Adam Boqvist Revenge Game? Players of the Week, and Other Blackhawks Bullets
It’s been an odd start to the 2022 year for the Blackhawks. They were skunked in their first four games of the new year, including a 6-4 loss to the Arizona Coyotes. They snapped their losing streak by beating the Golden Knights, holding them to just one goal in that game. Now they close a three-game road trip by heading to Columbus, where Seth Jones and Adam Boqvist will face their respective former teams.
• You know, for as high as expectations were for Adam Boqvist to begin his career in Chicago, he was starting to be on his way to reaching them when he was traded to the Blue Jackets as part of the Seth Jones blockbuster deal.
Well this is a weird sight: pic.twitter.com/aeP6jM9fIr
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) January 10, 2022
• That trade, whether Seth Jones lives up to his end of the deal or not, was a net-loss for the Blackhawks, given what the Blue Jackets turned Jones into. Boqvist is playing well; Cole Sillinger is playing well as an 18-year-old in the NHL; they nabbed Jake Bean in the process and still hold either the 2022 or 2023 first-round pick from the Blackhawks, which looks like it will be in the lottery range no matter what year it happens to be in.
It doesn't matter that Seth Jones has been great this season.
It won't matter who wins tomorrow's game, either.
The Blue Jackets won the trade. The Blackhawks lost. That was clear July 23, that is clear today, and that will always be clear.
New column: https://t.co/dpDD6UlBVa
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) January 11, 2022
• Speaking of the trade, Boqvist was told it wouldn’t involve him. But then it did.
Adam Boqvist Was Told He Wouldn’t Be Traded … Before Being Tradedhttps://t.co/jPUCRmIBMu pic.twitter.com/B34ktO6G8p
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) January 10, 2022
•. Consider me shocked that Stan Bowman lied to one of his players. Boqvist succeeding in Columbus makes me feel better, knowing this tidbit about the trade.
• With seven goals this season, Boqvist has more tallies than any Blackhawks defenseman. Chicago blue-liners have scored 11 goals this season, coming from six goal-scorers. Colorado’s Cale Makar has 15 goals this season. So yeah, The Blackhawks are lacking in that department.
#Avs Cale Makar has 15 goals. Teams with fewer goals from their defencemen this season:
Oilers
Canadiens
Blackhawks
Flyers
Maple Leafs
Jets
Flames
Stars
Red Wings
Kings
Penguins
Islanders
Senators
Canucks pic.twitter.com/8ZAF6Jec6U— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) January 10, 2022
• At least they aren’t alone in this ridiculous stat.
• Also, the NHL’s Black Hockey History Tour hits Columbus starting today.
The @NHL's Black Hockey History Tour has arrived in Columbus!
Join us tomorrow as we celebrate the founders, trail blazers and future stars in Black hockey history! pic.twitter.com/zlcrsBpLL6
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) January 10, 2022
•. If you happen to be in the area for the game tonight, this exhibit is free and open from 2-7 p.m. local time. It looks amazing, and you can find the tour schedule here.
• Good news in net for the Blackhawks as Kevin Lankinen is out of COVID protocol.
Kevin Lankinen is Out of Blackhawks COVID Protocolhttps://t.co/SvwRqPVboD
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) January 10, 2022
• He won’t be with the club tonight, but it will be good for Chicago to get their regular tandem of Lankinen and Marc-André Fleury back together.
• It was a pretty decent weekend for Blackhawks prospects. First, in the AHL, rookie Lukas Reichel was named the AHL’s Player of the Week with three goals and three assists in two games over the weekend.
IceHogs Rookie Lukas Reichel is the AHL Player of the Week! https://t.co/SDOF09EOlE pic.twitter.com/9f6OqYOqOW
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) January 10, 2022
• That boy is good.
• Also earning Player of the Week honors from the weekend was goaltending prospect Dominic Basse with Colorado College.
And finally, the @TheNCHC Goalie of the Week is Dominic Basse, who turned away 50 shots last weekend and helped the Tigers kill 9 of 10 penalties in the sweep at Miami!#CCTigers pic.twitter.com/IrsBS6Sdyu
— CC Hockey (@CCTigerHKY) January 10, 2022
• Basse won both games in a weekend sweep for Colorado College over Miami (OH). He is 6-8-2 this season with a .906 save percentage and a 2.51 GAA.
• Other goalie news today, Boston’s Tuukka Rask has been released from his PTO with the Providence Bruins in the AHL, and it looks like his return to the Bruins in the NHL is coming soon.
Tuukka Rask is released from his PTO.
Agent Markus Lehto on Rask's pending NHL contract: "Soon."
— Fluto Shinzawa (@FlutoShinzawa) January 11, 2022
• Rask did not play a game with Providence but was back on the ice after having hip surgery this summer and spending the past few months as a free agent.
• While Rask is returning to the Bruins soon, the Rangers also had a top player return this week as Artemiy Panarin was taken off COVID protocol and returned to the team in LA last night. But he wasn’t only taken off of COVID protocol. He was also taken off the team’s group chat…
Bread was asked if the boys knew he was coming to LA.
He said he doesn’t know because he has a Nokia so he’s not in the group chat anymore.
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 9, 2022
• Raise your hand if you knew that Nokia still made functioning phones…you’re lying.
• That will do it for today. I hope you all enjoy your Tuesday!
• We will see you tonight for Blackhawks-Blue Jackets at 6:00 p.m. CT.
