Blackhawks send down Lukas Reichel, putting full-time NHL role on hold

The Blackhawks returned top prospect Lukas Reichel to the AHL on Friday, reassigning him to Rockford in anticipation of wing Patrick Kane’s comeback from injury Saturday against the Kraken.

Reichel’s three-game NHL stint in Kane’s absence was his best by far. He played very well against the Coyotes, notched three points against the Flames in one of the Hawks’ best individual performances by any player this season and held his own — albeit in less ice time — against the Avalanche. The Hawks won all three games.

Analyzing the move is complicated because it contrasts with a quote from coach Luke Richardson after the game Sunday against the Flames, but it aligns with the Hawks’ ultra-patient development plan for Reichel and other prospects.

Richardson said Sunday that Reichel likely would stick around even once Kane returned, stating that ‘‘the idea of bringing him up now is probably [because] he earned a spot’’ and that he would be given ‘‘extended time to see if he can sustain what he’s doing right now.’’ Richardson did add that he and general manager Kyle Davidson hadn’t ‘‘really talked about it’’ at the time.

Other than a slightly longer run in April of last season to get Reichel past the 10-game threshold, thus burning the first year of his contract and getting him to restricted free agency sooner (and ideally with a lower price tag), the Hawks consistently have given him only brief NHL stints in the last two seasons.

A team source said Friday that was the plan all along for this call-up, as well.

The plentiful ice time Reichel receives in Rockford and the winning culture there — the IceHogs are 19-11-4 — are theoretically better for his short-term development. And not having Reichel in the NHL is better for the Hawks’ designs on finishing in last place and receiving a guaranteed top-three draft pick.

Regardless of the strange optics Friday, Reichel’s success this month erased any concerns about his previous difficulties translating his AHL production into the NHL. He looked every bit the part of a top-six NHL wing already — at age 20 — and firmly has established himself as the Hawks’ best forward prospect.