Oct. 07--On the eve of Wednesday night's season opener, the Blackhawks were not finished making final adjustments to their roster Tuesday.
The team placed defenseman Michal Rozsival on long-term injured reserve, recalled defenseman Ville Pokka from Rockford and sent down defenseman Viktor Svedberg.
Rozsival's move comes as no surprise since Rozsival has not skated with the team this preseason as he recovers from a fractured left ankle suffered in last season's playoffs.
Pokka presumably was brought up to be the team's seventh defenseman, but expect David Rundblad and Trevor van Riemsdyk to get the call as the fifth and sixth defensemen. Coach Joel Quenneville hinted earlier Tuesday there could be moves coming as the Hawks assessed their situation against the salary cap while praising Svedberg's improvement in camp.
"We like his size, reach and stick," Quenneville said. "He was more effective with the puck, put it in good areas and made direct plays. He was one of the pleasant stories through camp. You could call him a surprise."
With Rozsival, who signed a one-year $600,000 deal in September, on injured reserve, the Hawks can exceed the salary cap to replace him while he is out. That could be one of the reasons Pokka, who makes $925,000 on a two-way contract, was able to be called up now to replace Svedberg, who makes $575,000.
Meanwhile, defenseman Kyle Cumiskey, who is recovering from a lower-body injury, remains on the roster on a professional tryout agreement but has not signed a contract.
Cubs on at UC: The Hawks will try to accommodate fans who wish to see the wild-card playoff game between the Cubs and Pirates on Wednesday night by playing the game with audio on the big screens during intermissions. The Cubs game will also be on at concourse bars and the Hawks will provide score updates during commercial breaks.
Hossa 'flying' around: Marian Hossa is 36 and coming off playing a full 82 games in the regular season for the first time since 2006-07. But Quenneville said Hossa looks as if he hasn't lost a step.
"He's skating better than I've ever seen him skate," Quenneville said. "He has had a real good camp and he's as quick as I've seen him."
