Panik's place with Blackhawks panning out
When the Blackhawks traded Jeremy Morin for Richard Panik two weeks ago, I thought it would be a good idea to check out a few of Panik's recent NHL goals.
The first two I looked at were the perfect examples of the "greasy goals" coach Joel Quenneville and the Hawks always love to see: a tip-in vs. Calgary on March 13, 2015, and a hey, look-what-I-found, puck-bounces-off-my-jersey goal eight days earlier against Tampa Bay.
So after Panik gave the Hawks a 1-0 lead in Sunday's 5-2 victory over Montreal at the United Center, I asked him if his first goal of this season - an absolute bullet that beat Ben Scrivens - felt better than his previous 2 NHL scores.
"(Tonight's) feels good, but I would take those anytime," said Panik, who started chuckling and added, "You know, if I scored 50 of those from my back, I would take them."
As would the Hawks.
It has been quite the whirlwind couple of weeks for Panik, a 6-foot-1, 208-pound winger who likes to play a physical, in-your-face game. After not being able to join the team because of visa issues, Panik participated in his first morning skate last Tuesday but was not slated to play against Nashville.
But when Artem Anisimov got sick after the team's 6 p.m. meeting, it put the Hawks in scramble mode. They called Panik, and he rushed to the United Center and saw just less than seven minutes of ice time against the Predators despite not taking part in pregame warmups.
Since then, the former second-round pick of the Lightning has played in three more games and certainly held his own skating on the fourth line with Dennis Rasmussen and Ryan Garbutt.
"Richard's a guy we've had our eye on a little bit the last couple years," general manager Stan Bowman said last week. "He's got a lot of talent and he's had some opportunities in the NHL."
Indeed, Panik played in 76 games for the Leafs last season, scoring 11 goals. But when Mike Babcock took over as coach, the team went a different direction and Panik spent all of this season playing for Toronto's AHL team.
"I didn't start the season as I was hoping," he said. "I think I played really good (for) the Marlies. When I heard I was traded to Chicago, I was really excited."
Leave it to Bowman and his staff to unearth another team's unwanted player to give Quenneville what might be the permanent replacement to Bryan Bickell.
Seriously, how many guys go from another team's AHL franchise to quite possibly becoming an everyday player on the defending Stanley Cup champs?
"He didn't really get an opportunity this year," Bowman said. "I like his skill set, his size. ... He's a big guy, he can skate, he's got good hands, and I think he's just looking for that opportunity to find the right mix.
"Hopefully it'll be a nice fit."
It has been just four games, but it certainly is so far.
"I was expecting I was going to make the team in Toronto," Panik said. "(A) new start for me is really good."
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