Just one day after getting bumped up to the second line, Nick Lardis is heading back to the minor leagues. The Chicago Blackhawks assigned the 20-year-old forward to the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL shortly after wrapping up practice on Monday.
Lardis, a third-round pick (No. 67 overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft, recorded five goals and two assists for seven points in 21 games during his first stint with the Blackhawks. He was recalled from Rockford on Dec. 13, one day after Connor Bedard suffered a shoulder injury against the St. Louis Blues.
During Monday’s practice session, Teuvo Teravainen officially shed the grey non-contact sweater and was a full participant, which gave Chicago 15 healthy forwards. Teravainen is expected to rejoin the Blackhawks’ lineup for tomorrow’s Central Division showdown with the Minnesota Wild after missing the last six games with an upper-body injury.
Now that the Blackhawks have Bedard, Teravainen, and Frank Nazar back from injury, there isn’t a top-nine forward spot available for the offensive-minded Lardis, who scored a jaw-dropping 71 goals during his final year of junior hockey in the OHL with Brantford in 2024-25. Receiving limited minutes down on the fourth line wouldn’t have put Lardis in the best position to succeed, so GM Kyle Davidson ultimately shipped him to Rockford, where he’ll receive a much greater opportunity.
While Lardis had his moments during his first NHL stint, they were a little too few and far between to cement a roster spot in Chicago for the remainder of the season. His goal-scoring touch was evident at times, but he didn’t display much playmaking skills or qualities away from the puck. There are still parts of Lardis’ game that can be further ironed out with the IceHogs.
With the Olympic break on the horizon — the Blackhawks have only five more games before a three-week pause — it also makes sense to send Lardis down to the AHL to remain active throughout February. Lardis was also selected for the AHL All-Star Game on Jan. 15, and he’ll now be able to participate in the event, which will be held in Rockford, Illinois, on Feb. 10-11.
Through his first 24 career AHL games earlier this season, Lardis was lighting it up and leading the IceHogs’ offensively, with 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points. Despite playing up in the NHL for the last six weeks, he’s still tied for the team lead in goals and shares third in points.
All in all, it was a positive first look for Lardis, even though he’s surely disappointed by the demotion. Hopefully, he’ll return to Rockford with a chip on his shoulder and will dominate the minor-league level even more now that he’s got some NHL experience under his belt.
If Lardis can pick up where he left off in mid-December, he’ll be back up with the Blackhawks in no time. Especially with Chicago expected to move a forward or two ahead of this year’s trade deadline.
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