The Chicago Blackhawks made a roster move on Monday to help bolster their ailing defense, as Erik Gustafsson was recalled from the Rockford IceHogs.
Gustafsson, who played in six games with the Blackhawks earlier this season, has been one of the IceHogs’ better offensive players on the blue line, scoring three goals and dishing out eight assists in his time there.
To make room for Gustafsson on the roster, the Blackhawks placed injured center Marcus Kruger on injured reserve. Kruger, who underwent surgery to repair a dislocated left wrist earlier this month, will likely be out through the remainder of the regular season as he recovers from the injury.
While putting Kruger on IR was a widely expected move, the decision to bring up Gustafsson signals that the team is looking to inject more life into their defensive corps.
The team has only scored once in their last two games, and in the late stages of Sunday’s loss to the Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Rob Scuderi only played sparingly as head coach Joel Quenneville looked to inject some speed and some life into his squad.
The addition of Gustafsson will give the Blackhawks that boost, and it will be interesting to see where he slots into the lineup.
