Ahead of the matchup with the Vancouver Canucks on Friday night, the Chicago Blackhawks activated forward Landon Slaggert off injured reserve.
#Blackhawks have activated forward Landon Slaggert off injured reserve.
Jeff Blashill said after the morning skate that Slaggert wouldn’t play tonight, but he’s made late changes already in the first five games. We’ll see, I guess. pic.twitter.com/XmsAeEdZUF
— Jack Bushman (@JackBushman2) October 17, 2025
Slaggert, who’s missed each of the first five games of the season with a lower-body injury, participated in the morning skate on Friday. He was positioned on the fourth line with Lukas Reichel and Ryan Greene, but he won’t play against the Vancouver Canucks. The Blackhawks will roll out the same 11-forward, seven-defenseman lineup as they did on Wednesday in St. Louis.
Slaggert played in 33 NHL games with the Blackhawks during the 2024-25 campaign, tallying six points (2G, 4A). In 49 career NHL contests, the 23-year-old forward has netted 10 points (3G, 7A).
Entering training camp, Slaggert was skating on the team’s third line in the left-wing spot with Jason Dickinson and Ilya Mikheyev. But considering how well the Ryan Donato, Dickinson, and Mikheyev trio has played recently, it’s tough to see Slaggert receiving that same opportunity when he returns to the lineup. That will likely come against the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday.
Friday’s morning skate foreshadowed that Slaggert will be on the fourth line with Reichel and Greene in his season debut. That spells trouble for Sam Lafferty, who’s not playing again on Friday and will be healthy scratched for a third consecutive game. Slaggert’s return won’t make it any easier for Lafferty to claw his way back into a consistent lineup spot.
It will also be interesting to see how much head coach Jeff Blashill continues to utilize an 11F/7D lineup once the Blackhawks have 14 healthy forwards on their NHL roster. Captain Nick Foligno is still on his brief leave of absence from the team, so there are only 12 forwards active on Friday night.
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