The Chicago Blackhawks continued to trim down their roster on Monday, reportedly waiving defenseman Carl Dahlstrom and sending forward Anton Wedin and defenseman Dennis Gilbert to Rockford.
The roster moves come as the Blackhawks face a Wednesday deadline to finalize their 23-man NHL roster for the start of the season.
Dahlstrom, who signed a contract extension with the Blackhawks last season, appeared in 38 games with the club last year, dishing out six assists.
He will likely begin the season in Rockford unless another team claims him on waivers.
The Blackhawks also announced that they had sent Gilbert down to Rockford. Gilbert had turned heads throughout the preseason with his strong physical play, but with his departure it appears the team is hoping he can continue to hone his skills in the AHL while awaiting his big league opportunity.
The Blackhawks have seven defensemen left on their roster, with Calvin de Haan, Erik Gustafsson, Duncan Keith, Slater Koekkoek, Olli Maatta, Connor Murphy, and Brent Seabrook likely the seven the team will carry into the regular season.
Wedin was hoping to add some scoring depth to the Blackhawks’ roster this season, but he’ll instead begin the season in the AHL and will likely be a call-up if the Blackhawks run into injury issues with their club.
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The Blackhawks still have 15 forwards on their roster, but are dealing with injury concerns with Zack Smith and Kirby Dach. It’s unclear how the final roster decisions will shake out at forward, but the team is still working toward paring down the club to 23 players.
The Blackhawks may have to carry three goaltenders for the opening game in Prague, as Robin Lehner is still somewhat questionable with an injury. Corey Crawford seems to be the likely starter when the team hits the ice against the Flyers, and Collin Delia would serve as his back-up if Lehner can’t go.
