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CHICAGO -- Former Blackhawks director of player personnel Norm Maciver has been promoted to assistant general manager, the team announced Monday.

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CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks recalled forwards Jeremy Morin and Brandon Pirri, defensemen Joe Lavin and Ryan Stanton, and goaltender Carter Hutton from the American Hockey League’s Rockford IceHogs and forward Brandon Saad from the Ontario Hockey League’s Saginaw Spirit, the team announced on Monday.

Morin, Pirri, Hutton and Saad all spent time with the Hawks this season. Morin appeared in two games as did Saad. Pirri played in five games, registering two assists. Hutton dressed as a backup for two Blackhawks games this season but never saw time.

Saad was a second-round draft pick in 2011 and was sent back to his junior’s team after the first two games of the season. He led the OHL with 1.73 points per game played.

Lavin and Stanton have never appeared in an NHL game.

The Chicago Blackhawks agreed to terms with forward Peter LeBlanc on a one-year contract for the 2012-13 season, the team announced on Friday.

LeBlanc, 24, shared the team lead for the AHL Rockford IceHogs with 23 goals this season, and ranks second on the club with 43 points (23G, 20A) in 70 regular-season games. LeBlanc was a seventh round pick in 2006.

The Chicago Blackhawks agreed to terms with forward Terry Broadhurst on a two-year contract.

Broadhurst, an Orland Park native, is the brother of Alex Broadhurst, the Blackhawks’ seventh-round selection in the 2011 NHL draft.

Broadhurst, 23, was team captain this season as a junior at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, establishing career-bests in goals (16), assists (20) and points (36) in 38 games. He ranked second on the club in goals and points, and shared sixth in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association with a team-high seven power-play goals.

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks recalled forward Brandon Bollig from the American Hockey League’s Rockford IceHogs.

Bollig, 25, has a career-high six assists and nine points (three goals, six assists) in 53 contests with Rockford this year, and ranks seventh in the AHL with a team-high 163 penalty minutes.

Bollig was signed as a free agent after playing collegiate hockey at St. Lawrence University. His toughness replaces John Scott, who was traded to the New York Rangers on Monday.

The Chicago Blackhawks traded forward Brandon Segal to the Tampa Bay Lightning for future considerations.

Segal, 28, has 13 goals and 12 assists in 53 games with the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League. He made his NHL debut with Tampa Bay in 2009.

CALGARY -- Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman is still looking for defensive help in advance of the Feb. 27 NHL trade deadline but also believes in the current group.

“We’ve said for a while we’d like to strengthen our defense,” Bowman said on the Hockey News Radio Show on XM Satellite radio on Friday. “I’m comfortable to the way we have our personnel currently, knowing that there are always opportunities to improve that group. Our top four defensemen have played very well, but you do concern yourself with overloading them too much, so if you’ve got guys in the third pair that can eat up some more of those minutes it would be an ideal situation.”

Bowman talked the day after an 8-4 defeat to Edmonton, the Hawks second blowout loss in that city this season. His team dropped a 9-2 game in November.

“It’s turned into our house of horrors this year for sure,” Bowman said. “It was not a good effort from our group but time to regroup.”

The Hawks give up 2.92 goals per game, ranking 25th in the NHL and 14th in the Western Conference.

“There are a lot of teams still in the race,” Bowman said. “There are a lot of buyers and no one is selling so we’re at a logjam right now. I’ve had numerous discussions with seemingly every general manager and everyone is kind of the same way. There are no players available. There is a lot of talking about what you’d like, but I’m just not seeing those players readily available. At some point that will turn, but it’s hard to say when.”

Though the they have had defensive issues for most of the season Bowman feels the Hawks' winless streak (0-3-1) is just part of the ups and downs of the season.

“It’s probably not too far off,” Bowman said. “You try not to over react. On balance we’ve had a good season to date. I wouldn’t term it a great season, but I think we’ve been, not too far off the top of the pack the entire season. And now it’s just trying to tighten up those areas that you think need tightening up ... I think overall, these things do happen to every team, and we have to find a way to battle through it.”

Bowman expects the logjam in the trade market to dissipate as the deadline approaches.

"We’ve got players in mind that might help us out, but they really aren’t available at the moment so we’re trying to improve from within,” Bowman said. “As we get closer to the deadline that will play itself out more."

The Hawks take on the Calgary Flames on Friday in the third game of a nine-game road trip. They’re 0-1-1 in the first two contests.

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks assigned winger Jimmy Hayes to Rockford of the AHL, the team announced Saturday.

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CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks activated center Marcus Kruger from injured reserve and assigned forward Ben Smith to Rockford of the AHL, the team announced Friday.

Kruger has missed nine of the past 10 games recovering from a concussion originally suffered against Pittsburgh on on Dec. 20.

Smith scored his second goal of the season on Tuesday against Columbus, but with the return of Kruger the Hawks roster was over the 23-man limit.

Forward Daniel Carcillo has two games left to serve on a seven-game suspension but is also injured. He could be placed on injured reserve after the Hawks' weekend set of games which would open a roster spot.

The Chicago Blackhawks recalled forward Jimmy Hayes and assigned forward Brandon Pirri to Rockford.

Hayes, 22, ranks third on the IceHogs with 13 assists and leads club rookies with 18 points in 28 games in his first full professional campaign. The 6-foot-5, 220-pounder signed a three-year deal with the Hawks last spring, leaving Boston College after his junior season.

Pirri, 20, has two assists and a +3 rating in four games with the Blackhawks this season.

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled center Brandon Pirri from Rockford of the AHL, the team announced Wednesday.

Pirri's recall comes the day after center Marcus Kruger left the Hawks' 3-2 loss to Pittsburgh after sustaining a check to the head by the Penguins Deryk Engelland.

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CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks assigned forward Ben Smith to Rockford of the AHL, the team announced Monday.

Smith had a goal in seven games since being recalled on Nov. 17. He was a healthy scratch for four contests as well. At the time of his recall he had tallied 10 points in nine games in Rockford but was slow to show the same production in the NHL this season.

Smith burst onto the scene last postseason, recording three goals in the Hawks' first-round series against the Vancouver Canucks, including the overtime winner in Game 6.

Former Chicago Blackhawks center John Madden will join the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, according to an NHL source.

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GLENDALE, Ariz. -- If you’re wondering why now-healthy Chicago Blackhawks forward Ben Smith was sent to the minors Monday, look no further than center Marcus Kruger.

The light might just have gone on for the 21-year-old Swede.

Kruger has been a different player since being cut at the end of training camp. He spent about one day in Rockford before the Hawks recalled him after their season-opening loss in Dallas. He’s played in the past three games and finally is getting noticed with the puck.

“It was hard for me to be sent down, and when I got back here I wanted to prove that I can play here,” Kruger said after practice Monday. “I tried to listen to the coaches and what they want.”

They wanted a more aggressive, playmaking forward who already was impressing them with his defense. Now it’s all coming together.

“I think he’s played very well,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “I thought he looked excellent [Monday] at practice. He seems quicker, he’s a little bit more confident and I don’t think he’s pressing like he did in camp. He can be very useful to us in that role that he has because he can play with good players, he can play in a defensive role, he can play with energy guys and he can kill penalties.”

It’s a good thing Kruger had a good practice on Monday. With Smith fully healed from a preseason concussion, the Hawks had 24 bodies for 23 roster spots. Both Kruger and Smith can be sent to the minors without clearing waivers.

Smith was more impressive last season down the stretch and into the playoffs, but Kruger was dropped into a playoff race straight from Sweden. Not an easy assignment.

“You have to be confident out there and dare to hold on to the puck for one extra second and make a good play,” Kruger said. “I have been trying to do that in these games, and I think that’s been good. That’s more how I play back home. It took me a while to bring that over here.”

Watching him in the past several games, it’s become obvious he’s more confident and less afraid to make a mistake. That’s how good plays end up being made. Next to his locker stall is the captain of the team and fellow centerman. Does he see a more confident Kruger?

“I definitely agree with that,” Jonathan Toews said. “Maybe he was putting a little too much pressure on himself in training camp, but he’s back here and getting his opportunity, so it’s good for him. He’s doing his job. He definitely seems to be himself again out there.”

A Quenneville favorite going back to last year, the 149th overall draft choice in 2009 just might be turning the corner in front of our eyes.

“I want to stay this time,” he said. “I know I can play better and will keep doing it.”

Smith will be back -- he showed too much promise to be in the minors for long. But losing a spot to injury is part of the game. (See Jeremy Morin for more evidence.) With Kruger’s turnaround, the competition just heated up. That can only be a good thing for the Hawks.

Toews talks: Jonathan Toews thinks his team is improving each game and wants to make sure it takes care of business when the schedule allows. That couldn’t happen a year ago, when the Blackhawks were the busiest team in the league early on.

“We want to put ourselves in a position that’s going to favor us later on, especially when we don’t feel as busy [as] when the weeks are congested with games,” he said. “We have to take advantage of those days when we’re coming into the games really rested.”

Toews says that although the Hawks are embarking on their first small road trip to Arizona and Colorado, they already feel closer as a team than a year ago at this time.

“Everyone feels comfortable,” Toews stated. “There is no separation between new players and players that have been here for a while. There is a feeling of togetherness already, and we’re feeling it on the ice, too.”

Slappers

Quenneville wants more out of his power play, which is just 2-for-17 in the early going.

“Power play can be better,” he said Monday. “Our entries are good, but we might be passing up some shots looking for a better play.”

Among others, Brent Seabrook needs to shoot more, as he’s been moved to the left point on the second unit. The setup allows for more onetime blasts.

Quenneville was asked about Duncan Keith's start to the season.

“Dunc's been OK,” Quenneville said. “I think he’s had a couple good games. I think being in that level game in and game out is where we’d like to see him. So that’s what we’re going to work for and work towards.”

Keith and Nick Leddy were on the ice for the tying, third-period goal on Saturday against the Boston Bruins, but Quenneville laid blame on everyone.

“Everybody on the ice on that shift could have done something better, defensively,” he said. “All five guys should absorb some responsibility ... not just look at the back end.”

Daniel Carcillo saw power-play practice time on Monday, taking the place of Marian Hossa on the second unit.

“For practice,” Carcillo said with a smile. “Coach told me to put on a red [offense] jersey, so that’s what I did.

Quenneville’s take?

“Just hoping Hossa plays tomorrow night,” he said, laughing.

Chicago Blackhawks chairman Rocky Wirtz talks to ESPNChicago's Jesse Rogers about how Patrick Sharp went from a golf tournament to needing an appendectomy later in the day, as addresses the changes the Blackhawks have made this offseason.