A Last Place Finish, Rumors Buzzing, Prospect Highlights, and Other Blackhawks Bullets
If you watched last night’s All-Star Skills Challenge… I hope you had as much to drink during the event as a few of the players did. It was a long broadcast that didn’t exactly sprint from start to finish. But there were a few fun moments, including Sarah Nurse beating the reigning Vezina winner with “The Forsberg” and Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby setting up Ovi’s son for a goal.
- Did someone need to tell Seth Jones that him finishing dead last in the Hardest Shot Competition isn’t part of tanking? That it doesn’t help the Blackhawks’ draft lottery odds? Because he brought up the rear in the standings when the event concluded.
- Frank Seravalli at The Daily Faceoff dropped his updated Trade Deadline Big Board. On his list, Seravalli has Patrick Kane (4), Jonathan Toews (5), Jake McCabe (6), Sam Lafferty (12), Max Domi (19) and Andreas Athanasiou (32). This is the first time I’ve seen that much “interest” in Lafferty, who has been terrific for the Blackhawks.
- I dropped a poll on Twitter yesterday wondering how many NHL roster players we think the Blackhawks will ultimately trade before the deadline. What do you think? Let me know in the comments below!
- In prospect action, Ryan Greene ripped home his seventh goal of the season for Boston University last night.
- Same team, same game, different Blackhawks prospect. This save by Drew Commesso is holy jumpin’ worthy! WOW!
- How about a four-point night for Kevin Korchinski? The Blackhawks’ top prospect helped Seattle pick up the overtime victory last night and Seattle is officially playoff-bound (already). So Korchinski, Nolan Allan (and maybe/hopefully/it would be great Colton Dach) have punched their tickets.
- Michigan blew Wisconsin out of the water in Ann Arbor last night. When they got to a five-goal lead, they went full savage mode on the poor Badgers. This is top shelf trollage. Love to hear it.
- Well, this story out of Ottawa is escalating quickly. The Senators fired Troy Mann, the head coach of their AHL affiliate, on Thursday. As Claire Hanna pointed out, Troy’s brother, Trent, is an assistant GM with the Senators. And… he’s sharing trade secrets? Wow.
- Former Blackhawk center Dylan Strome got paid. On Friday morning the Caps announced a five-year extension for Strome, who inked just a one-year deal in Washington this summer. Good for him for finding a home in the league.
- Today, I share a birthday with one of the greatest Blackhawks to ever put on the Indian head sweater: Denis Savard. He was one of the dominant offensive players of the 1980s, is among the all-time leaders in almost every offensive category in Blackhawks history and was the first coach of Kane and Toews. Happy birthday indeed, Savvy!
- Finally, the NBA’s Trade Deadline comes well before the NHL’s. And the Bulls have a superstar of their own working the rumor mill right now. Will the Bulls move an A-List star this week?
