Blackhawks make trade and waiver claim in response to Bedard injury

When the Chicago Blackhawks got back from their road trip in New Jersey last night, their front office had to get on the phones quickly to replace two key players in Connor Bedard and Nick Foligno, who will both be out long term.

First, this morning they acquired forward Rem Pitlick from the Pittsburgh Penguins for a conditional seventh round draft pick. Pitlick is a 26 year old depth forward, drafted in the third round by the Predators in 2016. He has played the entire season so far with the Penguins' AHL team.


Now, the Blackhawks have also claimed forward Zach Sanford on waivers from the Arizona Coyotes. Sanford is a former second round draft picks by the Capitals in 2013, and has gone on to play 316 games with now 7 different teams in a journeyman career. In 11 games this season, he has just 2 assists. Notably, Sanford won the cup with the St. Louis Blues.



Of course, neither of these players will be able to replace the talent and veteran leadership brought by Bedard and Foligno respectively, but at the moment, the Blackhawks need just about any hockey player they can get. These injuries will honestly help their rebuild, as now it looks possible that they could finish last in the league once again this season.