The Chicago Blackhawks assigned forward Cole Guttman to the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League on Saturday morning ahead of their home opener.
Guttman, 24, scored one goal in three games during the five-game road trip. He averaged only 9:48 of ice time and had been a healthy scratch the last two contests.
With Colin Blackwell (lower-body) and Philipp Kurashev (left wrist) slowly ramping back up — the two of them skated with the team on Saturday — the Blackhawks didn't want Guttman to be one of the extra forwards. They want him playing a lot of minutes, and he'll be able to do that in Rockford.
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"It's good for him to get back and play all situations down in Rockford, because he's going to be probably their top player," Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson said. "If he can do that, when he comes back, when it's his opportunity here, instead of being in and out — it's hard to keep your confidence level up in the NHL doing that — then he'll be in that same boat he was last year when he came up.
"He was playing all situations, he was doing great in the AHL and he'll be ready for any situation that we need him for up here."