The Chicago Wolves announced Monday they have added three players at the American Hockey League trade deadline.
The Wolves received veteran forward Richard Panik on loan from the NHL’s New York Islanders and defenseman Tarmo Reunanen on loan from the Carolina Hurricanes. Reunanen was acquired Monday from the New York Rangers for Wolves center Maxim Letunov. Chicago also added veteran defenseman Chris Bigras from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in exchange for future considerations.
Panik, 31, has spent most of the last nine seasons in the NHL. The Martin, Slovakia, native has produced 88 goals and 107 assists in 521 regular-season games with Tampa Bay, Toronto, Chicago, Arizona, Washington, Detroit and the New York Islanders. This season, he owns 7 goals and 5 assists in 28 games for Bridgeport and 1 assist in 4 games for New York.
The 24-year-old Reunanen has amassed 2 goals, 15 assists and a +8 plus/minus rating in 40 games this season for the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. He appeared in four games for the New York Rangers in 2020-21 and contributed 1 assist. Letunov delivered 13 goals and 10 assists while playing in all 60 games for the Wolves this season.
The 27-year-old Bigras produced 3 goals and 7 assists in 28 games for the Penguins this season. Since making his AHL debut for the Lake Eric Monsters when he was 20 years old, Bigras has contributed 24 goals, 93 assists and 145 penalty minutes in 267 regular-season games. Selected by the Colorado Avalanche in the second round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, Bigras spent part of the 2015-16 and 2017-18 seasons with the Avalanche. He posted 1 goal, 3 assists and 18 penalty minutes in 46 NHL appearances.
Panik, Reunanen and Bigras join a Wolves squad that will clinch a Calder Cup Playoffs berth with a win Tuesday night at Cleveland. The Wolves boast the AHL’s second-best record with a .733 points percentage (39-11-5-5) with five weeks remaining in the regular season.
Chicago returns to Allstate Arena at 7 p.m. Saturday to face the Milwaukee Admirals on Salute to Military Families Night and 3 p.m. Sunday to play the Texas Stars on Papa Johns Family Sunday. To find the best deals on tickets, contact a Wolves representative at WolvesTix@ChicagoWolves.com.
