On Friday morning, the Chicago Blackhawks made several significant roster moves as their push for a high playoff seed continues. To start with, they recalled forwards Jeremy Morin and Teuvo Teravainen to the active roster. To clear up the appropriate salary cap room for the moves, the Hawks then placed forward Patrick Kane on Long Term Injured Reserve to take his salary cap hit off the books.
Morin, who has played in a few stints with the Blackhawks this season, currently has 24 goals and 23 assists in 47 games with the Rockford IceHogs this season. In 15 NHL games, he has a goal and four assists.
As for Teravainen, he is arguably the top prospect in the Blackhawks' system, and his arrival has been one of the most talked about personnel moves in recent memory for the team. In SM-liiga in Finland, Teravainen scored nine goals and added 35 assists in 49 games this season for Jokerit. That assist total was good for second most in the league last season, and his deft passing and tremendous speed have made him a potential star that has hockey fans around the league drooling.
In putting Kane on LTIR, the Blackhawks get the salary cap relief necessary to add players to the active roster. After the trade deadline, teams can carry as many players as they want on the roster, but they still have to be salary cap compliant. The Hawks were hard up against the cap in recent weeks, making moves like these impossible. Placing Kane on that list does come with some consequences, as he will miss the rest of the regular season. Players on LTIR must remain there for at least 10 games and at least 24 days, and the regular season ends on April 12th.
The Blackhawks' next game will be on Friday night when they take on the Carolina Hurricanes at the United Center.
