Blackhawks Place Zach Sanford on Waivers

Sanford initially joined the Blackhawks as a waiver claim from the Arizona Coyotes on Jan. 6. Serving in a bottom-six forward role, the 29-year-old has three assists in 15 games with Chicago.

Sanford is no stranger to moving around as the Blackhawks are his seventh stop in as many years in the NHL. For his career, the Massachusetts native has 103 points (49 goals, 54 assists) in 331 games.

As the Blackhawks previously did with Rem Pitlick, placing Sanford on waivers is likely a move to open a roster spot for another player returning from injury. Andreas Athanasiou, Connor Murphy, and Nikita Zaitsev are all on injured reserve, though it's unclear who may be ready for a return to the roster.

If Sanford clears waivers, the Blackhawks can stash him as forward depth with the AHL Rockford IceHogs.