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The Blackhawks would have had to send rookie defenseman Wyatt Kaiser back down to Rockford at some point anyway, so with veteran Connor Murphy ready to return, they might as well not wait.
That was likely the thought process behind the Hawks’ demotion of Kaiser on Monday in spite of his excellent play over the last few weeks. The transaction shouldn’t be perceived as an indictment of the 21-year-old at all.
In fact, he was arguably the Hawks’ sharpest defenseman in their lackluster loss Sunday against the Wild, and coach Luke Richardson praised him after the game.
“He’s been really good since he’s been back, skating out of trouble and making quick plays,” Richardson said. “A lot of times, he’ll draw someone to him, and even use the boards as an indirect [exit route] in the neutral zone. He’s kept himself out of quite a bit of trouble, so it’s really gone well for him.”
Kaiser will finish the season with seven points (all assists) in 32 NHL games, including three points in nine games during this most recent stint. His playing time increased to 18:58 per game during the second stint, and he ranks fourth on the team in five-on-five shot-attempt ratio since March 18 at 44.4% (behind only Nikita Zaitsev, Jason Dickinson and Connor Bedard).
He will slot in as Rockford’s No. 1 defenseman in all situations — a role he earned throughout the winter — as they push toward the AHL playoffs, which is why he would’ve gone down at some point anyway.
The Hawks’ front office’s focus will increasingly shift away from the NHL and toward the AHL and beyond over the next few weeks.
Rockford has caught fire down the stretch — going 18-5-0 since Feb. 10 — to clinch a berth with seven regular-season games left. They’re on track to face Grand Rapids, the Red Wings’ affiliate, in the first round.
Minor-league veterans Brett Seney and Rem Pitlick are their leading scorers, but this will provide notable prospects like Kaiser, Ethan Del Mastro, Nolan Allan, Colton Dach, Ryder Rolston and Drew Commesso their first professional postseason experience.
With three prospects — Frank Nazar (Michigan), Ryan Greene (Boston University) and Aidan Thompson (Denver) — also slated to participate in the NCAA Frozen Four this week, there are many things relevant to the Hawks’ future going on outside the Hawks right now.
For the Hawks, though, Murphy could slot into the lineup Wednesday at the Blues. After that, just four games remain: Friday and Sunday at home against the Predators and Hurricanes, respectively, followed by road games to finish out the season next week against the Golden Knights and Kings.
The most interesting storylines during that stretch will revolve around Bedard’s finishing touches on his rookie season, Landon Slaggert’s pursuit of his elusive first NHL goal and whether the Hawks (51 points with five games left) or Ducks (55 points with four games left) will wind up with the second-best draft-lottery odds.
Pending free agents who may or may not get re-signed — guys like Colin Blackwell, Joey Anderson, Taylor Raddysh and MacKenzie Entwistle — will try to do some last-second persuasion with their on-ice performance.
The Hawks will also try to win a self-imposed best-of-seven series against California teams this spring. That’s something Richardson recently admitted they made up to challenge themselves down the stretch, and they’re currently tied 3-3 with only the season finale in Los Angeles left.
The term “interesting” is being used loosely here, but that shouldn’t be surprising at the tail end of a season like this one.
Note: The 2026 seventh-round draft pick the Hawks traded to the Penguins in January carried a condition of Pitlick playing 30 NHL games, per a source. Since Pitlick played only nine games, it turns out the Hawks will actually keep the pick.
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