Blackhawks Opening Night Roster Taking Shape After Slew of Sunday Transactions

Chicago assigned Louis Crevier, Drew Commesso, Colton Dach, Ethan Del Mastro, Cole Guttman, Kevin Korchinski, Frank Nazar, Zach Sanford, Samuel Savoie, and Landon Slaggert to the AHL's Rockford IceHogs after the group of youngsters played in Saturday's preseason finale against the St. Louis Blues.

Additionally, the Blackhawks released Brandon Baddock and Austin Strand from their professional tryout agreements and assigned them to Rockford.

Waiver Wire

The Blackhawks addressed their depth defenseman situation by placing Isaak Phillips on waivers. Phillips displayed physicality throughout the preseason, but his placement on waivers means the Blackhawks will likely tab Nolan Allan for the last spot on their blue line entering the regular season.

The NHL's waiver wire is extremely busy Sunday as teams around the league make cuts to work toward finalizing their opening night rosters. If Phillips clears waivers, the Blackhawks will likely stash him in Rockford as the next man up if injuries afflict the blue line.

What's On Tap Next?

It's almost time for the real deal. The Blackhawks will open the 2024-25 regular season when they visit the Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday. Puck drop is at 9 PM CT and the game will air on ESPN.