RSS Blackhawks Team Notes

[Chicago Blackhawks]

McKenna Buzz, Del Mastro Improving, Olympics Post Mortems, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

The Blackhawks are off today. We got some good news on Wyatt Kaiser yesterday; he might even join the Blackhawks on their four-game trip coming out of the Olympic break. And we will hopefully see bronze medal-winner Teuvo Teräväinen with the team tomorrow before they leave for Nashville, at which point we should get a better idea of what the forward lines could look like as we sprint toward the trade deadline.

• I really don’t want to over emphasize the whole Blackhawks — Gavin McKenna thing, but it’s impossible to ignore on social media and in the comments. So here we are. Ben Pope wrote a really good piece for the Chicago Sun-Times on Monday about the Blackhawks — like the rest of the hockey world — warming up to McKenna as his game continues to show rapid growth since the World Juniors. McKenna is on a legit heater offensively (10 points last weekend certainly helps), but his overall game is aligning more with the types of players this Blackhawks front office has preferred at the draft.

• With all of that being said… the way McKenna has played over the past six weeks has him more solidly in the top three overall conversation than he may have been immediately following the World Juniors. He’s going to make a general manager somewhere very, very happy. But I’m still not sure McKenna would be ahead of Ivar Stenberg on the Blackhawks’ draft board if there is somehow a miracle and the Hawks land the No. 1 overall pick again. Furthermore, And, right now, the general manager he’s going to make happy is most likely working for the Canucks, Blues or Rangers.

• If you can put your head on the pillow more comfortably knowing McKenna is “where he should be” on the Blackhawks’ draft board because of this excellent story from Ben, God bless. But it’s becoming increasingly likely the Blackhawks won’t have a chance to draft him because he’ll be long gone by the time they’re on the clock.

It sounds like the Blackhawks have noticed Gavin McKenna rapidly improving his all-around game since early January.

He's fitting their draft mold better as time goes on. The dropped felony charge against him likely won't affect his stock.

New story: https://t.co/eYjhspbZCm

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) February 23, 2026

• Scott Powers wrote about the ten things he’ll be watching over the Blackhawks’ final 25 games in the regular season. Many of them we’ve already talked about, and there’s a heavy emphasis on the future of the blue line from Scott. Here’s part of what he wrote about Kevin Korchinski‘s trajectory down the stretch as he heads to RFA this summer:

The Blackhawks are planning for Korchinski to be in the NHL to start next season. He’ll no longer be waivers-eligible then, and there’s zero chance they’ll expose him to waivers. So ideally, he’d prove he’s capable of consistently playing in the NHL. That doesn’t mean they need him to be perfect, just reliable enough to play and develop in the NHL, because the AHL probably won’t be an avenue for him next season.

10 things I'll be watching for with the Blackhawks for the remainder of the season https://t.co/rlhFfGaXqv

— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) February 23, 2026

• Speaking of the blue line, a guy we talk about here but isn’t in the macro conversation as much is Ethan Del Mastro, who continues to develop in Rockford. He, too, is headed to RFA this summer. He’s been playing very well lately as guys come up to Chicago around him on the IceHogs’ blue line. Here’s what IceHogs head coach Jared Nightingale had to say about Del Mastro’s recent play:

With injuries, call-ups and trades, Ethan Del Mastro has elevated his game from the blue line every single week.

"He's playing his best hockey right now… it's all about the team with Delly, he wants to win hockey games." pic.twitter.com/RdqzRduwVA

— Dana Grey (@DanaGrey0) February 23, 2026

• Let’s talk about the Olympics now that the dust has settled from the USA winning gold. A few pieces dropped on Monday that are worth reading as we now transition quickly into NHL Trade Deadline season. It’s gonna be a sprint, folks.

• One interesting development on Monday evening: the Dallas Stars placed Mikko Rantanen on IR (retroactive to Feb. 20). Rantanen is eligible to return as early as Saturday against Nashville if he’s healthy. That’s the extent of the update from the Stars, however. Dallas head coach Glen Gulutzan would only say “we are going to miss him for a little bit.”

We have placed Mikko Rantanen on IR (lower body), retroactive to Feb. 20.

— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) February 23, 2026

• The first piece I liked was Matt Larkin at Daily Faceoff looking at which players helped or hurt their draft stock at the Games. One name that could influence the Blackhawks’ deadline was Philadelphia defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen (Finland). He had a good tournament and, if available, could contend with Connor Murphy on the trade market.

Olympic Stock Watch:

Which players altered their NHL Trade Deadline values, for better or worse, with their showings in Milan?

My latest for @DailyFaceoff https://t.co/Y2O4kFJS3u

— Matt Larkin (@MLarkinHockey) February 23, 2026

• Steven Ellis, also at Daily Faceoff, profiled some non-NHL players who showed well at the Games. Some of these guys could be free agent opportunities for teams like the Blackhawks. One name that intrigued me was left-handed defenseman Martin Gernát of Slovakia. He’s currently playing in the KHL and has good size (6-4, 205). Even though he’ll be 33 in April, a short-term look in the NHL could be intriguing and the Blackhawks could have some level of interest in an older LHD.

Which non-NHLers stood out at the 2026 Olympic hockey tournament?

Even though the real draw were the NHL superstars, a handful of those from around the globe managed to shine through in Italy, writes @SEllisHockey:https://t.co/NOfovQuYns

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) February 23, 2026

• Finally, David St-Louis at Elite Prospects look at some young players who stood out in Milan. Likely top-ten pick Alberts Šmits, a big left-handed defenseman from Latvia, is once again mentioned. Here’s part of what St-Louis wrote about Šmits:

He closed on opponents in between blue lines, blocked shots, boxed out some of the league’s top stars, pinned them to the boards, and then sealed the puck from them. With short rims, he got the puck away from the opposition and into his team’s hands. His ability to get the interior position on loose pucks, protecting and pushing them toward teammates in space, will make him a highly useful NHL blue-liner. Those are difficult plays, but they fuel most of the top league’s offence.

The 2026 Olympics proved to be a stage well-suited for the NHL's young stars @DavidSt_Louis evaluates the performances of U23 NHL players and top prospects over the last two weeks in Milan

Unlocked to read : https://t.co/VaFth8UnzK pic.twitter.com/kemRVEiYfP

— Elite Prospects (@eliteprospects) February 23, 2026

BLEACHER NATION: Go Ad Free | Subscribe to the BN Newsletter

• A Cubs MUST READ: PCA talks about… PCA

• What will happen to Soldier Field after the Chicago Bears leave?

• How about an updated NBA Mock Draft?

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...cs-post-mortems-and-other-blackhawks-bullets/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Jonathan Toews’ Epic Run in 2010 Deserves More Respect

There are times when I read something and throw in my two cents in the bullets in the morning. But there are other times when I feel like I need to get my Blackhawks soap box out of the closet, dust it off and preach a little because folks like to overlook or diminish what some players in Blackhawks history have accomplished. Tuesday presented one of those moments.

Sean McIndoe, who has been one of my favorite writers for years, came up with a fun idea for a made-up award at The Athletic: Teemu Selanne Trophy, which would celebrate “the best combination of NHL and Olympic performance in the same season.”

McIndoe’s criteria are: “Players get 50 percent credit for what they did in that year’s Olympic tournament, and 50 percent for what they did in that NHL season,” he does include NHL postseason performance and a player does not have to have won a gold medal (but it helps).

Because I loved the idea, I read the piece. And… went directly to 2010 to see who he thought had the best “year” when that year’s men’s hockey tournament was stocked full of future Hall of Famers and had one of the all-time great gold medal games ever.

And… McIndoe gave the 2010 Teemu Selanne Trophy to… (drumroll) Sidney Crosby! Because of course he did!

I’m here to call bullshit. Sorry, Sean, but just because Crosby scored the Golden Goal and won the Rocket Richard in 2009-10 doesn’t mean he had the best overall hockey “year.”

The winner of this made-up trophy for 2010 should be Jonathan Toews. And, with all due respect to Crosby’s impressive year, it shouldn’t be close.

With this year’s Olympics seeing some remarkable performances, it’s worth looking back and remembering the ridiculous run Toews had for Canada and the Blackhawks in 2010.

[IMG alt="Jonathan Toews
Canada
2010 Winter Olympics"]https://www.bleachernation.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Jonathan-Toews_USATSI_4567358.jpg[/IMG]
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Toews — not Crosby — was named the Best Forward in the 2010 Olympics. He led Canada in points, holding a Canadian mark for NHL players in the Olympics that wasn’t broken until Connor McDavid this year.

Toews followed that up with being the captain of the Blackhawks’ team that ended a 49-year championship drought just four months later. Toews posted 29 points in 22 playoff games on his way to winning the Conn Smythe as the NHL’s postseason most valuable player.

Since 1998 — the start of McIndoe’s exercise because it was the first year NHL players went to the Winter Games — there have been only 17 individual postseasons in which a player had 29 points or more. You know how many of those 17 postseason performances came with the Conn Smythe and a Stanley Cup championship?

Three: Evgeni Malkin in 2009, Jonathan Toews in 2010, and Cale Makar in 2022.

And only one of those guys won an Olympic gold medal in the same year as the other two.

My final point of consideration for Toews clearly having the best “year” and deserving this made-up trophy: he became the youngest player ever to be inducted into the IIHF Triple Gold Club. Toews was 22 years, 42 days old when he was handed the Stanley Cup by Gary Bettman in Philadelphia.

That was 16 years ago. Toews is still the youngest player in history to have a World Championship gold medal, an Olympic gold medal and a Stanley Cup championship on his resume.

And Toews was the best player in two of those three tournaments — in the same calendar year.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blackhawks/2026/02/24/jonathan-toews-epic-2010/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Bulls Fans, a Buffalo(?) Fit, Kantserov Scores, an Avs-Pens Trade, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

The Blackhawks will skate at their practice rink later this morning before leaving on a four-game road trip. Those are the final four games before the NHL Trade Deadline, which hits just hours before the Blackhawks’ next home game (on March 6). Which means we’re on perpetual hug watch right now, both at practice and before/after games. This isn’t an easy time of year for a lot of players who might be moving, especially those who have a family to consider moving.

It feels like the Blackhawks are situated nicely to take advantage of a seller’s market, moving some vets to more competitive situations while opening spots on the NHL roster for young players who are ready for a longer look. It’s going to be a busy week or so. Buckle up!

• Last night, Connor Bedard, Ryan Greene, Oliver Moore and Colton Dach pulled up to the Bulls game. Love to see it. At the rate things are going for the other tenants of the United Center, Dach might get an offer to play power forward for them, too.

Connor Bedard, Colton Dach, Ryan Greene & Oliver Moore all supporting the Bulls

Blackhawks return to action on Thursday vs. the Predators pic.twitter.com/y8aHZ4ahaF

— Bulls on CHSN (@CHSN_Bulls) February 25, 2026

Much love @NHLBlackhawks for pulling up pic.twitter.com/jVXSJUEh8I

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 25, 2026

• Max Bultman and Harman Dayal at The Athletic came up with the perfect trade deadline move for a few intriguing teams team. The Blackhawks have some players who have been mentioned in trade rumors before, so this got my attention. The first place a current Blackhawk is mentioned is somewhere I did not anticipate. They have Connor Murphy as the perfect addition for… the Buffalo Sabres. And they project Buffalo sending the Hawks a 2027 second-round pick for Murphy. That’s interesting. Here’s part of their rationale for the deal making sense:

Murphy, then, would be a natural addition as a 13-year veteran who would bring a defensive mindset (and a needed right-hand shot) to a young blue line teeming with offense. Murphy’s 2.54 expected goals against per 60 minutes at five-on-five, and 2.46 actual goals against, would each rank second on the Sabres — and that’s coming from a Chicago team that gives up more offense as a whole than Buffalo. …

The cost is what really cements it. Murphy is a pending UFA, so there’s no future commitment, and his $4.4 million cap hit is very manageable. More importantly, the Sabres have made so many high picks in recent years that parting with a 2027 second should be a no-brainer.

• Now here’s Blackhawks prospect Roman Kantserov‘s KHL-leading 32nd goal of the season from Tuesday.

32nd of the year for #Blackhawks prospect Roman Kantserov

pic.twitter.com/TDCUcK95iS

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

• Good read here from Ben Pope at the Chicago Sun-Times on Gavin Hayes, who put up his first pro hat trick Saturday against San Diego. Hayes dealt with some injuries last year that limited him to 50 games, during which he accounted for only five goals. He’s more than doubled that this year; he has 12 goals in 49 games. Interestingly, Hayes says a video session looking at how Oilers forward Zach Hyman works around the net helped open up his game in Rockford.

Gavin Hayes is becoming relevant again within the Blackhawks' prospect pool.

Watching clips of Zach Hyman encouraged Hayes to get to the net more, and that has fueled a scoring surge for him in Rockford.

New story: https://t.co/id5gjWhJrB

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) February 24, 2026

• A more significant trade happened on Tuesday. Colorado traded a second-round pick in 2028 and Samuel Girard to Pittsburgh for Brett Kulak. Two defensemen changing teams means the market is starting to warm up… It’s also worth noting the Avs have been reportedly shopping for a third-line center. This deal gives them $8.3M in available playoff cap space (per PuckPedia).

We have acquired Brett Kulak from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Samuel Girard and a 2nd round pick in 2028 NHL Draft. pic.twitter.com/tZrCRBm3LB

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) February 24, 2026

• Dallas Stars head coach Glen Gulutzan provided a little more detail on the immediate future for Mikko Rantanen. “It won’t be one or two games. Let’s start at two weeks and then see where it goes from there.” Gulutzan did say he expects Rantanen back before the end of the regular season, but two weeks means the Dallas Stars will have to navigate the trade deadline next Friday without a definite timeline for his return. Not ideal for Dallas, who are looking at probably having to play the Minnesota Wild and then Colorado Avalanche to start the playoffs. Good read here on how Rantanen’s injury might impact their plans for the coming week.

Stars forward Mikko Rantanen will miss at least two weeks with an injury suffered during the Olympics. The return of other Stars is still unknown.

What it means for Dallas, especially as the trade deadline approaches https://t.co/4WuNfHXKAT

— Lia Assimakopoulos (@Lassimak) February 24, 2026

• Finally, really good discussion here with Jonathan Toews about how he sees the Winnipeg Jets as they come out of the Olympics. Of course the former Blackhawks captain still sees them as a playoff team — and he should, considering how their goaltender just played in the Olympics. I got out my soap box for a quick rant about more people needing to remember just how special 2010 was for Toews last night.

Jonathan Toews, full NMC, on the #NHLJets trade deadline:

"I wouldn’t consider going anywhere."

More candid Toews reflections on his hometown team, NHL dream, and Winnipeg Jets leadership in our 1v1 at @TheAthleticNHL https://t.co/6IXFPBPIme

— Murat Ates (@WPGMurat) February 24, 2026

BLEACHER NATION: Go Ad Free | Subscribe to the BN Newsletter

• Here’s what Ben Johnson had to say about Tyson Bagent trade rumors

• Craig Counsell talked about the Cubs adding outfielder Michael Conforto

• So… two of the players the Bulls got at the deadline came to Chicago already hurt??

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...-avs-pens-trade-and-other-blackhawks-bullets/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Great News! Blackhawks Defenseman Wyatt Kaiser is Back on the Ice

The Blackhawks will have their last practice at the artist-formerly-known-as Fifth Third Arena beginning at 11, but I got there a little early today and can report that defenseman Wyatt Kaiser was on the ice doing work before the rest of the team. And he looked pretty good!

This isn’t a guarantee that Kaiser will be in game action yet, but head coach Jeff Blashill said there was a chance Kaiser could join the team on the four-game trip. We’ll find out more after practice, but this is a great sign!

#Blackhawks defenseman Wyatt Kaiser is skating before the rest of the team today pic.twitter.com/tVkYh7sGPe

— Tab Bamford (@The1Tab) February 25, 2026

xx

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...s-defenseman-wyatt-kaiser-is-back-on-the-ice/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Game Day! Teuvo’s Back, OHL Goal Leaders, 1k for Coach Q, Crosby Hurt, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

It’s a game day for the Chicago Blackhawks! For the first time since Feb. 4, the Blackhawks will hold a morning skate and then take the ice for a game that matters in the standings. Tonight, the Nashville Predators on the dance card.

• Teuvo Teräväinen was back with the Blackhawks on Wednesday — after spending two days doing nothing in New York because of the weather. While the USA and Canada sent their players to Miami to miss the weather, Finland’s NHL players still got into New York… but couldn’t get out. Teuvo didn’t get back to Chicago until Tuesday. He also wouldn’t tell us where he’s stashed his bronze medal, but said the Olympic experience was incredible.

• Wyatt Kaiser was back on the ice yesterday before the rest of his teammates came out for practice, which was a great sign. From what I saw he was moving pretty well — especially considering our initial fears watching the injury. Head coach Jeff Blashill said Kaiser wouldn’t be on the plane with the team to Nashville but could join them at some point during the four-game trip. Good steps.

• Blashill talked about struggling veteran forward André Burakovsky after practice on Monday. Burakovsky admitted he was fighting it before the break and his confidence needed a boost. His head coach shared some perspective with him in a conversation.

“You can tell he was in a little bit of a struggle,” Blashill said. “It was interesting for me because I have an analytic mind, so I’ll go back and look at certain things. In 10-game segments, the segment that we ended with, his scoring chance plus/minus wasn’t great for us, but the prior segments were all really good. So it was only 10 games away from playing really good hockey. That was a reminder, and I told him, this is a reminder for me as much as it is for you. Because when he’s struggling, generally the coach is struggling with him. So it was a reminder that it wasn’t that long ago that he played really good hockey, let’s get back to playing really good hockey. Hopefully he comes out of the break and he can get feeling good about himself.”

• An interesting comment here from Scott Powers, who wrote up ten things he’s watching as the Blackhawks start their sprint to the finish of the regular season. One guy who many fans are hoping stays in Chicago beyond the deadline might not be a slam dunk.

There’s still a chance the Blackhawks re-sign Ilya Mikheyev, but that likelihood is becoming slimmer by the day. We’ll see what the next week brings. If an extension isn’t agreed upon and there are teams calling for him, the Blackhawks could move him. They could probably use that roster spot down the stretch for a young player.

• I’ll say it again: I would love for Mikheyev to hang around for another year or two — but not longer than that. With prospects starting to line up like planes waiting to land at O’Hare, the Blackhawks are going to continue to have a desire to have roster flexibility and available spots in the lineup. And Mikheyev should look to cash in on two really good years in Chicago; he’s going to turn 32 in early October and this could (likely will) be his last significant NHL contract. If he can get more term than the Blackhawks could/should offer him, no faulting him in that!

• Powers notes that one of the young players who could see their role elevated if Mikheyev leaves is Landon Slaggert.

Ten thoughts on the Blackhawks heading out of the break https://t.co/GTQJTiJ43G

— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) February 25, 2026

• James Nichols shared on Twitter last night that a Blackhawks scout was on the long list of team reps watching the Devils and Sabres play last night.

• In the OHL, Jack Pridham stayed hot for the Kitchener Rangers last night. He scored his 37th goal of the season, which is behind only another Blackhawks prospect on the OHL leaderboard.

PRIDS GETS IT TO GO IN TIGHT #RTown | #BattleBuilt | #Blackhawks https://t.co/a2xKoh48La pic.twitter.com/fyOgtd4TuB

— Kitchener Rangers (@OHLRangers) February 26, 2026

• Pridham remains four goals behind Marek Vanacker in the OHL scoring race because Vanacker scored the dramatic game-winner for Brantford last night. The Bulldogs scored three goals in under three minutes in the third period to steal a 5-4 victory over Brampton.

THE MADHOUSE IS ROCKING #BFD https://t.co/GsGfBvkobA pic.twitter.com/ciPG9KGcWw

— Brantford Bulldogs (@BulldogsOHL) February 26, 2026

• Nice read here from Kalen Lumpkins at the Chicago Tribune on AJ Spellacy, who celebrated his 20th birthday earlier this week.

AJ Spellacy had the fastest speed in the World Juniors at 23.74 mph. That would rank top 15 in the NHL, slightly behind Frank Nazar.

Spellacy’s also 6’3, 204 lbs. Imagine that barreling towards you.

“It’s scary for other teams going up against it.” https://t.co/uDGOrqZuL4

— Kalen Lumpkins (@kalenalumpkins) February 25, 2026

• The biggest injury news coming home from the Olympics dropped on Tuesday morning: Sidney Crosby is expected to miss at least four weeks of action, and was placed on IR by the Pittsburgh Penguins. He wasn’t able to play in the semifinal or gold medal game for Canada. The Pens entered Wednesday’s action in second place in the Metropolitan Division, one point ahead of the Islanderes.

Forward Sidney Crosby (lower-body) has been placed on Injured Reserve.

Defenseman Kris Letang has been activated from Injured Reserve. pic.twitter.com/sHMiS02YHh

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 25, 2026

• Paul Pidutti at Daily Faceoff does terrific work projecting futures in the NHL. Previously, we talked about his rankings of 12 rebuilding teams — a list that included the Chicago Blackhawks. On Wednesday, he took a look at eight teams that are either currently or about to embark on a retool. For some — the Canucks and Rangers, specifically — it’s a depressing reality. Here’s his closing statement:

Make no mistake: nearly all of these retools were defendable. Each has (or had) marketable stars, enough talent to dream, and no interest in tanking via teardown. Hockey is better with retools over rebuilds.

But if you’re Toronto, Winnipeg, or St. Louis this offseason, can you look around the NHL and honestly conclude that a retool is appealing? While success looks different to every franchise, retools are simply not bringing teams to Cup contention right now.

Ranking the retools: Canucks light years from Cup contention, Islanders trending up https://t.co/2DPW8ooIYP

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) February 25, 2026

• Finally, former Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville picked up his 1,000th win last night. Congrats!

Our team had a surprise in store for Coach Q after his 1,000th win!

The Bombay Jacket looks good on ya, Coach. #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/gy6ocsCxpP

— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) February 26, 2026

BLEACHER NATION: Go Ad Free | Subscribe to the BN Newsletter

Pete Crow-Armstrong Confirms There Have Been Extension Talks with the Cubs

Report: Bears Allowing Tremaine Edmunds to Seek Trade Amid Cap Crunch

Bulls Injuries Continue to Pile Up (Tanking in Full Effect)

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...h-q-crosby-hurt-and-other-blackhawks-bullets/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

NHL Trade Buzz: Myers Sits, Weegar and Kadri Available, Garland, Trocheck, More

We’re now just eight days away from the NHL Trade Deadline. As teams start getting back on the ice for game action, the pressure to “manage assets” becomes more real with every lineup that’s submitted. Healthy scratches are now going to be scrutinized for almost every player (except poor Sam Lafferty).

Let’s dive into the latest NHL rumors. I’ve broken up the rumors into forwards and defensemen, starting on the blue line.

Defense Rumors​

• Obviously, any defenseman being moved would impact the market for Connor Murphy. And the return for said defenseman would give us an idea of the asking price teams are willing to meet.

• David Pagnotta at The Fourth Period wrote about teams expressing interest in Mackenzie Weegar. He’s in a totally different situation than most of the defenseman who are being mentioned on the trade market: he’s 32 and is in just the third year of an eight-year, $50 million contract. Pagnotta writes the Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning are on the list of teams in the market for a right-shot, top-four defenseman.

• Tyler Myers, a right-handed defenseman (with term remaining on his deal and a no-move clause), didn’t dress for the Canucks on Wednesday because of “roster management” (potentially pending traded). Darren Dreger reported the believed trade he was considering was to Detroit, and that others teams — including Dallas — had expressed interest. But other reports are that he wasn’t thrilled about the idea of leaving Vancouver.

• It’s important to note that Myers’ no-movement clause converts to a 12-team no-trade clause on July 1st. So… he’ll have less control of the situation once the league year turns over than he does now.

David Banks-Imagn Images

Forward Rumors​

• During a recent TSN “Insider Trading” segment, Darren Dreger reported Nazem Kadri is open to being traded, and the Flames are exploring the market for him. Kadri, 35, has three years left after this one on his contract with a $7MM price tag.

• Pagnotta also writes that, among the growing list of names available in Vancouver, is Conor Garland, “who is very much in play.”

• On the DFO Rundown on Wednesday, Pagnotta reported that Rangers center Vincent Trocheck prefers to stay in the Eastern Conference… but might consider the Central Division?

How far west he might be willing to go might determine what other options would be available to him. We know he doesn’t wanna go to the Pacific. But is there a team in the Central that perhaps makes sense outside of Minnesota?

• An interesting comment from Matt Larkin at Daily Faceoff on his latest trade board on Blackhawks center Jason Dickinson:

He and [Ilya] Mikheyev are Chicago’s PK1 forwards and, despite the team’s struggle to stay in the playoff race, the Hawks boast the NHL’s top-ranked penalty kill. Given he plays center, Dickinson might attract a larger return than Mikheyev.

• The Blues announced Thursday that winger Mathieu Joseph has been designated as a non-roster player, to make room for the return of Dylan Holloway from IR. He’ll land on waivers Thursday afternoon. Pagnotta reported St. Louis tried unsuccessfully to find a trade partner for Joseph.

• The Kings are still reportedly kicking the tires on moving veteran forward Warren Foegele, who might have to go for LA to replace Kevin Fiala after an injury at the Olympics ended his season.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...ar-and-kadri-available-garland-trocheck-more/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Good Bedard, Bad Power Play, Ice Time Questions, Frondell Scores, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

Connor Bedard came out of the Olympic break looking like the player who was near the top of the league in scoring before a shoulder injury took him out of the lineup. The rest of the Blackhawks looked like they were still getting things back in order after vacation. The first two periods were sloppy, and a couple turnovers cost them. Once again, any little mistake found the back of the net, and the Hawks came up on the losing end of a game they probably could have won.

• Bedard set a new career-high with his 24th goal of the season in the second period last night. I love this camera angle of the score.

stick taps for pic.twitter.com/MyAlWoX1XC

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 27, 2026

• Yes, the Blackhawks power play is still a work-in-progress. But, at this point, something has to change. Their zone entries were better last night, but they then lost spacing and passing lanes disappeared before they made decisions. The slingshot has become painfully predictable, too. There’s too much speed and skill on this roster for the power play to not be more successful. While these are still learning experiences, it needs to click.

• Speaking of which… Kevin Korchinski is on the trip with the Blackhawks, but head coach Jeff Blashill hasn’t committed to any set amount of ice time for him. He did not dress last night, and Blashill said they’re going to take it day-by-day. My subtitles: Korchinski is with the team for the if/when a defenseman is traded and the “taking it day-by-day” is covering a potential need while they’re away from home. For now.

• The only skater on the Blackhawks who had less 5-on-5 ice time than the line of Frank Nazar (10:04), Oliver Moore (10:15) and Tyler Bertuzzi (10:22) was Landon Slaggert (9:40). But guess which three skaters had the highest expected goals for percentage at 5-on-5? Yup: Moore (75.6), Nazar (71.41) and Bertuzzi (67.99). They were on the ice together at 5-on-5 for only 8:25 — the lowest of the Blackhawks’ four line combinations last night — during which they had a 56.12 expected goals for percentage — the highest of the four.

• While head coach Jeff Blashill said the Blackhawks weren’t going to worry about “asset management” on the road trip and they were going to skate a team they thought put them in a position to win, it’s noteworthy that Connor Murphy skated only 15:12 last night — the lowest ice time total on the blue line. Yes, the fact that the Blackhawks had five power plays influenced his ice time, but Murphy had the lowest 5-on-5 ice time (13:49) on Chicago’s blue line last night. And he started the game on the second pair playing his off-side with Sam Rinzel.

• Really nice read here from Ben Pope on Murphy staring down the end of his time with the Chicago Blackhawks. My understanding is that the Hawks have had a conversation with him similar to the one they had with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane — “we aren’t going to offer you another contract” — so it’s either before the trade deadline or at the end of the regular season that he moves on. He’s been such a huge part of the room and the Blackhawks in the community that it’s understandably hard for him to think about leaving.

As the trade deadline nears, Connor Murphy is conflicted.

"I would like to be here. I would like to also play in the playoffs. It's kind of mixed emotion. That’s why this time is so hard, having that feeling tearing you both ways."

New Blackhawks story: https://t.co/9eZuolCyK9

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) February 26, 2026

• Shawn Hutcheon reported the Blackhawks had a scout in Boston watching the Bruins and Blue Jackets last night. I’ve noted the Bruins are on the list of teams that are reportedly shopping for a right-handed defenseman. They were also recently linked to Murphy and Ryan Donato, who grew up in Boston.

• In the OHL last night, AJ Spellacy had an assist and won 6 of 13 faceoffs for Windsor in a 4-3 shootout win.

• Here’s Anton Frondell‘s 16th goal of the season from Thursday.

Anton Frondell (#14) scores his 16th of the season #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/p7jjRWlUUn

— Chicago Prospects (@Chi_Prospects) February 26, 2026

• I included a link to Scott Powers’ ten things he’s watching down the stretch in my bullets yesterday, but there was one more comment at the end that got my attention that I wanted to drop today with Providence in action.

I’m curious if the Blackhawks might try to sign forward prospect John Mustard after this season. Mustard, a 2024 third-round pick, is a sophomore at Providence who has 14 goals and 10 assists in 31 games this season. He’s scored in four of his last five games. It’s likely a conversation for the end of his season, but I think it could be a possibility.

Blackhawks College Prospects: Regular Season Crunch Time #blackhawkshttps://t.co/0OVsZDc7og

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

• Corey Pronman put together a list of some top college and European free agents that might intrigue NHL teams this year. This is always worth a read if you’re looking for a hidden gem somewhere. Of course, the Blackhawks have plenty of prospects coming in the pipeline, but there might be some “veteran” prospects on this list that could catch their eye. I’ve seen a little bit of Joshua Eernisse at Michigan and like his game a lot. He’s probably an AHL guy, but plays a similar style to Spellacy. One other name that’s intriguing is at the top of Pronman’s list: KHL forward Vitaly Pinchuk. He’s 24, has good size and could be a nice get to help Roman Kantserov next year.

New @TheAthleticNHL: This year's edition of top college and european NHL free agents https://t.co/xJHfVPN2O7

— Corey Pronman (@coreypronman) February 26, 2026

• Finally, you might notice even more offside reviews in the coming weeks. The NHL put in more cameras to help see the situation more clearly. According to a release, “These systems will give the NHL exclusive multi-angle live coverage and on-demand access to ultra-high-resolution video to aid the NHL’s instant replay review process, player safety initiatives, official statistic tracking and auditing, digital and social media content creation, and more.”

The @NHL has installed Cosm C360 10.5K camera systems in all 32 arenas.

Four cameras per venue power blue line reviews, replay, EDGE tracking integrations, and digital content across 1,500+ games per season.

Read more: https://t.co/3JzfspmbZg pic.twitter.com/yTn5oB3ve2

— Sports Business Journal (@SBJ) February 25, 2026

BLEACHER NATION: Go Ad Free | Subscribe to the BN Newsletter

BN Cubs Podcast Ep. 51: ABS Reaction, Austin and Long Injuries, I’m Faster Than MLB Players

Bears Stadium Watch: The Latest on Pushes From Illinois and Indiana Lawmakers

2026 NBA Draft Prospect Heat Check: Peterson Out of the Top 2 for Good?

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...frondell-scores-and-other-blackhawks-bullets/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Friedman Talks Blackhawks Trade Deadline: Mikheyev, Murphy… Korchinski?

On Friday’s edition of the “32 Thoughts” Podcast, Elliotte Friedman went thru a number of sellers in the Western Conference and the Chicago Blackhawks came up briefly (around 28 minutes into the episode).

Friedman reported the Blackhawks tried to extend forward Ilya Mikheyev, but he’s “out there” at this point.

On Connor Murphy: “Again a lot of defensemen available, that’s their challenge.”

One surprising name that Friedman mentioned: 21-year-old defenseman Kevin Korchinski.

“I know some people have wondered about Korchinski there because they’ve got a lot of D, he’s been in the minors. His future is another thing I think people have wondered about.”

Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

There are a few factors that likely play into there being intrigue about Korchinski. He’s still young, can skate like the wind and he’s heading to RFA with limited NHL exposure over the past two years. As a former No. 7 overall pick, there’s still a lot of upside to sell there.

I think another big factor here is the reality that the 2026 NHL Draft is incredibly blue line heavy at the top, and the best player available for the Blackhawks might be a defenseman — who may be able to replace Korchinski in the pipeline.

If the Blackhawks’ pick comes in between 4-8, the value in a player like left-handed defensemen Alberts Šmits or Carson Carels or right-handed defenseman Chase Reid could give the Blackhawks a lot to consider. Šmits and Carels may ultimately complement Artyom Levshunov better long-term than Korchinski or even Wyatt Kaiser.

I had five defensemen ranked in my top 11 overall when I published my first top 50 prospects list for the 2026 NHL Draft.

You can listen to the “32 Thoughts” episode here:

Friday morning 32 Thoughts news, information & analysis podcast.

Links to your preferred platform, here: https://t.co/io7Mr1QEpm Enjoy!

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) February 27, 2026

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blackhawks/2026/02/27/friedman-talks-blackhawks-trade-deadline/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Line Blender in Denver, Productive Prospects, Dallas’ New Cap Room, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

You know what I love: early evening starts for weekend games. And the Blackhawks are doing me (us?) a solid with a 5 PM CT puck drop in Denver tonight and a lovely 3 PM start in Utah tomorrow. Hopefully we’re able to enjoy the remaining hours of our weekend because of two better performances than what we saw in Nashville.

• The Blackhawks did mix up the lines a little at practice yesterday at the University of Denver. Teuvo Teräväinen was back with Frank Nazar and Oliver Moore. Tyler Bertuzzi bumped down to a third-line role with Jason Dickinson and Ilya Mikheyev. We’ll see what the lines look like in the game tonight, because…

• The Blackhawks are not holding a morning skate today. With an earlier start, it isn’t ideal for the routine to back up the morning skate to like 8 AM local time. Even so, the Blackhawks obviously won’t have a morning skate in Utah tomorrow with an earlier start (and travel from Denver), so two game days without a morning skate. Again, not ideal.

• Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson is on the current four-game trip with the team, and he’s apparently already had at least one conversation with captain Nick Foligno about his near-term future. Interesting comments here from Foligno that doesn’t exactly close the door on a deal happening.

• When I talk about “The Artyom Levshunov Experience,” there’s a portion of the Blackhawks fan base that is happily willing to live on the negative side of the ledger. Which is their prerogative. But I’m going to remain steadfast that he’s still only 20 and learning in the best league in the world. And we need to be as mindful of the good moments — like Levshunov breaking up a 2-on-1 in Nashville on Thursday night (below) — as we are on the bad turnover that turned into a goal. The growth curve we should want to see from him is fewer hiccups and more consistently solid play. We should also hope he doesn’t get left on an island like he did below as frequently as he has been this year. That comes with the overall roster maturing, too.

Smith throws a late hit on Greene to spring a 2-on-1 but Levshunov breaks it up with a nice defensive play pic.twitter.com/VxbL6LYb2f

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) February 27, 2026

• The Rockford IceHogs announced forward Samuel Savoie will miss one to two weeks with a lower body injury.

• In the NCAA ranks, Václav Nestrašil scored a goal and added an assist for a two-point game for UMass.

• In the OHL last night, AJ Spellacy picked up an assist in the first period, giving him helpers on consecutive nights for Windsor. He added a second assist in the second period and a power play goal in the third for a three-point night.

• Jack Pridham picked up two assists in the second period for Kitchener last night. The third period went completely off the rails, with multiple cheap shots and fights. There were 15 power plays in the game. Pridham was on the wrong end of one of the cheap shots. Hopefully he’s okay.

• Marek Vanacker scored his OHL-leading 42nd goal of the season and added an assist for a two-point night of his own.

Marek Vanacker (#78 F) scores goal #42 for the Brantford Bulldogs on a beautiful tic-tac-toe power play! #OHL

Dear @NHLFlyers, this is how it's done. pic.twitter.com/qLR8OPbdbK

— BFrisco4real (@BFrisco4real) February 28, 2026

Terrence Lee-Imagn Images

• Potentially significant pre-trade deadline news in Dallas on Friday. With Mikko Rantanen’s injury in the background — and it sounds like that might be closer to four weeks than two — Elliotte Friedman broke the news that the Stars filed paperwork declaring Tyler Seguin out for the rest of the regular season and playoffs. This way, Dallas can take the most available advantage of LTIR relief with him being out since having ACL surgery. However, Pierre LeBrun came in later with the note that “the Stars were already using $3.8M of his cap hit with other players injured.”

• Even with LeBrun’s reported use of LTI in Dallas, the Stars opened up around $6M in additional cap space to use before the deadline. They’re reportedly been in the market for a right-handed defenseman (they are every year) and obviously need healthy bodies up front with Rantanen out.

• Steven Stamkos told the Nashville Tennessean there is “zero” chance he’ll waive his no-move clause.

• Finally, this is awesome. And, honestly, how it should be. The golden goal pucks from both the men’s and women’s Olympic Games are headed to Toronto to be on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame. Some other cool artifacts will be on their way to the museum as well, but having those two incredible pucks — and what they mean to USA Hockey — being on display with the rest of hockey history feels right.

BREAKING: Artifacts from the 2026 Olympics including:
USA: Women and Men’s GWG puck from both OT Gold medal games; Hilary Knight (jersey)
Canada: MVP McDavid (jersey)
Sweden: Nylander (jersey)
All artifacts collected from the Olympic Games will be on display soon @HockeyHallFame pic.twitter.com/7vrWoesJAT

— Kelly Masse (@KellyHockeyHall) February 27, 2026

BLEACHER NATION: Go Ad Free | Subscribe to the BN Newsletter

• Bears GM Ryan Poles says a Darnell Wright extension is “definitely a priority”

• Patrick dropped his initial top 50 prospect list for the 2026 MLB Draft

• How much closer to a top-three pick did a winless February get the Bulls?

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...as-new-cap-room-and-other-blackhawks-bullets/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Blackhawks 1, Avalanche 3 — Three Stars, Key Takeaways

It looked like the Blackhawks might have taken a lead 24 seconds into the game, but a post denied Jason Dickinson. That didn’t take anything away from the Blackhawks’ more aggressive approach right out of the gate. In my pregame notes I politely requested a power play goal. The Blackhawks obliged 20 seconds into an advantage in the first period to take an early lead.

The Blackhawks held onto their one-goal lead with white knuckles for 19 minutes and 51 seconds of the second period. But a late power play for the Avs (which came up empty) led to a Cale Makar shot that found the back of the net through a couple screens and the game was tied.

Colorado took the lead at 7:31 into the third period. Makar found the empty net late. Ballgame. Another night where everyone not-named-Bedard struggled to do anything and the goalie stood on his head as long as he could.

Star 1: Spencer Knight​

The Avalanche had a 29-14 advantage in shot attempts and 14-4 advantage in shots on net in the first period, but the Blackhawks took a 1-0 lead to the room because Knight was really good. Shots on goal were 23-9 after two periods. He finished the night stopping 32 of 34 shots; his teammates puck 15 shots on net in 60 minutes (that included five power plays).

Big stop here by Knight on Drury, though I can't believe Makar didn't shoot pic.twitter.com/5B56aYtLMv

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) March 1, 2026

Star 2: Connor Bedard​

Bedard’s power play goal in the first period is his 25th of the year, a nice benchmark for him to pass on the way this year. He was really the only player who was noticeable on the offensive side of the rink for the Blackhawks tonight.

GOAL: Connor Bedard with a SNIPE on the power play for his 25th goal of the season! pic.twitter.com/BL6eYGziBB

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) February 28, 2026

Star 3: Artyom Levshunov​

After a mediocre overall performance in Nashville, Levshunov bounced back with a pretty good job tonight against a significantly better team in Denver. He was surprisingly very physical in the first period. He hammered Gabriel Landeskog behind the Chicago net at one point. Levshunov also broke up a potential short-handed break for the Avs in the second period as well.

Great play by Levshunov to break up a 2-on-1. He made this play last game too: pic.twitter.com/t3KRIRn2XR

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) March 1, 2026

Key Takeaways​

• The new line of Dickinson with Tyler Bertuzzi and Ilya Mikheyev was really good immediately.

• The Blackhawks won only 15 of 36 faceoffs thru two periods, and Dickinson won six of 11 (both easily team hights). Dickinson finished the night winning 8 of 14 faceoffs and had a strong night.

• Ryan Greene left the Blackhawks’ bench late in the first period after taking a shot to the hand area. He didn’t skate a shift in the final 8:21 of the opening frame. Thankfully, Greene returned for the start of the second period.

• Kevin Korchinski skated a whole four shifts (2:00) in the first period. He was on the ice for six shifts (2:43) in the second period. Korchinski was on the ice for seven shifts (3:41) in the third period. A total of 8:24 on the ice. Yeah, there were plenty of power plays for both teams. But I would have liked to see more from him against a team that plays fast.

• Colton Dach was back in the lineup. His hit (1) to penalty minute (2) ratio in the first period wasn’t what you’d want to see from a guy whose job is just to… hit people. He improved his ratio to 4 hits and still 2 PIM in 6:04 on the ice (lowest among Blackhawks forwards) thru two periods.

• The Blackhawks scored on their first power play. Their next four power plays weren’t good at all — generating zero shots on goal combined.

• Wasn’t a big fan of Matt Grzelcyk‘s game tonight — and he was on the ice for more than two minutes more than four of the other defensemen. With scouts from nine teams in the arena to watch… that’s certainly interesting.

• I cannot justify André Burakovsky being on Bedard’s line. Frankly, he could use a night (or two) in the press box.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...awks-1-avalanche-3-three-stars-key-takeaways/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Where’s the Offense? Productive Prospects, Trade Rumors, More Hurt Kings, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

The Blackhawks have now lost both of their games to start the home stretch of the 2025-26 season, and life doesn’t get easier. They boarded a plane to Utah to face the Mammoth this afternoon after scoring only once in Denver last night. After leaving lines alone for a lot of the early stages of the season (when things were going fairly well), the Blackhawks are now throwing stuff at the wall to see what might work seemingly every game. And nothing’s clicking.

Seemingly every line the Blackhawks skate Tyler Bertuzzi on is effective this year. For all of the reasons you would want to spread out the offense, Bertuzzi being separated from the top line makes sense. But… there are still too many misses. Oliver Moore struggled when he initially came up, but started driving offense when he was moved to center. He’s spent the past two games on the wing with Frank Nazar as his center.

Jeff Blashill: "We need more depth scoring, for sure. We were close to having a lot of chances, and we just didn't handle the puck great. We could've had probably three or four 3-on-1s, and we just mishandled them."

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) March 1, 2026

• André Burakovsky was on Connor Bedard‘s line again last night. And stayed there. When asked after the game about trying someone else in that spot with Bedard, Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill said there were some analytics they liked with Burakovsky’s game in Nashville. My eye test tells me his analytics might look good because Bedard’s been so damn good the last two games. He hasn’t been good in a while and I wouldn’t mind him moving down the lineup for a bit.

• Scott Powers and Ben Pope reported the following teams had scouts in Denver to watch the Blackhawks and Avs last night: Los Angeles (two), Dallas, Vancouver, Buffalo, Vegas, Toronto, Utah, Tampa, Montreal. Obviously the Hawks are in Utah this afternoon, but Vegas, Toronto and Montreal were frequent visitors to the United Center during a busy month of home games for the Hawks.

• Good stuff here from Ben on the young Blackhawks trying to find the energy they had when they joined the NHL roster last year to finish this season strong. It’s worth noting — again — that this is the first professional season for Moore, Ryan Greene and Sam Rinzel. It’s the first full NHL season for Nazar and Artyom Levshunov. Blashill has said there’s an expectation that young players in these situations will “hit the wall” at some point, but the test is how they battle through that fatigue.

Ryan Greene was "running on fumes" before the Olympics; now he's rejuvenated. He stood out in practices the past week and played well in Nashville.

He's a Blackhawks player to watch. I think his development could take off.

More on that in this story: https://t.co/nOZuxcZbk6

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) February 28, 2026

• Rinzel wasn’t in the lineup last night, and the Blackhawks called it an illness. Kevin Korchinski entered the lineup. He didn’t get much ice time, in large part because of the amount of special teams.

• Blashill said before the game that Wyatt Kaiser will not join the Blackhawks on this trip; Blashill said he was a maybe to join the team at some point. Blashill said Kaiser will practice fully on Thursday, however, so he might be ready to return Friday night against the Canucks — hours after the trade deadline.

• Jeff Marek was in Brantford for their Hall of Fame ceremony on Friday night. His description of Blackhawks prospect Marek Vanacker after watching him for a night: “Really smart player. Good skater, hands. Hawks have a good one.”

• How about a short-handed goal on Saturday night from AJ Spellacy? Talk about shot out of a cannon! He added an assist in the third period; his short-handed goal stood up as the game-winner as well. Spellacy’s hot right now, with two goals and three assists and having won 12 of 24 faceoffs over his past three games.

Saturday night short-handed for #Blackhawks prospect AJ Spellacy for @SpitsHockey

pic.twitter.com/vBb6z5F7q1

— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) March 1, 2026

• Here’s an exciting look at Anton Frondell finishing his 17th goal of the season off a nice power move and collecting his own rebound for the score.

#Blackhawks prospect Anton Frondell follows up on his own rebound for his 17th goal of the season!pic.twitter.com/jRMEFWgWcT

— Talkin’ Hawkey (@TalkinHawkey) February 28, 2026

• In the NCAA on Saturday night, Václav Nestrašil picked up an assist for UMass.

• Here’s a short-handed goal from Julius Sumpf to get Providence on the board.

Here's a look at Sumpf's shorthanded tally, his fourth goal of the season that gave us a lead in the second period.https://t.co/zDd2wXzOq3 x @ESPNPlus https://t.co/BUNqQRDmTT pic.twitter.com/9WqqXFJ5NM

— PC Men's Hockey (@FriarsHockey) March 1, 2026

• Staying with Providence, here’s John Mustard‘s 15th goal of the season from last night. This was the game-winner for the Friars.

Saturday night from #Blackhawks prospect John Mustard for @FriarsHockey

pic.twitter.com/hNQYiLFwmC

— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) March 1, 2026

• Some trade deadline chatter, starting with a report on the Canadiens exploring the market for defensemen from Marco D’Amico at RG Media. Here’s what he said about Montreal potentially having interest in Connor Murphy:

Connor Murphy is another who could make sense, though he may be a little more costly, given his rental status and being in the prime of his career. He eats a lot of minutes for the Chicago Blackhawks and is a prime penalty killer who likes to throw his body.

Murphy is the defenseman I’d be least sure of, as I’ve heard that there is interest in his services from a few contenders.

• That second paragraph is the key: “a few contenders” are interested in Murphy. Again, while lots of fans in Chicago might not understand/appreciate what Murphy brings to the table, a big, physical, strong penalty killing right-handed defenseman as a pure rental — with the Blackhawks being able to retain half of his contract — makes him incredibly attractive when others veteran defensemen on the market still have remaining term on their deals that might limit the market of teams looking for defensemen.

• Frank Seravalli dropped his updated trade target list on Saturday. He has Murphy at No. 8 overall (third-ranked RHD), with fellow Blackhawks Jason Dickinson (No. 17) and Ilya Mikheyev (No. 25) also making the list.

#Canucks Tyler Myers appears to be warming up to a move. Can Vancouver and #TexasHockey make a deal? #FlyTogether also in the mix.

New Top 50 Trade Targets board:https://t.co/QZqrVihzJp

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) February 28, 2026

• And now here’s Taige Harding throwing hands in Rockford last night.

Hershey Bears, meet Taige Harding https://t.co/hfoSAgCJUO pic.twitter.com/iPY26rnh8e

— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) March 1, 2026

• The Los Angeles Kings pushed their chips in before the Olympics, making the big trade to land — and then extend — Artemi Panarin. And then injuries started hammering their roster, starting with Kevin Fiala’s season ending with an injury at the Olympics. On Saturday they found out forward Andrei Kuzmenko is joining the list on IR after having knee surgery. Also on Saturday: they had two scouts watching the Blackhawks and Avalanche…

Forward Andrei Kuzmenko underwent successful surgery to repair a torn meniscus. He has been placed on injured reserve (IR) and is listed as week-to-week.

Additionally, defenseman Angus Booth has been recalled from the @ontarioreign (AHL).

: https://t.co/sBO3Y4PGsK pic.twitter.com/dQ22wfxHmD

— LA Kings PR (@LAKingsPR) February 28, 2026

BLEACHER NATION: Go Ad Free | Subscribe to the BN Newsletter

• Montez Sweat established himself as a steady presence and a leader — what’s next?

• What do we want to see from the Bulls in their final 22 games?

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...more-hurt-kings-and-other-blackhawks-bullets/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Blackhawks 4, Mammoth 0 — Three Stars, Key Takeaways

Desperate for someone other than Connor Bedard to score a goal, the Blackhawks finally got contributions from the rest of the roster on Sunday afternoon.

The Blackhawks had their legs in the first period and were the more aggressive team. They earned three more power plays, and were able to score on the third inside the final minutes of the period. Chicago out-shot Utah 12-8 in the first period and took a one-goal lead to the room, but started the second period on the penalty kill.

The Blackhawks and Mammoth skated to a fairly even second period for about 11 minutes before Chicago’s fourth line doubled and then tripled the lead in less than 90 seconds. Utah pushed back, holding a 4-2 advantage in high danger chances in the second period, but the Blackhawks held their three-goal lead to the intermission.

When Utah got a power play early in the third, there was an all-too familiar “here we go” thought. But the Blackhawks flipped the script and scored a short-handed goal to extend the lead to four. From there, the Blackhawks’ team defense was outstanding. They didn’t allow a second shot on net in the third until 10:57 was off the clock.

Star 1: Teuvo Teräväinen​

Teräväinen benefitted from two great plays by teammates to put two special teams goals on the board. He scored a power play goal in the first, but the play was made by Tyler Bertuzzi. The Blackhawks needed a first period goal and they got one on the power play. When the Blackhawks went short-handed early in the third period, Alex Vlasic did a great job of holding the puck and taking a lap around the offensive zone before setting up Teräväinen for a short-handed goal. He’s the first Blackhawk to have a goal on both special teams since Dec. 23, 2023.

GOAL: Bertuzzi steals and Teravainen scores to grab the first goal! pic.twitter.com/M3V3igE5SX

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) March 1, 2026

GOAL: Teuvo Teravainen's second goal of the game comes shorthanded! pic.twitter.com/sMj7HsUMog

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) March 1, 2026

Star 2: Arvid Söderblom​

The defense in front of him was really good, but the Mammoth are in a playoff spot right now because they’re a strong team. And they pushed back in the second and third period. Söderblom made the saves needed and earned a desperately needed win in a big way. How about his first career shutout on the road!

Star 3: Landon Slaggert​

In a supporting role in which he rarely does much on the scoreboard, Slaggert had another really good game this afternoon after he was a healthy scratch on Saturday night. His pressure behind the Utah net led to the loose puck that became the Blackhawks’ second goal, and he scored the third of the afternoon soon after. At the end of two, Slaggert had skated a team-low 6:22 but had one blocked shot, one hit and was plus-two.

GOAL: Landon Slaggert rips a shot past Vejmelka and the fourth line buries back-to-back goals! pic.twitter.com/AZdCotVK5s

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) March 1, 2026

Key Takeaways​

• Artyom Levshunov had a very good first period. He skated 3:58 at 5-on-5 during which the Blackhawks had a 9-2 shot attempt advantage and a 79.71 expected goals for percentage. He was individually credited with a team-leading three shots on net in the first period; the Blackhawks had 12 as a team.

• By the end of the second period, Levshunov was on the ice for 9:18 at 5-on-5 during which the Blackhawks had a 15-5 shot attempt advantage and 8-3 shots on net advantage. He picked up an assist on Slaggert’s goal. Levshunov has played two really good games in a row after a not-great night in Nashville.

• Here’s Nick Foligno‘s goal from the second period, the 250th of his career:

GOAL: Nick Foligno shows off the hands in tight for his 3rd goal of the season pic.twitter.com/mknip2Ywcy

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) March 1, 2026

• Vlasic played one of his best games of the season today. He was all over the ice and carrying the puck more.

• The Hawks got a 4-on-3 advantage for about 95 seconds in the first period and sent out Bedard, Teräväinen, Foligno and Levshunov. Everyone deferred to Bedard to shoot the puck to the point that nothing happened. Someone has to put the puck on the net if they’re going to have Foligno out there to clean up loose change around the net.

• The Blackhawks had a 12-5 advantage in scoring chances and 6-2 advantage in high danger chances at the end of the first period. It was a solid 20 minutes.

• Frank Nazar, who skated in his 100th career NHL game on Sunday, won 3 of 6 faceoffs in the first period. The rest of the Blackhawks won 0 of 13. Interestingly, Bedard didn’t take a single draw in the first period.

• The Blackhawks won 9 of 21 draws in the second period. Bedard won 4 of 8 and Nazar won the same 3 of 6 he handled in the first to lead the way.

• Thru two periods, Kevin Korchinski had skated only 7:15 (ten shifts). He finished the game skating under 11 minutes.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...khawks-4-mammoth-0-three-stars-key-takeaways/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Good Levshunov, Perfect Arvid, Next Year’s Lineup? New Rink Open, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

Let’s start our Monday with a little love for Arvid Söderblom. The Blackhawks needed him to play a good game in the second half of a back-to-back and he did precisely that, pitching the first shutout of his NHL career against a Utah team that’s probably headed to the postseason. He’s had another up-and-down year, but he got a really good effort from the skaters in front of him and was strong for a full 60 minutes.

Hockey is hockeying for the #Blackhawks this afternoon…

In 4:09 of ice time together at 5-on-5 thru two periods, the line of Slaggert—Moore—Foligno has two shot attempts. A 0.16 expected goals for.

They scored twice in the second period.

— Tab Bamford (@The1Tab) March 1, 2026

• Where the Blackhawks have been hurting in recent games — before and after the break — has been making the little plays that turn into goals for the Hawks and not being in the wrong spot and it ending up in the wrong net. Yesterday we saw a number of small plays make a huge difference. Tyler Bertuzzi on the power play goal. Landon Slaggert before Nick Foligno scored. And Alex Vlasic before the short-handed goal. Depth scoring comes from making small plays when you’re on the ice. And the Blackhawks got that on Sunday.

• Artyom Levshunov got pushed around and taken advantage of by the Nashville Predators in the first game out of the break, but the coaches weren’t down on his performance. Indeed, they pointed to a couple forwards — Frank Nazar and Oliver Moore — prematurely leaving the zone as an issue when Filip Forsberg scored an easy goal off a Levshunov turnover.

• In the two games this weekend, he was noticeably more physical from the jump — and that translated to stronger overall performances. Here’s what Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill said about Levshunov before Sunday’s game:

Blashill on Arty Levshunov's return to the lineup:

"I thought he's played two good games and unfortunately been on the ice for important goals against, one each game… Our job is to judge the process, and I think he's done a pretty good job process-wise."

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) March 1, 2026

• On Sunday, Levshunov was on the ice for 14:10 of 5-on-5 during which the Blackhawks had a 9-5 shots on net advantage and 0.69 expected goals for. I know I keep writing about Levshunov’s ups and downs, but… I told y’all we were going to live thru those back in September. Last night was one of the games that gives you a lot of hope for the future. And it’s why the Blackhawks coaches are focused more on overall process than individual moments. Here’s what Blashill said about Levshunov’s performance on Sunday in Utah:

“All around, he had a good game. He was physical. Again, the package is what’s going to make him a special player. It’s the physicality, the good defense and the ability to move the puck and create some offense. He had a real strong game. He’s come out and played three real solid games. I know he’s had a mistake that’s led to some goals, but overall, I think his play has been good.”

• Levshunov also picked up his 20th assist of the season, tying Doug Wilson (in 1977-78) for the fifth-most assists in a season by a rookie defenseman in Blackhawks history on Sunday. The names ahead of him on that list: Doug Crossman (28 in 1981-82), Brent Seabrook (27 in 2005-06), Keith Magnuson (24 in 1969-70) and Mike O’Connell (22 in 1978-79).

• During the pregame show on Sunday, Frank Seravalli took a crack at projecting the lineup for next year. I’ll let you consider what he put together….

Frank Seravalli projects what the #Blackhawks lineup will look like next season: pic.twitter.com/T9YTQDSZMH

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) March 1, 2026

• Just for the heck of it… here’s my March 2 run at four lines of forwards next year:

Anton Frondell — Connor Bedard — Tyler Bertuzzi
Ryan Greene — Roman Kantserov — Frank Nazar
Teuvo Teräväinen — Oliver Moore — Nick Lardis
Ryan Donato — AJ Spellacy — Landon Slaggert
André Burakovsky?

• In the OHL on Sunday, Jack Pridham had an assist on Kitchener’s first goal of the afternoon. He now has 79 points in 58 games.

• Early Monday morning, the Blackhawks announced the Blackhawks Ice Center, including Centennial Hall (the team’s new Hall of Fame), is officially opens to the public. Here’s a quick video tour of the space. I’ve walked through the building (not the HOF) a few times for practices and it’s absolutely gorgeous!

Check out the brand new additions and renovations at the Blackhawks Ice Center presented by Fifth Third Bank

(courtesy @NHLBlackhawks) pic.twitter.com/1kUALgbcOv

— CHGO Blackhawks (@CHGO_Blackhawks) March 2, 2026

• It’s that time of year that we’re all watching the waiver wire as well. A few interesting names hitting the list on Sunday, most notably Andrew Mangiapane in Edmonton. He has another year left at a $3.6M cap hit. The Oilers had reportedly been shopping him for weeks trying to create some cap flexibility. Will be interesting to see if he clears. And what the Oilers are trying to do clearing some additional cap space.

Waivers today:
Mangiapane & Regula (EDM)
Brisebois (VAN)
Fabbri (STL)
Kunin (FLA)

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 1, 2026

• It’s going to be interesting to see how the next few days play out for the Kings. They fired Jim Hiller on Sunday, a clear indication that the front office isn’t happy with their performance thus far. But… the same front office already traded for Artemi Panarin, a clear sign they’re going for it. Injuries since the Panarin deal have complicated their immediate future. Stay tuned…

• Finally, an interesting note from PuckPedia on Sunday. ELCs that begin next season are now open for business. This becomes important as college seasons come to a close and players become available to NHL teams.

Today is the first day players can sign Entry Level Deals that start next season (26-27).

It’s also the effective date for the CBA change of the ELC max compensation limits being based on contract year, not draft year, and the new higher maximums in the CBA

— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) March 1, 2026

BLEACHER NATION: Go Ad Free | Subscribe to the BN Newsletter

• The Bulls won a game for the first time since… January!

• Justin Steele has been “cleared” by the doctors!

• What are the latest trade rumors on Bears Tyson Bagent, DJ Moore, Tremaine Edmunds?

hey y'all give @realColeBair a follow! he's joining our Cubs coverage at @BleacherNation

— Tab Bamford (@The1Tab) March 1, 2026

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...p-new-rink-open-and-other-blackhawks-bullets/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Blackhawks Trade Connor Murphy to Edmonton (UPDATE: Now Official)

The Blackhawks were off on Monday before facing the Jets on Tuesday evening in Winnipeg. One veteran defenseman won’t be in the lineup for the game — because he’s boarding a jet to Edmonton.

Veteran Connor Murphy, the longest tenured Blackhawks player, has reportedly been traded to the Oilers for Edmonton’s second-round pick in 2028. The Blackhawks are retaining half of Murphy’s $4.4M cap hit in the deal.

thank you for leading by example, Murph pic.twitter.com/s4kgtvgg3D

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 2, 2026

Edmonton GM Stan Bowman obviously acquired Murphy when he was in Chicago. Bowman just maneuvered some roster moves in the past 48 hours to create just enough cap space to accommodate this deal, which is perfectly — and predictably — on brand for Bowman to trade for a guy he’s had before.

With this move, the Blackhawks will have one remaining salary retention spot before Friday afternoon’s trade deadline.

The Blackhawks initially acquired Murphy from the then-Arizona Coyotes with Laurent Dauphin for Niklas Hjalmarsson in 2017. Since then, Murphy has appeared in 547 regular-season games over nine seasons with the Blackhawks.

Murphy was the Blackhawks’ nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for the last five consecutive seasons. The award recognizes leadership on/off the ice and significant humanitarian contributions to the community.

The Blackhawks now have three right-handed defensemen on the NHL roster: Artyom Levshunov, Sam Rinzel and Louis Crevier.

Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Good Asset Management​

I wrote earlier this afternoon about how the defense market is starting to shape up. In recent days, there was increasing talk that there could be more sellers than buyers, which might ultimately deflate the return on some assets as the buyers started checking needs off their lists.

The Blackhawks were able to move Murphy before the likes of Justin Faulk, Rasmus Ristolainen, Dougie Hamilton or others were traded. Heck, they got a deal done before Tyler Myers made a decision on a potential deal that saw him out of the Vancouver lineup over the weekend.

The Blackhawks getting back a second-round pick in 2028 is also smart business. Chicago already owns five picks — two firsts, three seconds — in the first two rounds of the 2026 NHL Draft and owns two picks in the second round in 2027 as well.

The Blackhawks already acquired an additional fourth-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft in the trade that sent goaltender Laurent Brossoit to San Jose earlier this year.

General manager Kyle Davidson has regularly spoken about stacking draft capital into the future so if/when the Blackhawks need to leverage picks to make a move they have enough to do it without stripping the pipeline into the future.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...awks-trade-connor-murphy-to-edmonton-reports/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

So Who’s Killing Penalties Now for the Blackhawks?

The Blackhawks enter Tuesday night’s game in Winnipeg with the No. 1 penalty kill in the NHL at 85.7 percent. For a team with so many young players, that’s a terrific achievement… so far. But a seismic change to that group happened on Monday afternoon.

We all knew the Blackhawks were going to trade Connor Murphy, but now he’s gone with 22 games left in the regular season. He had skated 177:17 short-handed this year, the top total PK ice time among all Blackhawks defensemen.

To date, here’s the total short-handed ice time for remaining right-handed defensemen on the Blackhawks’ roster:

• Louis Crevier — 104:33 in 57 games
• Artyom Levshunov — 16:00 in 55 games
• Sam Rinzel — 9:22 in 32 games

Rinzel has worked some with the second unit in practices since he was recalled, but Crevier is going to see his role elevated even more now that Murphy is gone. It’s going to be interesting to see if that change impacts his 5-on-5 ice time at all.

There will be more questions if/when the Blackhawks trade one/both of Jason Dickinson and Ilya Mikheyev. The Blackhawks have four forwards who have skated more than 100 minutes short-handed this season: Mikheyev, Teuvo Teräväinen, Dickinson and Ryan Greene. We have seen a more steady integration of Landon Slaggert onto the PK in recent weeks, however, and both Oliver Moore and Frank Nazar have killed penalties with at times this season.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...hos-killing-penalties-now-for-the-blackhawks/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Blackhawks 2, Jets 3 (OT) — Three Stars, Key Takeaways

Special teams were the story of the first period for the Blackhawks — good and bad. After their first power play was unfortunately cut short by Sam Rinzel going to the box, Winnipeg took the lead during the 4-on-4 time. Late in the period, Teuvo Teräväinen scored a power play goal to tie the game. The Hawks got four minutes of power play time to end the first period and scored in the first half of the time, so an advantage carried over into the second period.

Connor Bedard had an assist on the first goal of the night and came out of the room absolutely flying to start the second period. If the Jets didn’t have the best goaltender on the planet on the ice, the Blackhawks might have had a four-goal lead in the first half of the period. The Blackhawks out-shot the Jets 10-7 in the second, but the score remained tied thru 40 minutes.

Bedard set up the Blackhawks’ go-ahead goal just 32 seconds into the third period. The Hawks held onto their lead long enough that Connor Hellebuyck went to the Winnipeg bench with 85 seconds left for an extra attacker. Soon after the sixth skater came on for the Jets, Tyler Bertuzzi came up with a huge blocked shot on a hard shot from the point. Unfortunately, the Jets tied the game with 39.6 seconds left in regulation and Mark Scheifele won it in overtime.

Star 1: Connor Bedard​

The only reason Bedard didn’t have more than an assist on the board after two periods was Hellebuyck. He had three scoring chances and two high danger chances in the second period alone. He had an assist on the each of the Blackhawks’ first two goals of the night.

Star 2: Ryan Greene​

Greene was really good on Bedard’s wing again tonight. The two were flying in the second period but couldn’t finish. That changed early in the third when Greene gave the Blackhawks a 2-1 lead.

GOAL: Ryan Greene with a perfect shot off a pass from Connor Bedard. pic.twitter.com/FssMokltSS

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) March 4, 2026

Star 3: Frank Nazar​

Nazar was easily the Blackhawks’ best forward in the first period. He had a team-high four shot attempts and two scoring chances in the first and set up Teräväinen for a power play goal late in the first period. Nazar also blocked one shot and won two of his four faceoffs in the first. Nazar finished the night winning seven of a team-high 14 faceoffs and blocked two shots in 18:30 on the ice.

Key Takeaways​

• Spencer Knight was really good tonight, stopping 29 of 32 in the game. Unfortunately, he needed to hang on for 40 more seconds to get the regulation win.

• Teräväinen has now recorded a point in every game since the Olympics, making his longest point streak of the season (four games). Here’s the game’s first goal.

GOAL: Frank Nazar finds Teuvo Teravainen who buries his 13th of the season. pic.twitter.com/F5HszFwpHD

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) March 4, 2026

• In the first period, Nazar hammered this one-timer off the post off a nice feed from Artyom Levshunov. This won’t go down as a shot on net or a goal, but it’s emblematic of the funk Nazar’s been fighting offensively. He got a breakaway moments later but was stopped by Connor Hellebuyck (who tends to do that… ask Canada).

Fantastic feed from Levshunov to Nazar who rings it off the post pic.twitter.com/zB9Z5JgxmM

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) March 4, 2026

• Levshunov was better once again tonight. He skated 12:17 over the first two periods in which he was credited with two blocked shots and three hits, both tied for the most among Hawks’ defensemen. Importantly, Levshunov stepped into the penalty kill as the second right-handed option for the Hawks. He finished the night skating18:47.

• Rinzel played a really confident game tonight as well. Remember: he missed the last couple games because of illness. He skated the most minutes on the right side of the blue line for the Hawks (thanks, in part, to a few long shifts).

• In the middle of the second period, Rinzel got stuck on the ice for a turnover festival that saw him skate a 2:45 shift during which he got hit hard behind the Hawks’ net a couple times. Brutal to watch him practically praying for a stoppage to get off the ice.

• Welcome back to the NHL, Ethan Del Mastro. He skated 4:52 in the first period and had two shot attempts and one of the Blackhawks’ nine scoring chances in the opening period. He was up to 10:50 thru two periods — more than Kevin Korchinski got in either of his first two games with the Hawks since the Olympics. By the end of regulation, Del Mastro skated 15:07 effectively. He flew to Winnipeg today, so an impressive outing in his return to the NHL.

• Another strong night from Landon Slaggert. He was credited with two shots on net and tied for the team lead with three hits in 11:51 on the ice.

• The Blackhawks’ breakouts were much better tonight. Their speed was clearly a problem early for the Jets.

• I thought André Burakovsky was better tonight.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...awks-2-jets-3-ot-three-stars-key-takeaways-2/