The Blackhawks have shuffled the cards on defense over the last several weeks, and now they're slowly trying to clear the decks and make room for their prospects to play bigger roles.
After being a healthy scratch for the past eight games, Brandon Manning was traded to the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday along with defenseman prospect Robin Norell in exchange for 24-year-old forward Drake Caggiula and 34-year-old defenseman Jason Garrison.
It's a move largely motivated to clear Manning's $2.25 million cap hit next season, and the Blackhawks successfully did so without having to retain salary or attach a noted prospect — Norell spent three seasons with the Rockford IceHogs in the American Hockey League from 2015-18 before getting sent back to Djurgardens IF in Sweden this year.