- Sportsnet senior columnist Mark Spector reports that Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Jake McCabe has listed the Edmonton Oilers on the latest no-trade list he’s submitted. McCabe is one of the top defense targets available at the deadline, save for Jakob Chychrun and Vladislav Gavrikov, and he has a seven-team no-trade list as part of his four-year, $16MM contract with Chicago. One of the better defensive blueliners in the league, McCabe’s value is increased by his cost certainty — he’s only in year two of his contract, meaning he’s set at a $4MM cap hit through 2025. The 29-year-old veteran of nearly 500 NHL games has two goals and 17 assists in 53 games with Chicago this year.
Blackhawks Rumors
Latest On Patrick Kane
- As relayed by NBC Sports’ Charlie Roumeliotis, Chicago Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson gave an update on the team’s situation with top trade candidate Patrick Kane. Davidson said that he is in “constant contact” with Kane’s representatives, but hasn’t yet heard a decision on whether Kane wants to be dealt and is willing to waive his trade protection. While Kane has had some health issues and scored less than he’d likely have hoped he would, his decision on a trade is still one of massive importance, as Kane is likely at or near the top of quite a few contending teams’ trade deadline wishlists.
MacKenzie Entwistle Placed On Injured Reserve
The Chicago Blackhawks have made a couple of announcements this morning, moving Mackenzie Entwistle to injured reserve retroactive to February 14 and revealing that Reese Johnson has been put in the concussion protocol.
Entwistle, 23, has been out for the past week with a wrist injury but was skating on his own before the rest of the Blackhawks hit the ice this morning. The young winger has collected seven points in 46 games, while racking up 88 hits in a depth role. There will likely be plenty of opportunity for players like him down the stretch if Chicago decides to sell several veteran forwards. Still, he’ll have to be healthy enough to take advantage.
Johnson, meanwhile, is in a similar situation as a depth forward on the NHL roster. The 24-year-old has six points in 46 games and leads the club with 142 hits. On Sunday against Toronto, he played over 11 minutes and recorded six hits, three blocks, and a shot on goal. It is unclear how long he’ll be out, but it seems likely that a recall is coming because of the Entwistle IR designation.
The Blackhawks play at home tonight against the Vegas Golden Knights before traveling to Dallas, San Jose, Anaheim, and Arizona on a long road trip.
Alex Stalock Close To Return
Alex Stalock is practicing with the Blackhawks again, and the team hopes he’ll join their upcoming four-game road trip. As reported by Charlie Roumeliotis of NBCS Chicago, Stalock is returning from ocular dysfunction that has kept him out of the lineup since January 14th.
Although Stalock’s steady presence in the crease would be a boon for most teams in the Blackhawks position this season, it likely spells a return to the minors for Blackhawks’ goalie Jaxson Stauber. In his five starts since Stalock’s injury, Stauber has accrued four wins, including a 32-save win against the Maple Leafs on Sunday night. Stalock will now take over in net for the struggling Blackhawks with a 6-6 record with a .918 SV% this season.
Chicago Blackhawks Will Not Trade Jonathan Toews Before Deadline
One of the biggest names many have speculated would be dealt this trade deadline season has just been taken off the board. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that the Blackhawks and captain Jonathan Toews have “made a joint decision as he needs more time to recover from his latest illness,” and that he “will not be moved prior to the NHL trade deadline.”
Seravalli adds that “there does not appear to be any major long-term health concerns,” and that it’s possible Toews returns to the ice in March. But he noted that “out of fairness to other teams, Toews felt his body was not cooperating to compete at a high level right now,” getting in the way of any possible trade to another club.
Toews confirmed the news in a statement. So as to not attempt to summarize the complex nature of Toews’ health status, here is his statement in full:
First of all, thank you to the fans and all those who have shown concern about my absence. I’m still dealing with the symptoms of Long COVID and Chronic Immune Response Syndrome.
It has been really challenging to play through these symptoms. In the last few weeks, it has reached the point where I had no choice but to step back and concentrate on getting healthy. I am thankful for the patience and support of my teammates, the coaching staff, and the entire Blackhawks organization.
While the lack of depth in this season’s trade market at the center position means that this development has a significant ripple effect across the league, the most important aspect of this announcement is Toews’ own health.
While has described medical issues that have impacted his ability to get on the ice, those same issues can also impact his day-to-day life away from the rink.
Ensuring he is taking all the necessary time away and devoting all the focus he needs to get his personal health in order seems to be Toews’ top priority.
In June 2021, Toews opened up about his health to The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus, detailing the confusion and frustration he dealt with away from the ice. (subscription link)
With this relatively small glimpse into what Toews has been battling with, Toews’ on-ice performance becomes all the more impressive.
Meeting the physical rigors of NHL hockey alone is an achievement for any athlete, and the fact that Toews has been a quietly productive member of a weak Blackhawks squad is extremely impressive given these circumstances.
While Toews’ on-ice future remains unclear, Seravalli did state the possibility that he could return to the ice as soon as in March. But given all that Toews has sacrificed and accomplished for the Blackhawks organization in his run of over 1,000 games for the franchise, it seems very likely that the Blackhawks will afford Toews all the time and freedom he needs to get his body in order, before even considering a return to the lineup.
What this means for the NHL more broadly is significant. The trade market for centers was already precariously thin, and after the trade of Ryan O’Reilly to Toronto Toews was poised to be the highest-quality player on the market. Now, with him on the board, teams in need of help down the middle will likely be hard-pressed to find a quality center other teams would be willing to deal.
With Toews now off the trade market, teammate Max Domi or injured Montreal Canadiens forward Sean Monahan could be the top options available for any team seeking to add a pivot before March 3rd, unless a team manages to pry a less obvious trade candidate away from his current team.
Pictures courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Jonathan Toews Placed On Injured Reserve
The Chicago Blackhawks have completed a number of transactions ahead of their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight. Cole Guttman, Brett Seney, and Isaak Phillips have been recalled from the AHL. To make room, Jarred Tinordi, Jonathan Toews, and Alex Stalock are all going on injured reserve.
Toews is certainly the biggest name among that group, especially as the trade deadline nears. His mysterious illness has kept him away from the team for more than a week, and he has not played since the end of January. Given how long he’s been out, Toews will be able to be activated as soon as he’s healthy, but there’s no clear timeline on that at this point.
Stalock, meanwhile is dealing with “ocular dysfunction,” as it was recently revealed that it is not a concussion keeping him sidelined. He is dealing a “cranial thing” affecting his eyesight and ability to track the puck, according to head coach Luke Richardson yesterday.
Tinordi is out with a knee sprain suffered last night against the Montreal Canadiens and will have to miss at least a week after landing on injured reserve.
Notably, this is Guttman’s first NHL recall, after joining the program last summer as a college free agent. The 23-year-old forward has been good in his first year of pro hockey, scoring 16 goals and 30 points in 39 games. Undersized, he will try to prove that his height won’t stop him from contributing at the highest level.
Injury Notes: Pageau, Tinordi, Faber
The New York Islanders are without one of their best depth pieces tonight against the Ottawa Senators. Jean-Gabriel Pageau is out for tonight’s game against his former team with an upper-body injury and is day-to-day, per the team.
Pageau sustained the injury at practice yesterday, says Stefen Rosner of NYI Hockey Now. Reportedly, Pageau was “clipped” during a drill and was slow to get up, yet stayed on the ice for the remainder of practice. The 30-year-old center has 10 goals and 29 points in 56 games this season. This is his first absence of the 2022-23 campaign.
- Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Jarred Tinordi is out for the remainder of tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens with an undisclosed injury, the team said. The Chicago Sun-Times’ Ben Pope notes that Tinordi had fallen awkwardly on a shift in the first period. Tinordi, 30, was claimed on waivers by the Blackhawks at the beginning of the season and has suited up in 26 games, recording five points.
- One of the best prospects in hockey on one of the best teams in college hockey is out long-term. The Athletic’s Michael Russo agreed with reports today that Minnesota Wild defense prospect and University of Minnesota captain Brock Faber is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Acquired from the Los Angeles Kings in the Kevin Fiala trade, Faber has 20 points in 30 games with Minnesota this year after representing the United States at the Olympics and World Junior Championships last season.
More Teams Showing Interest In Patrick Kane
With Vladimir Tarasenko now off the market following his trade earlier this week, Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane is starting to generate more attention. Earlier this week, he was linked to the Stars and the Rangers (with New York likely out of the picture now following the Tarasenko deal). Three more teams have been added to that mix as Scott Powers and Mark Lazerus of The Athletic report (subscription link) that the Hurricanes, Wild, and Golden Knights have confirmed interest in the veteran.
Of course, it must also be noted that Kane might not necessarily have interest in any of those teams. The 34-year-old has a full no-move clause in his deal and if he decides that he’s willing to waive it, it’s expected that the shortlist of options he’d provide Chicago with would be quite small, not unlike what happened with Claude Giroux last season when he okayed a trade from Philadelphia.
Carolina, Minnesota, and Vegas all have a fair amount of cap space which presents an opportunity where they might not need a third team to be involved to retain an extra 25% of the $10.5MM contract, assuming Chicago retains 50% as expected. For the Hurricanes, Max Pacioretty’s season-ending Achilles injury opened up $7MM in LTIR room while the Golden Knights have plenty of room (at least for the time being) with Mark Stone and his $9.5MM eligible for LTIR; he hasn’t been placed there just yet. Meanwhile, Minnesota has banked enough cap space (per CapFriendly) that they could absorb Kane’s contract outright.
What’s notable about these suitors – including Dallas from earlier – is that all of them project to be short-term options only for Kane. With their existing commitments for next season, there’s basically no way they could afford the 16-year veteran at market value. Would Kane want to go somewhere as a strict rental and then hit the open market in July or might his preference be to land with a team that has the intention to keep him for 2023-24 and beyond? That will certainly be a question he ponders over the next couple of weeks before notifying Chicago of his intentions.
Latest On Jake McCabe
Defensive defensemen with a top-four pedigree are always a hot commodity around the trade deadline. That hasn’t changed this year, as names like Columbus’ Vladislav Gavrikov expect to generate significant returns as March 3 approaches.
Another name in that conversation is Chicago Blackhawks defender Jake McCabe. Last month, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported that McCabe was drawing interest from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Today, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic added to McCabe’s interest, noting that “multiple contenders” are interested and Chicago’s asking price revolves around a first-round pick, especially if they’re asked to retain salary.
Also driving McCabe’s value is his contract. He’s cost-controlled and signed for two more seasons at a cap hit of $4MM. Based on recent quotes from Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas, that type of player is one for whom they’d be willing to part with a valuable asset. Dubas said earlier in the week that he’s hesitant to part with a first-round pick or a top prospect for a player on an expiring contract.
However, Toronto already has a group of six quality defensemen, and it’s unclear how McCabe would fit into the team’s roster. While Justin Holl is a pending unrestricted free agent, the team signed Conor Timmins to a contract extension earlier this week and has six NHL defensemen locked in for next season.
It shouldn’t diminish McCabe’s value, though. A first-round pick may be a steep asking price, but it could be worth it for a team on the precipice of winning a Stanley Cup. McCabe has continued to post strong advanced defensive metrics this season, even on a hapless Blackhawks team. He’s not a complete offensive liability either and has years of experience playing a top-four role.
McCabe has 15 points in 47 games this season, averaging 19:25 per game.
Jonathan Toews To Miss Two More Games
- The Blackhawks will likely be without center Jonathan Toews for their next two games, relays Scott Powers of The Athletic (Twitter link). Chicago’s captain missed Tuesday’s game due to illness and while he returned to the gym today, head coach Luke Richardson indicated that the veteran likely won’t be recovered enough to play through the weekend. Toews, a speculative candidate to be moved by March 3rd if he’s willing to waive his trade protection, sits third on the team in scoring with 14 goals and 14 assists in 46 games so far this season.