Blackhawks looking for Jeremy Morin to stay prepared

For one reason or another, Jeremy Morin’s stints with the Blackhawks have been filled with plenty of time on the bench or visits to the press box as a healthy scratch. His latest one has been no different.

Morin is expected to be scratched again Friday when the Hawks host the Montreal Canadiens. The 23-year-old hasn’t played since Nov. 20 in Calgary. He’s only played more than 10 minutes twice in his 15 appearances and hasn’t registered a point yet.

So, is Morin a candidate to be sent down to the Rockford IceHogs for playing time? Joel Quenneville didn’t rule that out.

“We’ll see,” Quenneville said. “Things change quickly, so it’s tough to forecast the future. That could be an option.”

Sending Morin to the AHL would be tricky. Per CapGeek, Morin would need to go through waivers, and it’s possible that he would be claimed before getting back to Rockford.

Regardless, Morin is still a spare part for the Blackhawks despite signing a two-year, one-way deal this summer.

“I think he wants to play,” Quenneville said. “We’re telling him you’ve got to treat your practices like games and get everything you can out of those skates and get ready kind of like in that backup role where you could be pressed in there. Then when you’re in you don’t want to come out.

“It’s part of that process where you don’t want to be in that position but it is what it is. You’ve got to put yourself (in a position) to be on that ready switch.”