 2019, and spent four years with the club.
Zaitsev struggled last year and was put on waivers before getting a four-game stint with the AHL’s Belleville Senators – his only trip to the AHL. Zaitsev is in the last year of a contract, paying him $4.5 million per season.
Roos, 24, got into 17 NHL games with the Blackhawks last year. He scored his first NHL goal and added two assists in a season that also saw him put up 11 points in 39 AHL games. Roos has four points in 10 outings with Rockford in 2023-24.
The Blackhawks will welcome Tampa Bay to town tonight before traveling to Nashville for a 2:00 PM ET start on Saturday afternoon. They’ll then make the trek back home to face Buffalo on Sunday before meeting with Columbus, Toronto and St. Louis next week. Chicago sits seventh in the Central Division with 10 points, with their two games in hand giving them the advantage over Nashville.
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