Blackhawks Acquire Forward Austin Wagner

The Blackhawks have added another AHL/NHL forward at the deadline, acquiring Austin Wagner from the Los Angeles Kings for our favorite asset: future considerations. According to general manager Kyle Davidson’s post-deadline press conference, Wagner will join the Blackhawks for the rest of the regular season.

Wagner, 25, is in the final season of a three-year deal that carries a $1,133,333 cap hit. He was originally a fourth-round pick by the Kings in 2015 (No. 99 overall) and has appeared in 171 career NHL games with LA. He had nine goals in 24 games for Ontario (AHL) this season.

Wagner is listed at 6-0 and 195 pounds, which follows a trend with forwards the Blackhawks have acquired this season. That’s three fringe NHL players in the same 24-26 age ranges with comparable size. We’re looking for the next Sam Lafferty, folks. And we’re doing it in bulk.

(Note: unlike Anderson and Bjork, Wagner did not play college hockey. He spent four seasons with the Regina Pats in the WHL… the team that currently has Connor Bedard… wink!)

written by

Tab Bamford has been writing about the Chicago Blackhawks for almost two decades. He joined Bleacher Nation as the lead Blackhawks writer in May 2022. Tab is a member of the Professional Hockey Writers Association and is the author of three books about the Blackhawks: "The Future: Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks' New Era,"(Triumph Books),"100 Things Blackhawks Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die" (Triumph Books) and "Chicago Blackhawks: An Illustrated Timeline" (Reedy Press, 2021). Find him on Twitter/X/Instagram/Threads at @The1Tab

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