The Chicago Blackhawks have made a trade to add depth and physicality to their forward group, acquiring Kurtis Gabriel from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Gabriel, 28, has one goal and one assist in 13 AHL games this season with the Toronto Marlies. He has appeared in 49 career NHL games, recording two goals and three assists in stints with the Wild, Devils and Sharks.
More notably, he has racked up 153 penalty minutes in those games, showing a serious physical edge to his game that the Blackhawks have largely lacked this season.
In exchange, the Blackhawks sent minor league defenseman Chad Krys to the Maple Leafs. In eight games with the Rockford IceHogs this season, Krys has one assist and two penalty minutes, along with a minus-2 rating.
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Taken in the second round of the 2016 NHL Draft, Krys has two career goals in 64 NHL games over four different seasons, along with 13 assists.
According to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, Gabriel is expected to join the Blackhawks in Toronto later this week.
