The Chicago Blackhawks were on the ice at Fifth Third Arena for an intense practice on Tuesday morning, following a pair of embarrassing blowout losses over the weekend to conclude a four-game road trip. Head coach Jeff Blashill put his team through several defensive drills in an effort to clean things up before tomorrow’s Original Six matchup with the New York Rangers.
Joining the Blackhawks for Tuesday’s practice was forward Dominic Toninato, who was recalled from the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL earlier in the morning. Chicago assigned Sam Rinzel and Landon Slaggert to the IceHogs on Monday afternoon, with no corresponding move made at the time. Without Rinzel and Slaggert, the Blackhawks had only 18 healthy skaters on the NHL roster, so someone was eventually getting called up. Turns out, Toninato was the choice to fill the 13th forward role.
While fans pondered if elite goal-scoring prospect Nick Lardis would be recalled to the NHL for the first time, the Blackhawks made the savvy decision to add veteran depth down in the bottom six instead.
Toninato, 31, has played in 189 NHL games for the Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers, and Winnipeg Jets in his nine-year career. While he’s not much of an offensive threat, with just 35 career points (13G, 22A), he’ll provide stable defensive play and add some size down in the lineup. Toninato played well during the preseason and has 17 points (5G, 12A) in 24 AHL games with the IceHogs this season.
“He’s a guy who can play center and give us those fourth-line minutes,” Blashill said.
“[He] gives us some flexibility… he’s a good pro, that’s for sure. I like having him around.”
With the Blackhawks among the youngest teams in the NHL this year, adding another veteran forward for the time being seems like a wise choice. Lardis, still only 20, is tied for fourth in the AHL with 24 points and leads all rookies in scoring, but there’s no rush whatsoever for him to join the big-league club. GM Kyle Davidson has preached patience throughout Chicago’s rebuild, and he wants to make sure Lardis is fully prepared to handle a top-six role when the time comes.
Additionally, the Blackhawks don’t have an opening currently in the top six, as rookie Ryan Greene has meshed well alongside Connor Bedard and Andre Burakovsky on the top line. Oliver Moore is getting a look on the second line with Frank Nazar and Tyler Bertuzzi, so there isn’t enough room for Lardis… for now. Davidson wouldn’t call him up to play in the bottom six or be utilized as the 13th forward — that spot fits Toninato much better. But if Lardis continues his spectacular play into the early part of 2026, he’ll force the front office to give him a shot not too far down the road.
Foligno Resumes Skating
Before Tuesday’s practice started, captain Nick Foligno was spotted skating on his own while wearing a grey non-contact sweater. It’s the first time Foligno has been seen skating since suffering a hand injury on Nov. 15 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, which landed him on injured reserve. He didn’t participate with the team during practice, but it’s great to see him making progress.
The Blackhawks have missed Foligno dearly during his absence, with a 3-5-2 record in 10 games since he got injured. It’s likely not a coincidence that the team has gone through a dip and been unable to finish out several close contests without their top leader.
While Foligno is trending in the right direction, the Blackhawks still don’t have an exact timeline for his return. Foligno isn’t expected to play this week, so the young group must find a way to respond from two dreadful defeats and a rugged stretch without him.
“He’s closer,” Blashill said after practice. “I don’t want to put a timeline on it right now, but it’s good that he’s skating… the healing process has gone well. He’s obviously itching to get in, but we’re still a ways away.”
New Defensive Pairings
Through the Blackhawks opening 29 games, Blashill has kept his defensive pairings relatively the same and allowed the duos to grow together. But after Rinzel’s temporary departure and a whopping 13 goals surrendered in the last two outings, he finally changed things up during Tuesday’s practice.
Artyom Levshunov was promoted to the top defensive pairing during the road trip, and that’s where he remains, but with a new partner. Matt Grzlecyk, who’s skated strictly on the third pairing this season, has been bumped up with Levshunov. It’s a peculiar choice from Blashill, as both defensemen are known for their offensive play. With Levshunov still going through some rookie struggles defensively, Grzelyck doesn’t seem like the optimal partner to help him through those issues. However, the two will undoubtedly fare well in the offensive zone, and the Blackhawks need more offensive contributions from the blue line.
Alex Vlasic and Louis Crevier were reunited on the second pairing, and the two spent a decent stretch together earlier in the season. Expect both mammoth defensemen to play in most defensive-zone starts for the Blackhawks when they face the Rangers on Wednesday night.
Wyatt Kaiser, arguably the team’s most impactful defenseman this year, was slotted on the third pairing with Connor Murphy. Kaiser has mostly played alongside Levshunov up to this point, but the duo didn’t fare well together recently in the defensive zone. The veteran Murphy isn’t a natural fit with Kaiser offensively, as he doesn’t provide much on that side of the game anymore. But perhaps he’ll help Kaiser tighten up his defense and allow him to use his smooth skating in transition.
Chicago has only utilized six defenseman in the lineup in three games this season, but that’s all that’s left on the roster after Rinzel was assigned to the AHL. Blashill and the team hope that the latest changes, both to the roster and to the pairings, benefits everyone involved long term.
“We’ve run [with] 11 forwards and seven defensemen for a long time,” Blashull said. “We’ll work back to 12 forwards and six defensemen. Does that help some guys get more minutes? Does that help their own personal development? Maybe. We’re hoping this is a win-win for everybody. Sam can go down, improve his game, and get his swagger back. Some of the guys that are here [in the NHL], a guy like Levshunov can play some more minutes, and we can get some set partners.”
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