Forsling call up means Blackhawks now carrying 8 D-men
The Blackhawks' decision to call Gustav Forsling up from Rockford on Tuesday means they will - at least temporarily - be carrying eight defensemen.
Although the Hawks used this roster strategy for about half of last season, it's not common for NHL teams to carry two extra D-men.
Still, head coach Jeremy Colliton believes the competition is good for his team.
"It's going to push everyone to be better," Colliton said after the Hawks practice at MB Ice Arena. "Guys have to earn what they get and that's good for our group."
The Hawks made room for Forsling by placing Marcus Kruger on injured reserve with a leg injury.
The 22-year-old Forsling has split his time in Chicago and Rockford the last two seasons. Including training camp, he missed the first six weeks of this campaign with a wrist injury that required off-season surgery.
Colliton said Forsling "played a huge role" in Rockford's deep playoff run last season and is "excited to see what he can bring."
"He's a fantastic skater," Colliton said. "Moves the puck clean. With his gap, he can really defend lines well. We think he can add something to our group."
Colliton didn't say if Forsling would play against the Blues at the United Center on Wednesday. Brandon Manning (right leg) did not practice Tuesday.
Saad better:
Four bent teeth and a busted right arm.
That pretty much sums up what Brandon Saad went through last week during the Hawks' two practices at MB Ice Arena.
"I was joking today that I made it through practice, so that's good," Saad said Tuesday. "It was an unusual week, but it's good to be back."
Last Tuesday, Saad was forced to sit in a dental chair for 2-3 hours after being hit in the mouth with a puck. That was nothing compared to what happened Friday, though, as Saad's right arm was crunched by a Jan Rutta shot during a net-front presence drill.
Saad finished the practice, but by the time the Hawks' plane landed in Philadelphia, he was alerting team doctors that something was wrong.
He ended up missing Saturday's game against the Flyers and Monday's against the Hurricanes.
"Yeah, it's definitely frustrating," Saad said of the arm injury, "especially with getting hit in the mouth and then that happened a couple days later. So that's not something that you want to be a part of."
Saad, who has 4 goals in the last eight games, believes he will be able to face the Blues on Wednesday.
Slap shots:
Connor Murphy was on the ice before practice, but his early December timetable to return from a back injury remains the same. … Since posting a .946 save percentage in his first four games, Corey Crawford has stopped just 141 of 162 shots for an .870 save percentage.