- While Connor Bedard has been holding out hope that he could return earlier than expected, Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson poured cold water on that idea today. He told reporters, including Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link) that the rookie center’s return is unlikely to come before the original six-week mark. Despite missing more than a month now, Bedard still leads all rookies in points with 33 in just 39 games.
Blackhawks Rumors
Blackhawks Activate Tyler Johnson, Recall Louis Crevier
Tracey Myers of NHL.com is reporting that the Chicago Blackhawks have made a pair of roster moves today activating forward Tyler Johnson off the injured reserve and recalling defenseman Louis Crevier from the Rockford IceHogs.
Johnson had been sidelined with a right foot injury since December 31st and will presumably slide into the Blackhawks’ third line alongside Lukas Reichel and Mackenzie Entwistle. Given the Blackhawks forward personnel, the 33-year-old Johnson will also likely see time on Chicago’s first powerplay unit.
Early in his career, Johnson was a perennial 20-goal scorer but hasn’t hit that mark since the 2018-19 season. This year Johnson has nine goals and four assists in 35 games and could become a trade chip for Chicago as we near the NHL trade deadline. Johnson is in the last year of his contract and carries a $5MM cap hit, and while he does have a 20-team trade list there could be interest in the veteran as a buy-low option if he can show he still has his scoring touch.
Crevier on the other hand, has dressed in 15 games this season for Chicago and has three assists. He will likely serve as the Blackhawks’ healthy scratch tonight against the Minnesota Wild but could see action at some point during his recall. The 22-year-old has yet to score a goal in professional hockey at either the AHL or NHL level but does offer some other attributes that aren’t often seen in professional hockey. Standing 6’8” tall, Crevier is very solid in the defensive zone as his size allows him to disrupt offensive sequences and close gaps that smaller players might not be able to.
Chicago Set To Host St. Louis In 2025 Winter Classic
The Chicago Blackhawks are set for a rematch in the 2025 Winter Classic, taking on the St. Louis Blues at Wrigley Field per team reporter Ben Pope with the Chicago Suntimes. This will be a reliving of the 2017 Winter Classic which saw St. Louis topple Chicago 4-1 at Busch Stadium, the home to the MLB’s St. Louis Cardinals. They’ll now move to the home of the Chicago Cubs, effectively embracing the thick rivalries between the two cities.
This announcement will, above all else, provide future NHL star Connor Bedard with the first outdoor game of his NHL career. The top overall selection in last year’s draft is no stranger to outdoor games, with the WHL’s Regina Pats routinely hosting outdoor events like the Hockey Night on Wascana. But he will need to make sure he’s used to the setting if he plans to stay in Chicago. The 2025 Winter Classic will mark the fifth time that Chicago has played in the event. Couple that with two stadium series appearances, and the Blackhawks will take the lead for most outdoor games of any NHL club when they take the ice at Wrigley Field next year. Chicago will be beating out the Pittsburgh Penguins, who have seen three Winter Classics and three Stadium Series games.
This news also sets up Wrigley Field to become just the second venue to host two Winter Classics – fittingly sharing the title with Boston’s Fenway Park. The Blackhawks will hope for a better outcome than their last game at Wrigley, which ended in a 6-4 defeat at the hands of Jiri Hudler and the Detroit Red Wings.
Multiple Blackhawks Back At Practice
Returning to practice after the All-Star break, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times issued updates on several injured members of the Chicago Blackhawks. Pope reports that Connor Bedard and Anthony Beauvillier were both present in non-contact jerseys, while Connor Murphy only skated for the first half of practice.
Heavily impacted by injuries this season, the Blackhawks have lost a total of 228 man games to injury this year, placing them second in the league in the category behind the Vegas Golden Knights. Although Chicago had no plans on contending this season, the slate of injuries has completely prohibited the team from taking any noticeable step forward in their rebuilding process.
Nevertheless, the organization must get Bedard back into action as quickly and safely as possible. While missing the last four weeks with a broken jaw, Bedard continues to lead the Blackhawks in scoring, setting the team lead with 15 goals and 33 points in 39 games.
Central Notes: Lucchini, Brodin, Johnson
After sending him down at the beginning of the All-Star break, the Wild recalled forward Jake Lucchini from AHL Iowa on Monday, per The Athletic’s Michael Russo. The move gives them a 12th healthy forward for Wednesday’s game against the Blackhawks. Pat Maroon, Connor Dewar and Vinni Lettieri remain on injured reserve and are not expected to be available.
Lucchini, 28, has yet to record a point in eight games with the Wild, averaging 8:21 per contest and posting a -1 rating. It’s been a much better showing in the minors for the veteran depth forward, who ranks among Iowa’s best point-per-game producers with 11 goals and 23 points in 30 appearances.
He’s dangerously close to losing his temporary waiver exemption after passing through unclaimed during training camp. If he plays in two more contests, a likely scenario given the Wild’s injury situation, he’ll need waivers once again to head to Iowa.
Notably, the Wild did not recall top goaltending prospect Jesper Wallstedt today. He’d been on the active roster leading into the All-Star break with Marc-André Fleury on the shelf with an upper-body injury, meaning the veteran is likely ready to dress against his former team later this week. Wallstedt allowed seven goals on 34 shots in his lone NHL appearance this season.
Elsewhere from the Central Division:
- Sticking with Minnesota, top shutdown blue-liner Jonas Brodin was absent from today’s practice with an illness, according to Russo. The 30-year-old had three assists in his last four games heading into the All-Star break, and his status for Wednesday is unknown. The 12-year veteran missed 17 games earlier this season with an upper-body injury, putting immense pressure on rookie Brock Faber to shoulder all-situations responsibilities in his first NHL campaign. Faber’s done so well, leading Wild defenders in points (29) and average ice time (24:51). Brodin has one goal through his 32 showings this year and is second behind Faber in ice time, averaging 23:42 per game.
- Blackhawks veteran Tyler Johnson is expected to return to the lineup against the Wild on Wednesday, head coach Luke Richardson said (via NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis). The 33-year-old missed all of Chicago’s 14 games in January with a foot fracture sustained on New Year’s Eve against the Stars. His pending IR activation brings Chicago’s injured forwards count to four, and he’s expected to resume a top-six role in his return in the continued absence of rookie Connor Bedard due to a broken jaw. The pending UFA has nine goals, 13 points, and a -15 rating in 35 contests.
Trade Deadline Primer: Chicago Blackhawks
With the All-Star break approaching, the trade deadline looms large and is about a month and a half away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Chicago Blackhawks.
After completely tearing down the team over the last several years, there was no question that the Blackhawks would be one of the lower-tier teams entering this season. After drafting Connor Bedard with the first overall selection last summer, the team attempted to put veteran players such as Taylor Hall, Nick Foligno, and Corey Perry around the young phenom to help his transition into the NHL; but even that plan has not entirely gone to plan. Outside of injury, Bedard has been exactly as advertised for Chicago, but a slew of injuries has prohibited the organization from taking any noticeable steps forward this season.
Record
14-34-2, 8th in the Central
Deadline Status
Seller
Deadline Cap Space
$41.8MM on deadline day, 1/3 retention slots used, 45/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2024: CHI 1st, TB 1st*, CHI 2nd, VAN 2nd, LA 2nd, CHI 3rd, OTT 3rd, CHI 6th
2025: CHI 1st, TOR 1st**, CHI 2nd, DAL 2nd, CHI 3rd***, CHI 4th, NYR 4th, CHI 5th***, CHI 6th, CHI 7th
* If the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 2024 first-round pick falls within the top 10, they will not need to move the draft pick to the Blackhawks.
** If the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 2025 first-round pick falls within the top 10, they will not need to move the draft pick to the Blackhawks.
*** If Jake McCabe plays in less than 50% of Toronto’s 2023 Playoff games OR less than 25% of Toronto’s 2023-24 regular season games, Chicago will transfer their 2025 3rd round pick instead of their 2025 5th round pick.
Trade Chips
Chicago has already taken several trade chips off the board, signing Jason Dickinson, Petr Mrazek, and Foligno each to two-year extensions. The team may look to peddle veteran forwards such as Tyler Johnson and Anthony Beauvillier; but with both currently on the team’s injured reserve, the Blackhawks could be very limited in what they can move this trade deadline season.
If the team does end up trading any of their pending unrestricted or restricted free agents, they will most certainly need to retain salary in any move considering the team is currently only $5.3MM above the salary cap floor. With $29MM currently on the team’s injured reserve, one of the biggest trade chips Chicago has to offer is their available cap space and roster space.
Outside of Beauvillier and Johnson, the Blackhawks simply do not have that much to offer teams outside of cap space at this year’s deadline. With one sizeable trade already out of the way with Elias Lindholm heading to the Vancouver Canucks, look for Chicago to be a salary broker in any future trade involving a cash-strapped buyer in the future.
Team Needs
1) Star Next To Bedard: With Bedard already penciled into the Blackhawks’ long-term plans, it is now time to find another player that he can rely on for much of his career. Nearly a month ago, Chicago missed out on budding star Cutter Gauthier, whom the Philadelphia Flyers moved to the Anaheim Ducks. While no other players similar to Gauthier have been brought up in any trade conversation; he is the right kind of player that Chicago should be targeting if any become available at the deadline. Nevertheless, with having the projected number one overall selection for the second year in a row, the Blackhawks could certainly fill this void with Macklin Celebrini in the upcoming draft.
2) Thin Out The Herd: By design, Chicago has 11 players set to hit unrestricted free agency this summer, while a whopping 14 players will become restricted free agents. Appearing to be somewhat of a crossroads for the franchise, the organization will have to determine which players are worth investing in for the future of the franchise. As things currently stand, Chicago has a roster full of bubble players, and more ice time will have to be allocated to players that the team is convinced should be around for the future. Without any chance of competing for this year’s playoffs, the Blackhawks simply have nothing to lose by giving unofficial tryouts to several of these bubble players throughout the last stretch of the season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Deadline Extended For Perry To File Grievance Against Blackhawks
- The NHLPA has extended the deadline for Corey Perry to file for grievance against the Chicago Blackhawks according to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times. The original deadline was January 27th, a full 60 days after his contract was originally terminated by the Blackhawks on November 28th, 2023. Perry believes that Chicago did not have proper grounds to terminate his previous contract, while Commissioner Gary Bettman does not have any issue with how the situation was handled by the Blackhawks.
[SOURCE LINK]
Oliver Moore Unlikely To Turn Pro After College Season Ends
It has been a successful freshman campaign for Blackhawks prospect Oliver Moore. The 19th overall pick last June is averaging just shy of a point-per-game this season through 26 appearances with the University of Minnesota, leading some to wonder if he might be a one-and-done player. However, Scott Powers of The Athletic notes (subscription link) that Chicago is expecting the 19-year-old to remain with the Golden Gophers and return for his sophomore season instead of turning pro at the end of the college campaign like Frank Nazar is expected to do. The Blackhawks have plenty of time to work out a contract with Moore when the time is right; they hold his exclusive rights through August 15, 2027.
Blackhawks Have Interest in Andrei Kuzmenko
Scott Billeck of The Winnipeg Sun speculated today about what the Winnipeg Jets might do with their available extra roster spot. The Jets currently sit third in the Central Division with a 30-12-5 record and could be looking to make a big swing at the upcoming NHL trade deadline.
The Jets will need a roster spot to activate center Mark Scheifele off the injured reserve but have some other roster moves they could make including waiving Dominic Toninato or Axel Jonsson-Fjallby and sending them down to the Manitoba Moose. Billick wonders if the Jets might opt to do that and call up Ville Heinola so the team can have eight available NHL defensemen.
He also wondered if the Jets might offer up Heinola in a trade if they are looking to make a bigger move at this year’s trade deadline.
In other Central Division notes:
- Elliotte Friedman mentioned on his 32 Thoughts podcast that St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong has made several players available on the NHL trade market but hasn’t been able to generate much in the way of interest. There is one player that Friedman believes that the Blues could trade easily and that is forward Pavel Buchnevich. Friedman adds that moving the 28-year-old would be a pretty easy trade to make which indicates to Friedman that the Blues likely aren’t interested in moving on from him. Buchnevich is having a terrific year in St. Louis with 17 goals and 22 assists in 46 games while averaging almost 20 minutes a night in ice time.
- Elliotte Friedman indicated on his 32 Thoughts podcast that the Chicago Blackhawks had kicked the tires on Vancouver Canucks forward Andrei Kuzmenko. A potential trade makes sense from both sides given that the Blackhawks are in desperate need of scoring and the Canucks need to move out some salary. Kuzmenko would be a bounce-back candidate for the Blackhawks if they were able to facilitate a move as he had 74 points in 81 games last season but has struggled this year with just eight goals and 13 assists in 43 games. Kuzmenko has a year left on his contract after this season at $5.5MM meaning that the Blackhawks would be acquiring a player they could move at next year’s deadline as a rental if he isn’t a fit with their core.
Slaggert Intends To Sign With Blackhawks After The NCAA Season
- Last summer, Blackhawks prospect Landon Slaggert declined an offer to turn pro, raising some concerns that he could opt for free agency this coming summer. However, the forward told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that he intends to sign with Chicago once his season with Notre Dame comes to an end. The 21-year-old was a third-round pick in 2020 and is faring much better offensively this season with 25 points in 26 games after putting up just 13 in 35 appearances in 2022-23.