Blackhawks Locker Room Talk
Blackhawks Practice: Craig Smith Returns, Landon Slaggert Needs to ‘Figure Out His Game’

The Chicago Blackhawks were back on the practice ice today as they prepare for tomorrow’s games against Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and the Edmonton Oilers. Artyom Levshunov spent another day with the big club, and Ryan Donato returned after taking a maintenance day on Monday.
Craig Smith Set to Return
Craig Smith was a full participant for the second straight day, so he must have responded well after yesterday’s workout. Colton Dach and Philipp Kurashev worked on the penalty kill while the Blackhawks did power play drills early in practice, giving an early indication that they wouldn’t be in the lineup. That was confirmed when they took full line rushes later on. Smith was back on the fourth line, where he’s had success this season.
Here are the full line rushes from this morning:
Landon Slaggert-Connor Bedard-Ryan Donato
Teuvo Teravainen-Jason Dickinson-Ilya Mikheyev
Nick Foligno-Frank Nazar-Tyler Bertuzzi
Pat Maroon-Lukas Reichel-Craig Smith
Alec Martinez-Seth Jones
Alex Vlasic-Connor Murphy
Ethan Del Mastro-T.J. Brodie
Interim head coach Anders Sorensen said Smith should be good to go against Edmonton. It will be his first game since Jan. 8 and just his sixth since Dec. 7. With only nine games left before the NHL trade deadline, it will be good to showcase Smith and try to drive up any value he has.
Forecheck is Key to Top Line’s Success
Ever since Sorensen took over behind the Blackhawks bench in early December, he’s preached that an aggressive forecheck will lead to team success. Creating pressure with the forecheck is key to his 2-1-2 system. This team’s best hockey has come while they are aggressive, forcing the opponent into defensive-zone turnovers. The positive results come when they play on their toes instead of their heels.
That line of thinking has Landon Slaggert and Donato on the top line with Connor Bedard. Sorensen put the trio together during the second half of Saturday’s blowout loss to the Florida Panthers and played well enough to stay together.
“The way they finished the game was really good,” Sorensen said. “I thought that had some good opportunities on the forecheck. They created some stuff off of it that led into some offensive zone time. I think that’s the biggest thing, but defensively, be reliable. So, be reliable defensively, take some of those good things you did last game offensively, and carry them over.”
Landon Slaggert has to Figure His (Video) Game
Slaggert has been a nice addition to the Blackhawks locker room. Not only does he fit into the vision of being a hard team to play against with his effort on the ice, but he is also an easy kid to cheer for. His second stint in the NHL has been made easy with so many familiar faces from Rockford already here, including Sorensen.
“There is definitely a comfort level there,” he said. “He knows my game and has given me an opportunity to showcase what I can do. Having played for him in Rockford makes the transition even easier.”
There are also multiple players here that Slaggert played with in Rockford to start the season. They have a bond off the ice, which is exactly what the organization has been trying to build with their Development Camps every summer.
“It’s a good group of guys,” he said with a smile. “We’re having fun at the hotel, playing video games, and just hanging out. It’s been great.”
Slaggert said the game of choice is NHL 25, of course. He admitted that he needs to work on his game a bit as he’s been “getting worked recently” by Nolan Allan.
“I’m struggling right now. I have to figure my game out.”
He said he saw the highlights of Kevin Korchinski and Cole Guttman at last night’s AHL All-Star Challenge but has yet to text Korchinski to congratulate him on winning MVP honors.