Rundblad loaned to Switzerland league
David Rundblad has been the odd man out most of this season, a healthy scratch in 30 of the Blackhawks' first 38 games this season.
On Sunday, the Hawks announced that they loaned the 25-year-old defenseman to the ZSC Lions of Switzerland's National League A.
Rundblad's failure to crack the lineup stemmed mostly from the fact that Trevor van Riemsdyk surprised the Hawks in camp last season and Erik Gustafsson has proved himself in two short stints thus far this season.
Throw in the fact that 37-year-old Michal Rozsival and recently acquired 36-year-old Rob Scuderi bring veteran poise and leadership and it left no room for Rundblad.
The other issue is that Rundblad has always been known as an offensive defenseman, which is fine to a point, but coach Joel Quenneville only has so much patience for D-men who fail to play a safe, no-nonsense game.
Quenneville hopes Rundblad will gain confidence by being able to play on a consistent basis.
“He's been out and I think he just wants to play,” Quenneville said. “As a former player and defenseman, that's what it's all about. You want to get out there, you want to do your thing and I think he can help himself by getting involved, get some confidence. We feel with the puck he can do a lot of things.”
Rundblad, who still has a year left on his two-year, $2.1 million contract, will now count $100,000 against the salary cap.
Good fit:
Erik Gustafsson's emergence on the back end is a big reason the Hawks placed David Rundblad on waivers and loaned him to the ZSC Lions.
Gustafsson played in six games early in the season and was assigned to Rockford when Duncan Keith and Michal Rozsival were activated. He was called up last week and figures to be a regular for the foreseeable future.
“He has a lot of confidence with the puck, definitely,” said fellow defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson. “He sees the games well. He's a smart player so give him a couple more games and I think he'll be even better.”
Trading places:
The Blackhawks traded Jeremy Morin to the Toronto Maple Leafs for forward Richard Panik. Coach Joel Quenneville said that Panik, who had 25 points (9 goals) in 33 games with AHL's Toronto Marlies, will be on the Hawks' roster and play on the left side.
“A new destination, a new opportunity, new linemates, new team can rejuvenate some guys,” Quenneville said. “The thing is the opportunity, you have to take advantage of and he'll certainly be given an opportunity.”
Panik was drafted by Tampa Bay in the second round in 2009.
Kane honored:
The Blackhawks paid tribute to Patrick Kane before Sunday's game, celebrating his 26-game point streak that ended Dec. 15 against Colorado. The Hawks played a video montage and GM Stan Bowman presented Kane with an engraved gold puck and a framed print commemorating the streak.