CHICAGO — The Chicago Blackhawks placed veteran forward Craig Smith on injured reserve on Thursday with a nagging back injury. Smith hasn't appeared in a game since he skated for more than 10 minutes during a 3-1 victory over Colorado on Jan. 8. He also was on IR with a back injury from Dec. 20-31.

This afternoon, they sent Wyatt Kaiser back to the IceHogs. This came after he participated in practice during the day. Chicago had eight defensemen on the roster with the addition of Del Mastro which is unheard of in the NHL.

The Chicago Blackhawks today announced that the team has recalled defenseman Ethan Del Mastro from the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League. The team has also placed forward Craig Smith (back) on injured reserve retroactive to Jan. 8.

The Chicago Blackhawks were back on the ice today ahead of Friday night’s tilt with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The team made a roster move ahead of practice as they placed forward Craig Smith on injured reserve (retroactive to Jan.

With a pair of moves Thursday, the Chicago Blackhawks advanced the development of a couple of high-profile prospects, signing forward AJ Spellacy and calling up defenseman Ethan Del Mastro from the AHL Rockford IceHogs.

Del Mastro was recalled from AHL Rockford on Thursday. Del Mastro made two appearances for Chicago last year, and he was held without a point with two hits while averaging 18:35 of ice time. He's made 38 appearances for Rockford this year,

There might be fewer sellers around the NHL this season than usual, but the Hawks are certainly one. That scarcity of available players could drive up prices.