News Blackhawks Team Notes

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Blackhawks Looming Roster Decisions, Trade Freeze/Deadline Intrigue

The Blackhawks are finally starting to get healthy. Frank Nazar and André Burakovsky will be back in the lineup on Thursday night in Carolina, putting two top-six pieces back in the lineup up front. That should help an offense that’s been struggling to get a third goal on the board.

Burakovsky was back skating on a line with Connor Bedard and Ryan Greene, while Nazar was back on a line with Tyler Bertuzzi. After the Blackhawks practice on Wednesday, Nazar talked again about playing with Bertuzzi and how their play complements each other. Ryan Donato was with Nazar and Bertuzzi; hopefully that can help open him up with some more offensive opportunities.

But having more bodies than he has available roster spots is going to make for some tough decisions for Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill and his staff in the coming days.

Teuvo Teräväinen was on the ice before the rest of the team practiced on Wednesday. Blashill said they expect him to be back before the Olympics, but wouldn’t put a timeline on it.

“It’s still a day-to-day thing,” Blashill said Wednesday. “He’s not going to travel so he’s not playing tomorrow. But after that I would take it as day by day.”

A good sign for the #Blackhawks

Teuvo Teravainen is skating before practice on Wednesday pic.twitter.com/3MlB5doi75

— Tab Bamford (@The1Tab) January 21, 2026

Blackhawks Roster Decisions Looming​

Blashill was asked about those potentially tough roster decisions at some point in the not-too-distant future. Based on the lines we saw at practice on Wednesday, it appears Colton Dach and Sam Lafferty will be in the press box Thursday night.

When Teräväinen is ready to return, the Blackhawks might want/need to move someone to Rockford just so they can get regular ice time.

“I think it’s a good thing … to have tough roster decisions,” he said. “Certainly we are mindful of the long-term development of some of the young players and so, we’re trying to put guys into positions that they can succeed. So if it gets to a point where a young guy maybe isn’t playing, you look at potentially using Rockford, but we’ll take that when it comes. We’re not there yet at all.”

Trade Time?​

Of course a trade could change the necessity for an AHL stint, but Blashill didn’t rule that out, either. I asked Blashill about there effectively being two trade deadlines this season: one before the Olympic freeze and then the league’s hard deadline 12 days after the return to NHL action. He didn’t close the door on the Blackhawks potentially doing something before the pre-Olympic freeze:

“Certainly it’s a unique year that way that there may be some activity over the next week and a half, but we’ll see.” Blashill said. “I think a lot of times what happens is the GMs a lot of times are at the World Juniors, they come back from that and there’s some activity, then it settles down a little bit. We’ll see if it continues, if it settles down or if it heats up here.”

Blashill has liked the chemistry that’s developing between Oliver Moore and Nick Lardis, and regularly speaks highly of Moore’s play since he moved to center. At Wednesday’s practice, Moore and Lardis were joined by Landon Slaggert — and they appeared to be skating in a fourth-line role.

Slaggert has seen his role primarily be in a defensive set and on the penalty kill; he’s a dog on the puck and plays aggressively. He is actually generating the most scoring chances per 60 minutes on the Blackhawks roster, however, just ahead of Lardis.

With Nazar returning to his spot as the second-line center and Greene taking most of the faceoffs on the top line with Bedard, finding the right opportunities for Moore at center could become tricky.

Most of the league-wide speculation on the Blackhawks’ roster has been focused on defenseman Connor Murphy in recent weeks, but the Blackhawks have a number of other veterans in the final years of their respective contracts. There has also been talk about Jason Dickinson being available.

Dickinson is a great leader in the room and his value to the Blackhawks is based largely on him being one of the better defensive centers in the league. But that’s also why he would be valuable to a contender looking to make a deep run in the playoffs.

Whenever the Blackhawks begin making moves, it will open more doors for young skaters to elevate themselves in the NHL lineup. But the good problem the Blackhawks are going to have to deal with before then is finding when — and where — their young players get ice time to continue developing until the NHL ice time is available.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...ter-decisions-trade-freeze-deadline-intrigue/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Blackhawks at Hurricanes — Lineups, Broadcast Info, Game Thread

The Blackhawks have a tough test tonight. The Canes are 18-8-1 at home, have won three straight and are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games. They also have the second-best goal differential (plus-28) in the Eastern Conference.

But the Blackhawks should get a boost with the return of Frank Nazar tonight. He’ll be back in his usual spot up front, which helps lengthen the Hawks’ lineup. This stacks up as a good measuring stick for the young Blackhawks.

Broadcast Info​

Puck Drop: 6:00 PM CT
TV / Streaming: ESPN+ / Hulu
Radio: WGN 720 AM

Expected Lineups​

Chicago Blackhawks

Ryan Greene — Connor Bedard — André Burakovsky
Ryan Donato — Frank Nazar — Tyler Bertuzzi
Nick Foligno — Jason Dickinson — Ilya Mikheyev
Landon Slaggert — Oliver Moore — Nick Lardis

Alex Vlasic — Louis Crevier
Wyatt Kaiser — Artyom Levshunov
Matt Grzelcyk — Connor Murphy

Spencer Knight
Arvid Söderblom

Carolina Hurricanes

Andrei Svechnikov – Sebastian Aho – Seth Jarvis
Nikolaj Ehlers – Logan Stankoven – Jackson Blake
Taylor Hall – Jordan Hall – Jordan Martinook
William Carrier – Mark Jankowski – Jesperi Kotkaniemi

Jaccob Slavin – Jalen Chatfield
K’Andre Miller – Sean Walker
Alexander Nikishin – Joel Nystrom

Brandon Bussi
Frederik Andersen

Injury Report​

Chicago Blackhawks​

• Teuvo Teräväinen is out. . Shea Weber (retired) and Ryan Ellis (also retired) are out long term.

Carolina Hurricanes

• Noah Philp, Charles-Alexis Legault and Pyotr Kochetkov are on IR. Eric Robinson and Shayne Gostisbehere are day-to-day.

What to Watch For​

• The Blackhawks have been struggling to get to three goals lately. Nazar returning should help — both at even strength and on the power play. Carolina’s defense won’t make it easy, however.

• Aho and Jarvis are exceptional forwards who take advantage of mistakes. The Blackhawks will need to limit their turnovers.

• Stay out of the box! The Canes come in with the third-ranked power play (36.4 percent) in the month of January. The Blackhawks are now ranked second on the PK (91.3 percent) — but let’s not try it too many times tonight.

Get Caught Up​

#Blackhawks power-play units:

PP1:
Bertuzzi
Burakovsky-Greene-Bedard
Levshunov

PP2:
Foligno
Moore-Nazar-Lardis
Grzelcyk

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 21, 2026

Frank Nazar, André Burakovsky Back for the Blackhawks #blackhawkshttps://t.co/uklEk1lAmi

— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) January 21, 2026

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...ricanes-lineups-broadcast-info-game-thread-3/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Blackhawks 4, Hurricanes 3 (SO) — Three Stars, Key Takeaways

The Carolina Hurricanes came into this game allowing the fewest shots on goal per game in the NHL (24.1). Carolina got the only power play of the first period, which wasn’t ideal. When the horn sounded after 20 minutes of hockey, the Blackhawks had been out-shot 13-4 but took a 1-1 tie to the room. And the Hawks’ one goal came while the Canes had the advantage.

The Blackhawks continued to get overwhelmed to start the second period, and helped Carolina by taking too many penalties. Remember the pregame when one of my keys was to stay out of the box? Even if the PK was good, it kept the Hawks from getting much continuity against a team that excels at limiting chances. Chicago took the lead, but Carolina answered less than five minutes later. Shots on net were 25-12 after 40 minutes but the game was still tied.

The Blackhawks took the lead in the third period… and held it for less than 60 seconds. But the young Blackhawks weren’t backing down in a game that was increasingly physical against a legit Stanley Cup contender. Overtime saw chances go both ways with the best being a breakaway from Oliver Moore that was denied. And we needed a shootout — that Moore won on his birthday! That’s one helluva win, folks!

Star 1: Ilya Mikheyev​

Mikheyev continues to be a nightmare for opposing power plays. While short-handed in the middle of the first period, he stole the puck, controlled it and deposited his own rebound to get the Blackhawks on the board first. He was awesome on the penalty kill all night. Mikheyev picked up an assist on the Hawks’ third goal of the night as well.

#Blackhawks take a 1-0 lead

Ilya Mikheyev SHG

pic.twitter.com/K9XnJmvB4P

— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) January 23, 2026

Star 2: Oliver Moore​

What a birthday for Moore! He started the play that got Chicago their second goal. He was excellent on the penalty kill. Moore (6-0, 185) decided to drop the gloves in defense of his teammate after a big hit by Alexander Nikishin (6-4, 216). It did not go well for Moore. Note to self: don’t do that, Oliver. He also had an assist in the game with the shootout winner — and a few stitches for the effort. A Gordie Howe hat trick on his birthday! Have a night!

pic.twitter.com/Bh5NNG3l1o

— BlackhawksFocus (@FocusBlackhawks) January 23, 2026

Star 3: Spencer Knight​

Knight was the biggest reason this game was tied after 40 minutes. Scoring chances were 32-8 thru two periods, but only two got thru Knight. He stopped 28 of 31 in regulation and overtime and was great in the shootout.

Key Takeaways​

• Moore started the play, Ryan Donato found the open man but it was Nick Lardis with the bury for his fifth of the year in the second period. On his next shift, Lardis made a nice defensive play that got the replay treatment from the ESPN crew.

#Blackhawks take a 2-1 lead

Nick Lardis
Ryan Donato, Oliver Moore

pic.twitter.com/qY0WTqEv0V

— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) January 23, 2026

• Connor Murphy skated over 20 minutes tonight, almost six of which came killing penalties. But it was his go-ahead goal in the third period that was like whoooooa where did that come from?

GOAL: Connor Murphy SHOWS OFF THE HANDS in tight to score the go-ahead goal pic.twitter.com/gpEmsM9kUl

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) January 23, 2026

• For those wondering how Frank Nazar would look in his first game action, he skated 5:32 and won all four of his faceoffs in the first period. He skated 16:37 in regulation and won five of eight faceoffs with six shot attempts (four on net). His four on net led the Blackhawks in regulation.

• Louis Crevier was credited with three of the Blackhawks’ seven individual shot attempts and one of Chicago’s two scoring chances in the first period. His one shot on net registered at 96 mph, and he was credited with two (of the Hawks’ four total) blocked shots in the first.

• Landon Slaggert drew another penalty, this coming late in the second period to give the Blackhawks their first power play of the game. He was also very good again on the penalty kill. He isn’t going to lead the team in many/any categories, but he’s playing his role very well right now.

• A less-than-ideal pinch from Artyom Levshunov opened the door for Carolina’s second goal. I’ll say it again: he’s 20 years old and his instincts are to go get it. He’s learning by trial at the NHL level right now. And, as I wrote in the pregame, you can’t make mistakes against a really good Canes team.

• Ryan Greene, Slaggert and Moore really stepped up on the penalty kill tonight. Against one of the best teams in the league. If that’s the future of the Blackhawks’ PK, I’m happy.

• Jason Dickinson was a late scratch because of illness.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...-4-hurricanes-3-so-three-stars-key-takeaways/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Revisiting the Blackhawks Trading Brandon Hagel to Tampa (Patience is Paying)

Since the Lightning are in town, and considering Oliver Moore‘s performance on Thursday night, it’s worth revisiting a trade lots of Blackhawks fans weren’t thrilled about when it happened.

On March 18, 2022, the Blackhawks traded Brandon Hagel to Tampa Bay for Taylor Raddysh, Boris Katchouk and two first-round picks (2023, 2024). It was the first trade consummated by Kyle Davidson as the permanent general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Raddysh and Katchouk were serviceable pieces while in Chicago. The 2023 first-round pick was used to select Moore at No. 19 overall.

The Blackhawks swapped picks — including Tampa’s first — with the Islanders at the 2024 NHL Draft to move up and select Sacha Boisvert. That full deal was the Blackhawks sending the 20th overall pick and two second rounders (nos. 54 and 61) to the Islanders for the 18th overall selection and a second-round pick (No. 50).

Also at the 2024 NHL Draft, the Blackhawks traded second round picks Nos. 34 and 50 to Carolina to move back up into the first round (No. 27 overall), where they selected Marek Vanacker.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Blackhawks Patience​

The Hagel trade is a prime example of why I try to encourage all of us to employ patience when giving grades for trades in the immediate moment. Indeed, the path the Blackhawks chose to embark on with their rebuild plan has required a great deal of patience.

We need to give the Blackhawks time to fully realize the return on deals before evaluating the full impact of a deal — especially when they have traded roster players exclusively (or, most specifically) for picks.

The Hagel trade happened in 2022. The Blackhawks didn’t ultimately use the picks they received (or subsequently flipped) until the drafts in 2023 and 2024.

And we’re now seeing the first significant piece from those picks in the NHL full-time now with Moore establishing himself as an every-night player in the Blackhawks lineup.

Boisvert had a terrific freshman season at North Dakota and has been improving this season at Boston University. The plan is still reportedly that he will turn pro whenever his BU season concludes.

Vanacker got a late start to his post-draft season, but he now leads the OHL in goals. He has already signed his entry-level contract and will turn pro whenever his Brantford season ends.

Davidson has made other trades during his tenure that have brought back future assets — not in the immediate draft class. Another great example is Václav Nestrašil, who was selected in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft with a pick the Blackhawks acquired from Toronto in the deal that sent Jake McCabe and Sam Lafferty to the Leafs in 2023.

We’re now at the part of the rebuild timeline when the injection of talented young players into the AHL and NHL rosters is going to be in greater volume. And a lot of the players who are coming up became part of the pipeline thru trades.

So, as we watch an established star in Hagel on the ice tonight in Chicago playing in the wrong colors, remember the plan. And keep in mind what’s still coming as a result of that trade has not yet been fully realized.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...ng-brandon-hagel-to-tampa-patience-is-paying/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Blackhawks 1, Lightning 2 (SO) — Three Stars, Key Takeaways

I want to preface my comments about this game by reminding everyone that the Tampa Bay Lightning came into this game on a 14-game point streak (13-0-1) and owned the best point percentage in the Eastern Conference (second in the NHL behind only Colorado). And the Blackhawks were playing the second half of a back-to-back.

If you wanted to be in bed at a reasonable hour, the first period of this game would have been great. We didn’t see a fifth faceoff until 12:39 into the game. There was only one goal, and it was scored by the Blackhawks. Fun times… except the Blackhawks were out-shot 8-4 in a period in which they had three power plays.

It took the Blackhawks more than 14 minutes into the second period to record a shot on net. Again: not ideal. You can only play with fire for so long before you get burned, and you especially can’t get stuck in your own zone for an extended period with Nikita Kucherov on the ice. He tied the game with 78 seconds left in the second period. The Blackhawks were officially out-shot 13-2 in the second period, but were tied at one going to the third.

The third period saw more of the Lightning dominating the puck, but the Hawks started to slowly get more chances in the final five minutes of the period. And, as was the case last night, 60 minutes wasn’t enough to decide this game.

It was former Blackhawks prospect Dominic James with the shootout winner.

Star 1: Arvid Söderblom​

Shot attempts were 50-17 thru 40 minutes. Scoring chances were 29-8 after 40 minutes. High danger chances were 15-5 thru 40 minutes. The Blackhawks went 15:51 between shots on net. And yet, the game was tied at one after 40 minutes. As was the case in Carolina on Thursday night, the Blackhawks were playing a really good, veteran team that’s incredibly well coached and they were chasing a lot of the night. When that happens, your goaltender has to be good. Söderblom held the fort. He saved 29 of 30 in regulation. For as much as he’s been criticized lately, he had a great game tonight. He was the biggest reason this game required a shootout.

Star 2: Ryan Greene​

Remember when Greene didn’t score a goal in December? He’s now scored three times in his last seven games. Greene’s goal in the first period was a pretty release against one of the better goalies in the league. Love to see the payoff for a young guy who’s continued to get chances and work even though the payoff wasn’t there for a while.

GOAL: Ryan Greene breaks free and beats Vasilevskiy to open the scoring pic.twitter.com/R0J6CSghwF

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) January 24, 2026

Star 3: Penalty Killers​

Once again, they were put to work too much. But they were perfect again.

Key Takeaways​

• You know what else I loved about the first goal of the night? Assists to Oliver Moore and Nick Lardis, both of whom made smart plays with the puck. Three young guys making things happen — again. Rookies continuing to make an impact for the Hawks.

• André Burakovsky was credited with two shots on net thru two periods. He was the only Blackhawks skater with more than one; the Hawks had six on net as a team. He was a turnover machine tonight, though. That’s been a bad trend lately.

• After seeing his ice time disappear in the third period after a few mistakes too many in Carolina, Artyom Levshunov led the Blackhawks in ice time (15:18) thru two periods tonight. It wasn’t always pretty, either. But the coaches are giving him chances to learn from his mistakes.

• Perhaps feeling like he was left out of the fun on Thursday night, captain Nick Foligno got after it with Jack Finley less than four minutes into the game. Nice scrap with Foligno taking the decision from the judges. Finley started it so the Blackhawks got a power play (that was not successful).

HEAVY RIGHTS from Foligno in a tilt with Jack Finley pic.twitter.com/Hxhyot6jNT

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) January 24, 2026

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...s-1-lightning-2-so-three-stars-key-takeaways/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Hard to Handle, James’ Revenge, Rookie Impact, Scouting Chicago, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

Ryan Greene dusted off his best Chris Robinson impression last night after scoring the Blackhawks’ only goal before the skills competition decided a 2-1 loss to the Lightning.

“I think we’re a tough team to handle, and we’re just trying to keep that going moving forward.”

He’s right — to an extent. What we’ve seen at times this season is the Blackhawks can be a really hard to to play against. They’re fast. They’re smart. They’re becoming more consistently tough to skate against. And they’re developing chemistry. But they’re also still young, and the last two games are good benchmarks for the progress we’re watching this season.

Carolina and Tampa are the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. They’re both exceptionally well coached and have great veterans in their respective lineups. And, frankly, they both play the game the way the Blackhawks envision themselves playing it. And the Blackhawks took three of four points — even if the analytics might not be pretty for the two games.

Here’s what Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill said about the Blackhawks’ last two games being valuable learning experiences this season:

“I think there’s value in continuing to measure yourself against these teams. But I think it’s interesting, I talked to a young player today and [he] said it was the first time he ever played in Carolina. I hadn’t really thought of that. That’s a different experience. Then to see where Tampa’s at, because they’re similar to us structurally in a lot of ways, obviously systematically we have a lot of similarities, what we’ll take from tonight is just a lesson on how hard you have to be on your stick, how crisp you have to be with your passes. I thought they were harder and a little more crisp, so that’s the level we have to get to. That said, we were able to get a point and obviously had chances to win it in overtime, so we just have to continue to get better.”

• Let’s watch Louis Crevier‘s shootout goal again.

Louis Crevier with a beautiful shootout goal. Unbelievable. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/TNCe2jzjSj

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 24, 2026

• If you’re one of the people on social media last night or today saying “get Arvid Söderblom off the roster” please log off for the rest of the weekend. Söderblom was the biggest reason the Blackhawks got a point last night. There have been times recently to complain about his performances. Last night/this morning is not one of them. Sorry.

• I’ve written about the amount of genuine camaraderie that’s developed among Blackhawks prospects over the past few years as a good thing for the organization. As I was leaving the United Center last night I caught a glimpse of the three rookie Blackhawks who had a point in the game chatting with Dominic James, who won the game in the shootout.

• I was a big fan of James’ while he was at Minnesota-Duluth and really wanted/expected the Blackhawks to sign James after his college career ended, but I can’t fault him for looking for what he believed was a better opportunity to see NHL ice time. It appears he’s still friends with some of the guys he spent time with at development camps the past few years. Which is good to see.

Davidson says the Blackhawks offered Dominic James a “pretty damn good opportunity,” but it currently seems like he’s going to free agency in August. “No ill will.”

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) April 17, 2025

• James having a nice rookie season in Tampa is our first reminder that not every player drafted by the Blackhawks is going to get a full shot in Chicago. The numbers just don’t line up for that to be possible.

• And I formally apologize for the jinx once again. I wondered if last night would be a Dominic James Revenge Game in our pregame notes. Whelp… my bad.

• Another reminder: the NHL’s pre-Olympic trade freeze goes into effect in the afternoon on February 4.

• I’ve written a few times recently about the Blackhawks’ looming roster decisions as the roster gets closer to fully healthy. Based on the crowd in the press box for last night’s game, something might be brewing to open roster space for young players to stay in Chicago. Vegas and Anaheim had two representatives enjoying the popcorn and warm beverages with us. Detroit, Toronto (again), Washington, Edmonton and Buffalo also had folks visiting. And I don’t think it was to wish Oliver Moore a happy birthday.

• I will add that there were two assistant general managers and three directors of pro scouting among the names on the list. The Leafs have been frequent guests in January, as have the Ducks and Golden Knights. Stay tuned…

• I noted in my bullets yesterday that the Blackhawks did a great job killing penalties in Carolina without Jason Dickinson dressed and without using Nick Foligno on the PK at all. I asked Blashill about the contributions of Moore, Ryan Greene and Landon Slaggert on the league’s No. 1 penalty kill before the game last night.

“Greener’s done it all year, Slaggs has gotten more and more time here lately, and Mooresy last night got more time because of the absence of Dickinson. They did a good job,” Blashill said. “Slaggs is a guy who is going to be a real penalty killer in this league and I think Mooresy can, too. It’s just a matter of learning. And, again, Greener’s done a real good job. The thing Greener does that makes him important on the penalty killer is the way he wins faceoffs. It’s a huge thing to have a successful kill.”

• And now this fun graphic from the NHL last night after Moore and Nick Lardis set up Greene for the Blackhawks’ first goal:

• In the NCAA last night, Providence scored twice in the first period against Boston University — who didn’t have Sacha Boisvert in their lineup because of his suspension. Blackhawks prospects John Mustard had an assist on the Friar’s first goal and Julius Sumpf had an assist on the second.

• In the WHL, Nathan Behm had one assist as Kamloops blew out Wenatchee.

• In the OHL, Marek Vanacker scored his OHL-leading 32nd goal of the year in the first period for Brantford. Then he scored his OHL-leading 33rd of the season in the second period.

Friday night from #Blackhawks prospect Marek Vanacker for @BulldogsOHL

pic.twitter.com/hhP363MoJN

— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) January 24, 2026

That’s two for Vanacker! #BFD pic.twitter.com/LbCjbrNcpd

— Brantford Bulldogs (@BulldogsOHL) January 24, 2026

• Jack Pridham had a power play assist in the first period for Kitchener. And then he became the second player in the OHL to reach 30 goals on the year in the third period. Pridham’s goal was the game-winner. He added a second assist in the third period for a three-point night.

PRIDS WITH THE FADE AWAY WRISTER #RTown | #BattleBuilt | #Blackhawks https://t.co/X8l69zylqY pic.twitter.com/BepSOGEqUk

— Kitchener Rangers (@OHLRangers) January 24, 2026

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• The Bulls will retire Derrick Rose’s number tonight. Here’s a DRose career retrospective.

• The Cubs signed outfielder Chas McCormick to a minor league deal.

• Bears tight end Colston Loveland set an NFL rookie playoff record!

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...couting-chicago-and-other-blackhawks-bullets/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

NHL Mock Draft Season Has Arrived! (Let’s Talk About Projected Blackhawks Picks)

As we inch closer to the end of January, the excitement builds for NHL players to return to the Olympics. But, for fans of teams that don’t have any/many players headed to Italy for the Games, it’s also a fun time to start talking about two other subjects: the trade deadline, and breaking down mock drafts.

I’ve been writing mock drafts throughout the season (my most recent), so don’t worry about my specific picks. We’ll have a fresh on in the coming days (and more during the Olympic break). But Friday brought us the gift of someone else’s 2026 NHL Mock Draft for us to discuss.

This first edition from Steven Ellis at Daily Faceoff is a fun one, too.

Ellis has the Blackhawks selecting sixth (their own pick) and 15th (from Florida) overall.

Before we dive into his picks for the Blackhawks and Ellis’ rationale (with my thoughts on the picks as well), here are his top five selections before the Hawks are on the clock:

1. Vancouver — Ivar Stenberg, LW
2. St. Louis — Gavin McKenna, LW
3. Calgary — Tynan Lawrence, C
4. Winnipeg — Keaton Verhoeff, RHD
5. NY Rangers — Chase Reid, RHD

It’s important to have those names off the board before we consider who the Blackhawks select sixth overall in his mock draft.

6. Chicago Blackhawks — Ethan Belchetz, LW​

Ellis’s comments:

At 6-foot-5 and 228 pounds, Belchetz is a human wrecking ball. He’s not your typical power forward – he’s incredibly skilled. The top pick from the 2024 OHL Draft, Belchetz can dominate around the net, and he has a huge shot, too. If the Blackhawks were to draft Belchetz, he could create chaos and take on more physical responsibility alongside someone like Connor Bedard or Frank Nazar.

• My two cents: if the draft plays out the way Ellis has it in his mock draft, there would be two names of intrigue at the top of my board: Belchetz and Caleb Malhotra. Both are forwards with a lot of skill and play the game the way the Blackhawks have drafted in recent years. They also both happen to be current teammates of Blackhawks prospects. Belchetz is in Windsor with AJ Spellacy, while a Malhotra selection would make four consecutive years the Blackhawks drafted someone from Brantford (Nick Lardis, Marek Vanacker and Parker Holmes). I can buy all of the rationale Ellis states for the Blackhawks selecting Belchetz here.

15. Chicago Blackhawks (from FLA): Viggo Björck, C​

Ellis’ comments:

The Hawks already have plenty of centers, but there’s an argument that Björck (or even Anton Frondell) could move to the wing. I love the idea of Björck setting up Bedard on the power play for a one-timer. His numbers in the SHL have been nothing to get too excited about, but his play at the World Juniors – albeit a two-week event – showed what he can do when he’s surrounded by talent. Scouts are really high on him right now.

• My two cents: Björck has been a somewhat polarizing prospect over the past months because his skill screams top-ten pick, but his size (5-10, 170) and likely projection on the wing have had some folks ranking him as a mid- to late-first round pick. I think his performance at the World Junior Championship did enough to answer many of the size-related questions, and I actually think he’ll be off the board before the Blackhawks have a chance to pick him with the Panthers pick (unless that somehow moves up into the top 10-12 range). How would Björck fit into the projections of the Blackhawks’ top 6 (9?) forwards? That’s an interesting debate. But the skill package is undeniable at this point.

A few noteworthy names I’m following who are still available in Ellis’ mock draft when he has the Blackhawks selecting Björck:

• Oscar Hemming, LW, Boston College (NCAA)
• Ilia Morozov, C, Miami University (NCAA)
• Nikita Klepov, LW, Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
• Simas Ignatavicius, RW, Geneve Servette (NL)

Read Ellis’ entire mock draft here.

2026 NHL Mock Draft, from @SEllisHockey:

Gavin McKenna has been the top prospect throughout the year, but is that still the case?

And with the first pick, the #Canucks take…https://t.co/hEYhxdAd8t

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) January 23, 2026

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...d-lets-talk-about-projected-blackhawks-picks/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Blackhawks vs Panthers — Lineups, Broadcast Info, Game Thread

The Blackhawks played a back-to-back in Carolina and at home against Tampa on Thursday-Friday nights and came away with three of four possible points. They got great goaltending in both games, and the defense held up against the two top teams in the Eastern Conference.

So, after one day off, the Blackhawks host the two-time defending champion Florida Panthers today. Well… what’s left of them. And they’ll be playing the second half of their own back-to-back; the Panthers needed overtime to win in Minnesota last night.

As a reminder, the Blackhawks can help themselves twice today. A win helps the Blackhawks move up the standings, and moves the Panthers’ first-round pick in 2026 (owned by the Hawks) closer to the lottery. And it’s Hockey Fights Cancer night at the United Center.

Broadcast Info​

Puck Drop: 6:00 PM CT
TV / Streaming: CHSN
Radio: WGN 720 AM

Expected Lineups​

Chicago Blackhawks

Oliver Moore — Connor Bedard — André Burakovsky
Ryan Greene — Frank Nazar — Nick Lardis
Tyler Bertuzzi — Jason Dickinson — Ilya Mikheyev
Ryan Donato — Nick Foligno — Landon Slaggert

Alex Vlasic — Louis Crevier
Wyatt Kaiser — Artyom Levshunov
Matt Grzelcyk — Connor Murphy

Spencer Knight

Florida Panthers

Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Brad Marchand
AJ Greer – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Carter Verhaeghe – Evan Rodrigues – Sam Reinhart
Sandis Vilmanis – Luke Kunin – Mackie Samoskevich

Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Uvis Balinskis
Tobias Bjornfot – Jeff Petry

Injury Report​

Chicago Blackhawks​

• Teuvo Teräväinen is out. Shea Weber (retired) and Ryan Ellis (also retired) are out long term.

Florida Panthers

• Aleksander Barkov, Seth Jones, Dmitry Kulikov and Jonah Gadjovich are on IR.

What to Watch For​

• The Panthers have been around .500 on the road for most of this season and come into this game in seventh place in the Atlantic Division. The guys healthy enough to play tonight for Florida are very good. But this isn’t the juggernaut they would be at full health.

• The Blackhawks have the best penalty kill in the league. That doesn’t mean they should use it as much as they are recently. Stay out of the box.

• Bedard was quiet on Friday night. Let’s see if the’s got something for the Panthers tonight.

Get Caught Up​

in the fight together

join us tomorrow for #HockeyFightsCancer night at the @unitedcenter!

get tickets https://t.co/UmgDHdDQis pic.twitter.com/OnJ0PxRRDN

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 25, 2026

Maurice said after Thursday's win in Winnipeg that Marchand isn't too far off from returning

— Rob Darragh (@darraghfla) January 24, 2026

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...anthers-lineups-broadcast-info-game-thread-3/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Blackhawks 1, Panthers 5 — Three Stars, Key Takeaways

First period recap: it happened. Both teams put seven shots on net (on Chris Chelios’ 64th birthday). The Blackhawks did nothing on the one powerplay of the period. The Blackhawks won half of the faceoffs in the first. As a positive: the Hawks weren’t overwhelmed for 20 minutes like they were against the Canes and Lightning.

The game continued to be a fairly back-and-forth skating exhibition with a few scoring chances for either side for the first 14 minutes of the second period. But Tobias Björnfot was able to somehow bank a puck off Matt Grzelcyk and under Spencer Knight into the net and Florida got on the board first. Thankfully, Wyatt Kaiser did a great job keeping the puck in the zone and starting a scoring play inside the final minute of the second period.

The Panthers got on the board next at 5:20 into the third period to re-take the lead. Two minutes later the Panthers extended their lead to two. A fourth goal into the empty net with 1:49 left in regulation saw many of the remaining fans head for their cars. The fifth goal with 22 seconds left effectively emptied the building.

Star 1: Tyler Bertuzzi​

Bertuzzi clocked in and scored from his office inside the final minute of the second period to tie the game. He was credited with three of the Blackhawks’ 15 shots on net thru 40 minutes and was around the puck the entire night.

GOAL: Kaiser keeps it, Mikheyev feeds it, and Bertuzzi finishes to tie the game late in the period! pic.twitter.com/OvkOAcsX7o

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) January 26, 2026

Star 2: Ilya Mikheyev​

Another really strong performance from Mikheyev, who had the Blackhawks’ second-best expected goals for while he was on the ice. He was also on the ice for more than half of the Blackhawks’ shots on net (and didn’t skate on the power play).

Star 3: Connor Murphy​

Murphy was physical throughout the game and led the Blackhawks in blocked shots. But he was also putting the puck on net. As his name continues to be mentioned in trade discussions — and an increasing number of scouts are watching games at the United Center — Murphy’s play has been consistent. That’s been very important with the other young guys seeing their play fluctuate.

Key Takeaways​

• The Blackhawks power play is in a funk right now. It might be time to throw things in a blender.

• Ryan Greene won all three of his faceoffs in the first period. The Blackhawks won 21 of 39 faceoffs thru two periods, led by Frank Nazar (won 7 of 9) and Jason Dickinson (won 5 of 10).

• At the end of the second period, all six of the Blackhawks defensemen were between 7:18 (Grzelcyk) and 8:48 (Murphy) in ice time. With the exception of when Louis Crevier was in the box for two minutes, the Blackhawks were pretty much rolling all three defensive pairs effectively.

• Early in the third period the Blackhawks coaches went back to having Nick Lardis and Oliver Moore together on a line (with Nazar).

• This was a very different style of game from the Hawks’ previous two games against Carolina and Tampa. The Panthers played a slower, more methodical game. The Hawks did okay for two periods with it but the Panthers were able to get a couple goals quickly in the third.

• It was Hockey Fights Cancer night at the UC. Keep Troy Murray in your thoughts and prayers as he continued to fight.

@muzz19 #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/TbThIQuqCZ

— Tab Bamford (@The1Tab) January 26, 2026

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...wks-1-panthers-5-three-stars-key-takeaways-2/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Blackhawks Tinkering With Forward Lines Before Two-Game Trip

Let’s just jump straight into the new look lineup we saw at practice on Monday before the Blackhawks flew to Minnesota for Tuesday night’s game against the Wild. Teuvo Teräväinen was back with the team in full (finally) after missing six games with an upper-body issue. He slotted onto the top line with… Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar!

#Blackhawks practice lineup:
Nazar-Bedard-Teravainen
Bertuzzi-Dickinson-Mikheyev
Greene-Moore-Burakovsky
Donato-Foligno-Slaggert

Fifthi line: Dach-Lafferty-Lardis

Vlasic-Crevier
Kaiser-Levshunov
Grzelcyk-Murphy

Knight
Soderblom

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 26, 2026

My initial read on these lines is Nazar will probably play the same role on that line that Ryan Greene has with Bedard since 98 returned from his shoulder injury. Nazar has won two-thirds of his faceoffs since he returned from the jaw injury; he’s been excellent at the dot. His speed and Teräväinen’s playmaking could open up the ice for Bedard.

After Sunday night’s loss, Blackhawks head coach said the line of Tyler Bertuzzi with Jason Dickinson and Ilya Mikheyev was their best — and it was. So why mess with a good thing?

Greene slotting in with Oliver Moore and André Burakovsky puts Moore’s speed and zone entry ability on a line with a struggling veteran. I like those three together.

Donato with Nick Foligno and Landon Slaggert has worked. Slaggert is starting to drive more scoring chances. The Blackhawks need Donato to shoot more with those two; Foligno and Slaggert play around the net well and could pick up some loose change.

Nick Lardis sliding out of the rotation might feel like a bit of a slight, but the Blackhawks are looking to make room for everyone and getting another veteran forward back — to the Hawks being at full strength — means three guys are going to have to watch at some point. And, as Charlie Roumeliotis pointed out, the Blackhawks are taking their moms on this trip so expect everyone to skate in Minnesota or Pittsburgh on Thursday night.

The Blackhawks also made some tweaks to their power play units after an 0-for-17 skid.

#Blackhawks new power-play units:

PP1:
Bertuzzi
Bedard-Teravainen-Moore
Levshunov

PP2:
Foligno
Burakovsky-Donato-Nazar
Grzelcyk

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 26, 2026

The biggest move here is Bedard moving back to the left side, where he started the season. He’s been on the right side more frequently and has been more effective there. I would expect there to be a lot of movement on the top unit, so he might not stay on that side. But keep an eye on these as the game(s) progress.

I like Moore on the top power play unit. His speed is a problem for teams, so his ability to retrieve the puck on a dump-in could give the Blackhawks another edge entering the zone effective — which has been an issue.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...ring-with-forward-lines-before-two-game-trip/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Blackhawks Assign Nick Lardis To Rockford

We’ve talked about the Blackhawks’ looming roster decisions here over the past few weeks as the team gets more healthy. One of those decisions came before the team flew to Minnesota on Monday.

The Blackhawks assigned forward Nick Lardis to the Rockford IceHogs.

Lardis was on the fifth line at the practice on Monday, indicating he wasn’t in the rotation for Tuesday night’s game.

Lardis was named an AHL All-Star. Being assigned back to the IceHogs means he can participate in that event during the Olympic break in the NHL.

The other extra forwards on Monday were Sam Lafferty and Colton Dach.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blackhawks/2026/01/26/blackhawks-assign-nick-lardis-to-rockford/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Blackhawks at Wild — Lineups, Broadcast Info, Game Thread

After a less-than-ideal performance on Sunday evening on home ice, the Blackhawks get a quick two-game trip that starts with their first look at Quinn Hughes on the Minnesota Wild. The Wild come in only 4-4-2 in their last 10 games and locked into a heated battle with Dallas for home ice in the Central Division’s 2-3 matchup in the first round of the playoffs.

The Blackhawks threw their lines in a blender on Monday, so tonight will be an experiment with the healthiest roster they’ve had in months. Let’s see how the new mix looks against a team with Stanley Cup aspirations.

Broadcast Info​

Puck Drop: 7:00 PM CT
TV / Streaming: CHSN
Radio: WGN 720 AM

Expected Lineups​

Chicago Blackhawks

Frank Nazar — Connor Bedard — Teuvo Teräväinen
Tyler Bertuzzi — Jason Dickinson — Ilya Mikheyev
Ryan Greene — Oliver Moore — André Burakovsky
Ryan Donato — Nick Foligno — Landon Slaggert

Alex Vlasic — Louis Crevier
Wyatt Kaiser — Artyom Levshunov
Matt Grzelcyk — Connor Murphy

Spencer Knight
Arvid Söderblom

Minnesota Wild

Kirill Kaprizov – Ryan Hartman – Mats Zuccarello
Marcus Johansson – Joel Eriksson Ek – Matt Boldy
Marcus Foligno – Danila Yurov – Vladimir Tarasenko
Yakov Trenin – Nico Sturm – Vinnie Hinostroza

Quinn Hughes – Brock Faber
Jacob Middleton – Jared Spurgeon
Daemon Hunt – David Jiricek

Filip Gustavsson
Jesper Wallstedt

Injury Report​

Chicago Blackhawks​

• Shea Weber (retired) and Ryan Ellis (also retired) are out long term.

Minnesota Wild

• Jonas Brodin and Zach Bogosian are on IR.

What to Watch For​

• How do the new-look lines perform? And… how long do they last?

• Two Folignos for the price of one tonight. Oh, to be able to hear the chirping on the ice…

• Will the Blackhawks score on the power play? They changed those units, too. Let’s see if it works.

Get Caught Up​

Blackhawks Tinkering With Forward Lines Before Two-Game Trip #blackhawkshttps://t.co/qfwnFkZgVJ

— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) January 26, 2026

Blackhawks Assign Nick Lardis To Rockford #blackhawkshttps://t.co/8mQGGfWpBt

— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) January 26, 2026

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...at-wild-lineups-broadcast-info-game-thread-5/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Blackhawks 3, Wild 4 (SO) — Three Stars, Key Takeaways

If you were wondering how the new-look top line would do for the Blackhawks, they scored the game’s first goal only 79 seconds into the game (on their first shift). The Hawks then proceeded to out-skate the Wild for most of the rest of the opening period, and doubled their lead almost 14 minutes after the first goal. Chicago took a 14-8 shots on goal advantage and 2-0 score to the room after 20 minutes.

You knew the Wild were going to push back in the second period, and they did. The next goal was going to be important — and it came off another burst of speed from Ilya Mikheyev to extend the Blackhawks’ lead to three. Unfortunately, a bouncing puck became a problem when Matt Grzelcyk attempted a kick that wouldn’t impress at a junior high soccer team tryout and got burned by Yakov Trenin.

Again, to start the third period with a two-goal lead the Wild were going to bring it. And, this time, they got the next goal. Joel Eriksson Ek cut the Blackhawks’ lead to one at 3:57 into the third period. After a scramble around the front of the Blackhawks’ net, Minnesota was able to tie the game with 2:01 left in regulation.

The Wild had gone to overtime or a shootout in 9 of their previous 16 games, so this one needing extra time was on brand for Minnesota. Five minutes wasn’t enough, even if the Blackhawks got a late power play and put six shots on net with the 4-on-3 advantage. So we got another game decided by a skills competition. Kirill Kaprizov was the only skater to score in the shootout and the Wild took the second point and the win.

Star 1: Connor Bedard​

Bedard was really good tonight. He picked up an assist on Teuvo’s goal in the first period and almost scored in the second. After two periods, Natural Stat Trick had Bedard with a stacked stat line: team-leading 1.33 expected goals for and the Blackhawks had a 12-3 shots on goal advantage at 5-on-5. He personally had the Blackhawks lead with six shot attempts, six scoring chances, five shots on net and four high danger chances at 5-on-5 in 9:30 at 5-on-5 thru two periods. When the shootout began, Bedard was credited with eight shots on net and 11 shot attempts in the game.

Connor Bedard sauce pass. Beauty. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/i2TPdI29p9

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 28, 2026

Star 2: Teuvo Teräväinen​

Welcome back, Teuvo! Teräväinen scored the first goal of the night in his first game back after missing the previous six contests because of injury. The new-look top line was excellent the entire game. A worthy experiment.

GOAL: Teuvo Teravainen jams in a loose puck to open the scoring! pic.twitter.com/h4ZT7MJZPZ

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) January 28, 2026

Star 3: Ryan Donato​

When the Blackhawks were rolling earlier in the season, they were getting scoring from all over the lineup. Some of that depth scoring had dried up in recent weeks. So Donato snapping an 11-game goal drought in the first period was big for him and the team.

GOAL: Ryan Donato slaps a loose puck into the top corner to extend the lead pic.twitter.com/2Lij4YPVQI

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) January 28, 2026

Key Takeaways​

• After great work by Jason Dickinson and Alex Vlasic to get the puck out of a dangerous area in front of the net, Mikheyev was shot out of a cannon and scored his tenth goal of the season.

GOAL: Ilya Mikheyev with a snipe off the rush to beat Wallstedt! pic.twitter.com/NddsEGXs26

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) January 28, 2026

• If I could have had a fourth star it would have been Dickinson. He won 13 of 18 faceoffs and was credited with one assist and two hits in regulation. He spent most of his ice time against the Kaprizov-Hartman-Boldy line and kept them off the scoreboard.

• The Blackhawks had a 12-6 advantage in scoring chances and 6-1 advantage in high danger chances thru one period. It was a stunningly dominant period — and the Blackhawks were able to score twice. They’ve played some good periods recently that came up either empty or tied, so taking the 2-0 lead to the room felt big.

• The Blackhawks new-look power play got one advantage in the first period. It was okay, but didn’t score. They had two shots on net on the advantage. The second power play had a few good attempts but did not register a shot on net. The Hawks’ third power play in the third period got one shot on net but wasn’t especially dangerous.

• If you’re wondering how the new-look top line performed in their first period together, I’d say it went quite well (from Natural Stat Trick at 5-on-5 in the first period):

• Here’s the new-look top line thru two periods at 5-on-5:

• With six minutes left in the third period, Artyom Levshunov gambled and pinched at a not ideal time. Landon Slaggert sprinted back and was the first player to the puck in the defensive zone and made a great pass to get the puck away from the attacking Wild forwards. Slaggert’s value is often in making smart, effort plays and he was really good tonight. That moment was especially noticeable.

• Not a great night overall for Grzelcyk, but he replaced Levshunov with the top power play unit when the Blackhawks got a fourth advantage late in the third period.

• This was terrific before the game.

The Wild and Hawks are having a “Foligno Face-Off” raising money for cancer research in honor of their late mother Janis Foligno. pic.twitter.com/T7EBm05ky8

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) January 28, 2026

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...khawks-3-wild-4-so-three-stars-key-takeaways/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Around the NHL: Kane Making History, Isles Get Busy (Locally), the Vancouver Tank, More

We’re less than one week away from the NHL’s pre-Olympic trade freeze, which means there’s a lot of trade buzz around the NHL. But trades aren’t the only pieces of news around the league right now that are worth considering.

Patrick Kane had a huge moment on Tuesday. The Canucks’ sprint to the bottom of the standings got another accelerant. The New York Islanders went shopping — in their own market. And the blue line continues to make news, both via trade rumors and a couple notable extensions signed by top teams in the standings.

Let’s take a quick lap around the NHL.

Kane on the Cusp of History​

On Tuesday night, Patrick Kane picked up an assist in a 3-1 loss. That helper gives the future Hall of Famer 1,374 regular-season points in his NHL career — and ties him with Mike Modano for the most career points by an American-born player in league history.

Patrick Kane received some helpful advice from Mike Modano early in his career about adapting to professional hockey. They now share the @NHL record for most points among U.S.-born players. #NHLStats: https://t.co/61oStCnjjt pic.twitter.com/zichmOuiLG

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) January 28, 2026

New York Trade Market​

The New York Islanders have been busy already — and they haven’t been paying for long-distance phone calls (is that even still a thing?). On Monday, the Islanders acquired veteran left-handed defenseman Carson Soucy from the New York Rangers.

On Tuesday night, the New York Islanders made another local call. They acquired forward Ondrej Palat — and his entire $6M cap hit thru the end of next year — with a third-round pick in 2026 and sixth-round pick in 2027 for forward Maxim Tsyplakov. Tsyplakov, 27, has a $2.25M cap hit thru the end of next year.

#Isles Transaction: The New York Islanders have acquired Ondrej Palat, New Jersey Devils’ own third round pick in 2026, and sixth round pick in 2027 in exchange for Maxim Tsyplakov.

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) January 28, 2026

Defense Market Percolating​

We’ve talked about the trade market for defensemen here a good amount recently with the Blackhawks having two potential trade chips on their blue line in Connor Murphy and Matt Grzelcyk. The trade of Soucy on Monday took one more name off the list.

Two more defensemen were locked up on Tuesday and Wednesday, signaling further commitment from their respective organizations.

On Tuesday, Colorado Avalanche signed defenseman Sam Malinski to a four-year extension that has a $4.75M cap hit.

On Wednesday, the Detroit Red Wings signed defenseman Ben Chiarot to a three-year extension with a $3.85M AAV.

Vancouver’s Tank​

The current owners of the best odds of winning the NHL Draft Lottery gained momentum in that effort on Tuesday. The Vancouver Canucks announced goaltender Thatcher Demko is done for the year and will undergo hip surgery.

Entering Wednesday, the Canucks are the only team in the NHL with a point percentage under .400 (they’re at .368). They also own the worst goal differential in the league (minus-55) and are an embarrassing 5-17-3 on home ice.

Vancouver has already added a second pick in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft from Minnesota in the Quinn Hughes trade. They’re reportedly shopping Evander Kane pretty hard right now as well. There will undoubtedly be other players on their roster who could move before the NHL Trade Deadline.

Are they in it for Gavin McKenna? Ivar Stenberg? One of the top defensemen in this year’s class? They still have to win the Draft Lottery to own the top pick. But they’re sure trying to keep the best odds.

NHL Odds & Ends​

• Pierre LeBrun unloaded his notebook at The Athletic on Wednesday. In it, he labels the Columbus Blue Jackets as a “swing team” before the NHL Trade deadline. He notes they’re better since they made a surprising coaching chance (5-1), but will take a step back and assess their approach over the Olympic break. They have a number of intriguing veterans in walk years who could be moved — or extended.

• In Olympic roster news, Sweden announced Marcus Johansson and Hampus Lindholm have replaced Leo Carlsson and Jonas Brodin on their roster for the upcoming Games. Johansson in and Brodin out means one Wild takes the place of another on the team.

• Staying with the Olympics and circling back to LeBrun’s notes on Wednesday, he offered this update on Tampa/Canada center Brayden Point:

The preference, from Team Canada’s perspective and probably the Lightning’s as well — with Jon Cooper coaching for both sides — is to see Point appear in an NHL game before the break. It’s not 100 percent he’s going to Milan, but Point’s chances are better today than they were two weeks ago.

• One would think if Point can’t go to the Games, Blackhawks center Connor Bedard could be in the mix as a potential replacement.

• On Wednesday morning, the Montreal Canadiens fired goalie coach Eric Raymond. Okay…

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...les-get-busy-locally-the-vancouver-tank-more/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Outside, Inside Perspectives Assessing the Blackhawks’ Rebuild

Two pieces dropped on Wednesday morning that give us two unique perspectives on the current state of the Blackhawks’ rebuild. One comes from outside Chicago, an analytically-driven assessment that compares the Blackhawks’ projection for the future (the next seven years in this case) to other organizations in a similar situation. The other is a conversation with Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson about how he views the trajectory of the franchise.

Because the two speak to similar ideas — and we’re always discussing the timeline for the Blackhawks to compete — it felt like a good time and place to consider these two perspectives together.

Courtesy @NHLBlackhawks

Outside Opinion​

On Wednesday morning, Paul Pidutti (aka AdjustedHockey) published a thorough evaluation of current rebuild projects across the NHL at Daily Faceoff. Pidutti identified 12 teams as being in a rebuild in 2025-26, and ranked the

Here’s part of his explanation of the thought process behind his rankings:

We aren’t ranking the rosters right now. Some teams are relatively early in their rebuilds. Others have been floundering for a decade or longer. For example, both the standings and eye test tell us that Detroit is a better team than San Jose today. But Detroit should be, given the head start.

The rebuilds will be ranked on how likely each franchise is to win a Stanley Cup in the next seven seasons. After all, that should be every general manager’s goal: construct a high-end roster that delivers a strong Cup contention window. Call it the 2027 through 2033 Cup window, if you like.

He has the Blackhawks ranked third overall, behind Montreal and San Jose. Here’s Pidutti’s snap shot of the Blackhawks rebuild, followed by his comments:

Source: Daily Faceoff

Chicago is still getting outplayed regularly, near the bottom of the league in most 5-on-5 metrics. But fear not, a tsunami of talent is rising. Davidson’s preseason checklist might have looked something like this… Rise 15 points in the standings? Check. [Connor] Bedard graduating to elite status? Check. Spencer Knight holding up as a strong #1 goalie over a full season? Check. Have another handful of key prospects see NHL time? Check. The difference between Chicago’s future and the others on this list is prospect volume. Not every high pick becomes Victor Hedman or Mitch Marner. But the Hawks’ possess unparalleled insurance, having quietly drafted 11 times in the first round and 25 times in the first three rounds in the last four drafts.

Bottom Line: While progress may feel slow for Blackhawks’ fans, it will be worth the wait. This teardown rebuild is well positioned to contend for a very long time.

The one thing I’ll disagree with Pidutti on is the opening comment about the Blackhawks “getting outplayed regularly.” Over the past week, the Blackhawks have gone toe-to-toe with some of the heavyweights in the NHL and held their own. Did they win all four games? No. But three overtimes/shootouts shows they were in the games until the very end.

But I want to circle back to one portion of Pidutti’s comments that I think is important perspective from outside the organization:

“The difference between Chicago’s future and the others on this list is prospect volume. Not every high pick becomes Victor Hedman or Mitch Marner. But the Hawks’ possess unparalleled insurance.”

I’ll circle back this idea later in this piece and will undoubtedly say something similar again and again in the coming months when we talk about the Blackhawks “adding” players. The Blackhawks have not only done a good job of adding volume to their pipeline, but they’ve also identified good players in their draft approach. And that provides the hope for the future in Chicago.

A very good read with deep-dive analysis supporting his perspective.

Ranking the rebuilds:

How likely is each rebuilding franchise to win the Stanley Cup in the next seven seasons?

In @AdjustedHockey's analysis, the #GoHabsGo and #Blackhawks are on track, the #NJDevils and #SeaKraken stumble and more.

Story:https://t.co/txkjoBJBMh

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) January 28, 2026

Kyle Davidson’s Perspective​

Kalen Lumpkins at the Chicago Tribune published his interview with Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson. GMKD talks about the rebuild’s progress, the 2025-26 season and his perspective on the new coaching staff.

I appreciated this comment about the job being done by Jeff Blashill in his first year as the head coach in Chicago:

“He’s someone that understands how you have to win in this league,” Davidson said, “but also understands where we are as an organization in our trajectory, in that we’re going to be building through the young players. He’s got perspective on both our path, but also how teams are successful in this league and how to get our players to get there.”

Davidson also talked about the Blackhawks losing tight games — especially to good teams. The organization obviously wants wins, but Davidson continues to show perspective on the development timeline. On Wednesday morning I wrote about the idea of “good losses” for the Blackhawks this season. The general manager understands the ups and downs of the league as a whole, but especially when the team is getting younger.

“Up and down the organization, we have good respect on (the fact) that sometimes these things are going to occur, especially when you introduce a lot of youth. It’s just making sure that you stop it as quickly as you can and rebound and try and get over those.”

The final comment from Davidson I want to highlight is him speaking about the “luck” of the draft. Unless you’re picking first overall — which the Hawks were fortunate to do with Bedard — the front office is only able to pick the players available when they’re ultimately on the clock.

I’ve written a lot here over the past few years about this Blackhawks’ front office having “a type” they target in the draft. Here’s what he said about how they identify players to add to the organization — either at the NHL level or the pipeline thru the draft.

“It’s hard enough in the draft to find players that are just playing in the NHL, let alone play a very specific way,” Davidson said. “At the core of it, in the draft anyway, you’re always looking for players that are going to get to the NHL and be contributors.

“A player that works hard, but also a person and a professional that’s always trying to look to get better and improve themselves and improve the team through that. That’s how we go down the line on player acquisition stuff.”

As the Blackhawks continue to bring young players they’ve drafted in recent years — Nick Lardis, Anton Frondell, Roman Kantserov, AJ Spellacy, Sacha Boisvert, Sam Rinzel, Kevin Korchinski, Ethan Del Mastro and others — the traits the Blackhawks have identified for impactful players will continue to make competition for NHL roster spots fierce. And that’s exciting because, as Pidutti pointed out, the volume of picks the Blackhawks have used since Davidson took over as the Blackhawks’ permanent general manager in March of 2022 gives them both quality and volume.

Again, an exceptional read for Blackhawks fans here from Kalen.

The Blackhawks have been streaky, with multiple stretches of “the Hawks are nasty again” mixed in with some patches of “the season’s over.”

It hasn’t been all bad, a leap forward in itself for Kyle Davidson’s team.

My convo with the Blackhawks GM https://t.co/rmni1xDBBh

— Kalen Lumpkins (@kalenalumpkins) January 28, 2026

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...erspectives-assessing-the-blackhawks-rebuild/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Blackhawks at Penguins — Lineups, Broadcast Info, Game Thread

Connor Bedard and Sidney Crosby. That should get you to tune in for this one. But the Blackhawks have been playing well lately, even if the wins aren’t coming as frequently as we would like. With the moms on the trip, the Blackhawks had really good energy in Minnesota. Everyone had a day off on Wednesday, so the players should have fresh legs again tonight.

Based on the lines at the Blackhawks’ morning skate, it looks like Colton Dach will slide into the lineup in place of Landon Slaggert tonight. The goal was to get everyone in one of the two games on the mom’s trip. Except poor Sam Lafferty, apparently.

Broadcast Info​

Puck Drop: 6:00 PM CT
TV / Streaming: CHSN
Radio: WGN 720 AM

Expected Lineups​

Chicago Blackhawks

Frank Nazar — Connor Bedard — Teuvo Teräväinen
Tyler Bertuzzi — Jason Dickinson — Ilya Mikheyev
Ryan Greene — Oliver Moore — André Burakovsky
Ryan Donato — Nick Foligno — Colton Dach

Alex Vlasic — Louis Crevier
Wyatt Kaiser — Artyom Levshunov
Matt Grzelcyk — Connor Murphy

Arvid Söderblom
Spencer Knight

Pittsburgh Penguins

Rickard Rakell – Sidney Crosby – Justin Brazeau
Egor Chinakhov – Tommy Novak – Evgeni Malkin
Rutger McGroarty – Ben Kindel – Anthony Mantha
Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Noel Acciari

Parker Wotherspoon – Erik Karlsson
Brett Kulak – Kris Letang
Ilya Solovyov – Ryan Shea

Arturs Silovs
Stuart Skinner

Injury Report​

Chicago Blackhawks​

• Shea Weber (retired) and Ryan Ellis (also retired) are out long term.

Pittsburgh Penguins

• Filip Hallander, Ryan Graves, Caleb Jones and Joel Blomqvist are on IR. Bryan Rust is suspended.

What to Watch For​

• When these teams last played, Brazeau ate the Blackhawks’ lunches. Pittsburgh’s third line was trouble. They’ll need to be contained better (at all) this time.

• The Blackhawks’ power play sucks right now. Can’t really say it any other way. If they get chances, it won’t be easy tonight; Pittsburgh has the sixth-ranked PK in the league.

• We’re still waiting for Bedard to break the dam and start scoring again. Maybe facing Crosby tonight will be just the little extra he needs to have a big night.

Get Caught Up​

Pittsburgh’s Bryan Rust has been suspended for three games for an illegal check to the head against Vancouver’s Brock Boeser. https://t.co/qzLChro3Xn

— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) January 27, 2026

The Penguins have recalled forward Rutger McGroarty from the @WBSPenguins (AHL).

Defenseman Jack St. Ivany has been placed on Injured Reserve. pic.twitter.com/HQBbqkxtSH

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 29, 2026

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...enguins-lineups-broadcast-info-game-thread-3/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Blackhawks 2, Penguins 6 — Three Stars, Key Takeaways

If you like fast games, the start of this one was… not that. It took more than six minutes for either team to register a shot on net. The Blackhawks got the game’s first power play and, while it didn’t convert, the Hawks got some momentum and took the early lead. But the Penguins got away with a blatant trip and tied the game two minutes later. The teams took a 1-1 score — and a healthy number of penalty minutes — to the room after 20 minutes.

The Blackhawks spent most of the second period stuck in their defensive zone and it cost them. The Penguins took a 2-1 lead six minutes into the period and continued attacking. Pittsburgh scored twice in 31 seconds late in the period to blow the game open. They then added a fourth goal in the period with 30 seconds left in the period to take a four-goal lead to the room after 40 minutes.

Both teams scored once in the third period. The Blackhawks didn’t quit… but they didn’t have enough to come back.

Star 1: Connor Bedard​

The wheels came completely off in the second period and the Blackhawks didn’t have many scoring chances, but Bedard kept firing. He led the Hawks with six of Chicago’s 33 total shot attempts thru two periods. He finally scored a goal with a goalie in the net… but it came with the Hawks chasing too much.

https://t.co/dRIKPFdKGC pic.twitter.com/adIGD37Yv0

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) January 30, 2026

Star 2: Connor Murphy​

If you’re hoping for the Blackhawks to get the best possible value for Murphy before the trade deadline, he’s doing his part. He scored the Hawks’ first goal of the night. All three of his goals this season have come in January, two of which have been in the last five games.

GOAL: Frank Nazar with the D-zone takeaway setting up a Connor Murphy SNIPE pic.twitter.com/nuHzeOTN0v

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) January 30, 2026

Star 3: Frank Nazar​

Nazar made the defensive play to start the scoring play for Murphy in the first period and picked up an assist on the play. At the end of two periods, Nazar had won 8 of 12 faceoffs and had one scoring chance. He picked up the assist on Bedard’s goal in the third period for a two-point night.

Key Takeaways​

• Chicago had a 20-12 shot attempt advantage after the first period. The Blackhawks also had a 6-3 advantage in high danger chances. Their attack carried over from the game in Minnesota.

• After a good first period, the wheels completely came off in the second. The Penguins attempted 44(!!) shots in the second period. The Blackhawks attempted 12. If there’s a stat that tells you how the script got flipped during the first intermission, that’s a good one.

• Nick Foligno only skated two shifts (1:18) in the first period but won both of this faceoffs. He did not return to the game.

• At the end of two periods, Tyler Bertuzzi led the Blackhawks with 1.02 individual expected goals for; no other Blackhawk had better than 0.31 (Ryan Greene). Bertuzzi also led the Blackhawks with three individual scoring chances and three of the Hawks’ ten total high danger chances.

• Another rough night for the defensive pair of Wyatt Kaiser and Artyom Levshunov. They were both minus-four at the end of the second period. They finished the night minus-five each. Ugly.

• The Blackhawks got the game’s first power play. It did not convert, but they officially put three shots on net, Bedard rifled a one-timer off the post and they had some good movement. They kept the puck in the offensive zone for the full two minutes. It was better — against a good PK for the Penguins.

• Jason Dickinson had the task of defending Sidney Crosby all night, and he did a very good job. It was everyone else getting on the board for Pittsburgh that was the problem tonight.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...hawks-2-penguins-6-three-stars-key-takeaways/