Blackhawks News
Oliver Moore, Ryan Greene, & Nolan Allan Cut From Blackhawks Opening-Night Roster
Less than an hour after making the Matt Grzelyck signing official, the Chicago Blackhawks announced another series of roster moves ahead of Tuesday’s season opener against the Florida Panthers.
Oliver Moore, Ryan Greene, and Nolan Allan headline the group of players who were assigned to the Rockford IceHogs on Sunday.
Taige Harding, Gavin Hayes, Kevin Korchinski, Paul Ludwinski, Martin Misiak, Samuel Savoie, and Aidan Thompson were also sent back down to the AHL after being recalled for Saturday’s preseason finale. Cavan Fitzgerald, Brett Seney, and Mitchell Weeks were released from their PTOs with Chicago. They’re heading back to Rockford, too.
Both Moore and Greene performed well in their first training camp and preseason as professionals, but the Blackhawks likely don’t want to rush them along to the NHL level. There has been a consistent “thrive, not survive” mentality with the prospects under GM Kyle Davidson, and the decision to send each player to Rockford is a result of that. Could Moore and Greene be NHL players right here, right now? I think so. But the Blackhawks don’t want to risk stunting their development in smaller roles with the big-league club.
Defensively, it’s certainly a little surprising that Allan was part of the latest roster cuts, while Ethan Del Mastro remains with the NHL team. Between the two left-handed defensemen, Allan provided the steadier play throughout the preseason, and they’ve both been on the professional scene for the same amount of time. A curious decision, for sure.
Del Mastro, Louis Crevier, and Lukas Reichel are all still part of the Blackhawks NHL roster at the moment. According to Scott Powers of The Athletic, the Hawks will bring eight defensemen to Florida for the opening game of the regular season. Alex Vlasic will be traveling with the team, but his status for the game is still undetermined. If Vlasic was fully healthy, Del Mastro probably starts the season in Rockford.
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