Blackhawks send Bickell to minors, recall Dano
Bryan Bickell hasn't scored a goal in 27 straight games. He has taken just 5 shots on goal in seven appearances this year. And the 6-foot-4, 223-pounder was a healthy scratch for four of the Chicago Blackhawks' last five games.
So Monday the Hawks assigned the 29-year-old winger to the AHL's Rockford IceHogs and called up Marko Dano, one of the Blue Jackets acquired in the Brandon Saad trade last June.
Coach Joel Quenneville wouldn't go so far as to say the staff has run out of patience with Bickell, who will make $4.5 million this year and next.
"I think organizationally we wanted to have Dano up here and give him a chance to play as well," Quenneville said. "It's always a tough day when you tell a guy like Bicks, who's been around for a while, that he's got to go down. That's the business we're in."
Bickell was placed on waivers Oct. 2 and cleared the next day when no team claimed him.
"I don't think he was happy," Quenneville said. "I think when he went on waivers that day he knew this day could happen. It happened, so he was obviously disappointed."
The Hawks can only save $950,000 against the salary cap by sending Bickell to Rockford, and Dano makes $925,000, so the move is pretty much a wash in that regard.
Asked what he needs to see out of Bickell so that he can return, Quenneville answered with one word: consistency.
As for Dano, he had a goal and 7 assists in nine games with the IceHogs and is slated to skate on the left wing with Tanner Kero at center and Ryan Hartman at right wing Monday night when the Hawks take on the Kings at the United Center.
Said Quenneville: "That predictability of having a four-line rotation is something that's been sporadic for us all year and hopefully they can stabilize and give us something consistent that way."
Language barrier?
When the Hawks signed Artemi Panarin during last season's playoffs, they had no other Russians on the roster, and that figured to be a problem in terms of trying to communicate with a player who speaks almost no English.
But by the time July 1 rolled around, the Hawks had signed Viktor Tikhonov and traded for Artem Anisimov, and that has smoothed Panarin's transition to the NHL in a big way.
"(Without them), I probably would have left in a week to go home," said a chuckling Panarin about three weeks ago.
In the first 11 games, Panarin has skated mostly with Anisimov and Patrick Kane. But with Marian Hossa missing Monday's game against the Kings, Panarin jumped to the top line with Jonathan Toews and Ryan Garbutt.
There's plenty of chatter that takes place on the bench between shifts, making it fair to wonder if Panarin might be a bit lost without Anisimov on his line.
Coach Joel Quenneville didn't seem concerned.
"Arty (Anisimov) will (still) be on the bench and sometimes (Viktor) Tikhonov as well," Quenneville said. "But I think he's starting to grasp some of the things we say in English. But the universal 'just play' and 'trust your instincts' is always there. And for skilled guys, the top guys, they usually adapt quickly."
Slap shots:
Marian Hossa will not play Monday night. Coach Joel Quenneville was "hopeful" that Hossa (lower body) could return Wednesday when the Hawks host the Blues. … Viktor Tikhonov and David Rundblad are slated to be the other healthy scratches. … The Kings are undefeated (3-0) on the road this season, while the Blackhawks are 5-1 at home.