Kopecky was released from his professional tryout contract with the Blackhawks on Monday.

EDGE Analysis

The Blackhawks are pretty deep at forward, so it isn't a shocker that Kopecky was unable to secure a spot on the team's 23-man roster. It isn't clear whether or not the 33-year-old winger will draw any interest from teams looking to add bottom-six depth to their forward group. Kopecky registered eight points (two goals, six assists) in 64 games with the Panthers last season.

Kopecky signed a professional tryout contract with the Blackhawks on Wednesday and will attend their training camp, Dan Rosen of NHL.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Kopecky saw his playing time wane as the season wore on and didn't score a point between January 11 and April 2, but still may have some gas left in the tank. He finished the season playing in 64 games with two goals and six assists with the Panthers. He'll get a shot to crack the roster with the Blackhawks after they were forced to overhaul their team thanks to a cap crunch.

Kopecky tallied an assist, two penalty minutes and a plus-1 rating in Thursday night's 6-1 victory over the Hurricanes. The point was just his second of the calendar year and his first since Jan. 11. The contributions all over the stat sheet was a welcome surprise as Kopecky isn't much of an offensive threat while also playing limited minutes. Kopecky has limited fantasy value for the final few games of the season.

Kopecky is slated to be a healthy scratch on Saturday, George Richards of the Miami Herald reports. After being scratched in five straight games due to illness and then as a healthy scratch, Kopecky played well in his first game since Mar. 5. He posted a plus-1 rating with three shots on goal in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Red Wings. On the season, he's posted a woeful minus-19 rating, but looked like he'd been trending in the right direction. If Kopecky continues to serve as a healthy scratch, his already limited fantasy value plummets further.

Kopecky (illness) is in line to serve as a healthy scratch Thursday against the Jets, Alain Poupart of NHL.com reports. Kopecky missed the Panthers' previous game last Saturday with the stomach flu, but he appears to be fully recovered after returning to practice Monday. Even so, with Dave Bolland (upper body/illness) returning from injured reserve Thursday, Kopecky will be forced to sit for a second straight game. Kopecky, who has only seven points to go along with an ugly minus-20 rating on the season, may not be guaranteed a lineup spot most nights with the Panthers now back at 100 percent health.

Kopecky (illness) was on the ice for practice Monday, George Richards of the Miami Herald reports. Kopecky missed Saturday's game against the Islanders due to the illness, but it appears he has overcome the issue. Barring some sort of setback, both he and Aaron Ekblad (illness) should be available Thursday.

Kopecky (illness) will not play Saturday against the Islanders, Harvey Fialkov of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports. Kopecky is the latest victim of the stomach virus making its way through the Panthers' locker room, and he'll join Aaron Ekblad in being held out Saturday night. The left-winger typically sees between 10 and 14 minutes of ice time per game, and he hasn't recorded a point since early-January.

Kopecky (illness) will be a game-time decision for Saturday's tilt with the Islanders, Harvey Fialkov of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports. The stomach flu virus has been coursing its way through the Florida locker room the last few days, afflicting Willie Mitchell, Erik Gudbranson, Dave Bolland, Jaromir Jagr, and now Kopecky and rookie Aaron Ekblad. The latter two were absent from Saturday's morning skate as a result, but Kopecky seems less likely to play of the two. Kopecky has been a healthy scratch on a few occasions this season, so the Panthers won't have much incentive to keep him active while he's operating at less than 100 percent.

Kopecky posted a minus-3 in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Lightning with one shot on goal in 11:54 of ice time. Kopecky's minus-3 moved him to minus-20 on the year, worst on the team and in the bottom 20 across the league. Kopecky doesn't see much ice time and posting such a poor plus/minus bodes poorly for his prospects moving forward. The 33-year-old has extremely limited fantasy value unless he goes on a big point streak.

Kopecky took three shots on goal and carried a minus-1 in Sunday's 2-1 loss to the Blues.The 33-year-old has never been a big source of points, breaking the 30-point threshold just twice in his career, and is currently sitting on the worst plus-minus of his career at minus-13. Kopecky is not fantasy relevant at this time unless he goes on a major hot streak.