The Chicago Blackhawks made yet another roster move on Monday afternoon, as forward Landon Slaggert was assigned to the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL. The transaction comes just a few hours after top prospect Oliver Moore was recalled from the IceHogs.
Slaggert, 23, missed the first six games of the 2025-26 campaign after getting injured in the preseason finale. He returned for his season debut on Oct. 19 against the Anaheim Ducks and appeared in four other games for the Blackhawks over the last two weeks. Slaggert did not record a point and had a minus-two rating in his five NHL games.
The decision to send Slaggert down to Rockford comes at a somewhat curious time, as forward Jason Dickinson was placed on injured reserve earlier this afternoon. Even with Moore getting called up, the Blackhawks are down to only 12 healthy forwards on the NHL roster again, now that Slaggert has been reassigned to the IceHogs.
While the NHL squad could have used another depth option, Slaggert is still only in his second full professional season, and the organization would rather have him play consistently in Rockford than be healthy scratched somewhat regularly by Chicago. That’s likely where Slaggert was heading, as he wasn’t making much of an impact in a minor role with the Blackhawks.
Head coach Jeff Blashill mentioned back on Halloween that Slaggert was “in the conversation” regarding difficult line-up decisions. Blashill said he wanted to see Slaggert remove himself from those discussions, which he wasn’t able to do in Winnipeg or Edmonton to start the road trip.
Slaggert, who tallied 25 points (10G, 15A) in 39 games with the IceHogs in the 2024-25 season, is now back at the AHL level, where he’ll play a more involved role than he received from the Blackhawks. He’s dealt with multiple injuries and an illness already this year, and perhaps this will now allow him to have a proper reset and find his footing again.
In 54 career NHL games, Slaggert has scored three goals and added seven assists for ten points. The 6-foot, 185-pound winger has a decent size and speed combination, but he’ll need to figure out how to use it more effectively to secure his spot as a puzzle piece during the Blackhawks’ rebuild. With more and more high-end draft picks starting to hit the pro scene, it’s not going to be an easy task for Slaggert to separate himself from a talented pack.
For more Blackhawks news, visit Chicago Hockey Now and like our Facebook Page.
Follow us on X: