Below is the GameScore Impact Card for the Blackhawks’ loss on Monday night. You’ll find at the very bottom a line that’s dramatically worse than anyone else on the roster. TJ Brodie had a tough night. Again.
I know he got a two-year deal. And I know I did my best to justify the deal by considering the organ-I-zation was looking for a left-handed defenseman who could play the right side in case they needed one of Wyatt Kaiser/Nolan Allan/Ethan Del Mastro to do that (before Louis Crevier earned a spot in the lineup as a RHD every night) and were looking for a veteran to show the ropes, but… it’s bad. It’s been bad. I’ve been saying this for a while — I started on Oct. 9 and doubled down on Oct. 26 — but we’re now at a point where there’s really no good excuse any more.
If the Blackhawks are going to sit Philipp Kurashev and (when healthy) Craig Smith or Pat Maroon so Frank Nazar and Colton Dach can skate, there’s no longer wiggle room for keeping Brodie in and one of Kaiser or Allan in the press box.
Since everyone loves a good buyout — and Brodie’s name comes up in that context frequently — I wandered over to CapWages.com to see what that would mean for the Blackhawks. The answer: not much.
- I will note again here that, even with him being a healthy scratch in the last couple games, Allan still ranks second among all NHL rookie defensemen in games played, assists and points. Allan ranks first among all NHL rookie defensemen in hits (52) and he’s second in blocked shots (38).
- Meanwhile, Crevier ranks third in hits (37) and is tied for fifth in blocked shots (29) among rookie defensemen. His two goals are tied for third; the co-leaders have three.
- Since we’re talking about young defensemen, I love the Alex Vlasic — Jaccob Slavin comp from Ben Pope here.
- The Blackhawks were off yesterday so we’ll find out around the time they take the ice today (11 AM) if there’s an update on Jason Dickinson, Pat Maroon and Teuvo Terรคvรคinen. Maroon was a scratch from the game on Monday night (back) while Dickinson and Terรคvรคinen got banged up during the game.
- There was only one game in the OHL last night but Blackhawks prospect Jack Pridham made an impact for Kitchener against London. He had an assist on the Rangers’ first goal of the night and scored a go-ahead power play goal (below) late in the second.
PRIDHAM'S POWERPLAY SNIPE🤩🙌@NHLBlackhawks 2024 #NHLDraft pick Jack Pridham snipes one on the powerplay to give @OHLRangers back their lead heading into the third!🔴🔵#OHL | @CHLHockey | #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/wgQbxCNuE0— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) January 22, 2025
- The Blackhawks reportedly had a scout at the Red Wings — Flyers game last night. Take that as you wish… I will say neither of those teams has had scout(s) in Chicago recently.
- If you’re talking about who the Blackhawks might trade before the deadline, one name that shouldn’t come up is Tyler Bertuzzi. He’s in the first year of a four-year deal and is playing well on the wing of the future of the franchise. Unless he has specifically asked out (which there has been zero indication of at any point) there’s no reason to include Bertuzzi’s name in any trade target conversation… unless the extent of your homework is looking at the top goal scorers on the roster.
- Harman Dayal and Chris Johnston at The Athletic looked at ten players who might be “don’t let the door hit you on the way out” trade candidates before the deadline. It’s an interesting read for a couple reasons. First, many of the players are on potential playoff teams (read: they have needs and players they want to get rid of). Second, the piece opens talking about the situation with Kurashev in Chicago.
- Good reporting here from Utah, where apparently there’s been some pushback on their trademark application for Yeti/Yetis as a team name. How about the Utah Squatch?
- Canada’s all sorts of mad about Connor McDavid getting suspended for a cheap shot to the face of an opponent. The Oilers released a statement disagreeing with the NHL’s ruling (that’s neat coming from the people who pay Evander Kane) and the local media asked… wait for it… Corey Perry what he thought about the suspension. Because when I need an opinion on questionable conduct, the subject matter expert I would immediately seek is Corey ****ing Perry.
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- Three all-time greats were announced as this year’s induction class for the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- New Bears head coach Ben Johnson gave his first speech at Halas Hall.
- Elias had a little fun with the trade machine.