First off today, happy birthday to Savoir-Faire, Denis Savard. Savvy turns 64 today. His 1,096 for the Blackhawks still rank fourth in the history of the organ-I-zation, trailing only Stan Mikita (1,467), Patrick Kane (1,225) and Bobby Hull (1,153). I will note that his long-time winger, Steve Larmer, still ranks fifth (923). That duo, with Al Secord on the other wing, was dynamite in the 1980s and a big reason why I fell in love with the game.
Savard’s 377 career goals for the Blackhawks still rank fifth all-time. Jonathan Toews needs five to tie him (I’m going to leave that active tense because we can all dream, right?). He’s one of only six players to score at least 100 power play goals for the Blackhawks and he’s one of only two — with Mikita — to record at least 400 career power play points for the Blackhawks.
An all-time great who made the spin-o-rama sexy, the Montreal Canadiens infamously passed on the local legend in the 1980 draft but came back to get him via trade — straight up for Chris Chelios — years later. Savard would come back and finish his playing career with the Blackhawks and then served as the first NHL head coach in the careers of Kane and Toews. Happy birthday, Savvy! (He’s got me by exactly 19 years.)
- The AHL All-Star Challenge was last night and Kevin Korchinski was named the Most Valuable Player! In the 3-on-3 format, his skating and offensive skills were on display all night (check this goal he scored). Congrats to Kevin! Great showing.
The stickhandling is on fire from Kevin Korchinski (@goicehogs )!
Central leads the Atlantic, 2-0, in game two of the 2025 @TheAHL All Star Classic pic.twitter.com/RBrJJ91Uft— Elaine Shircliff (@imaraindancer) February 4, 2025
- I’ve added a second book signing event next week to throw on your calendar. On Tuesday, Feb. 11 I’ll be at the Book Cellar at 7 PM. On Thursday, Feb. 13 we’re doing a book signing at Ultimate Cigar Lounge in Villa Park at 6 PM. My new book, The Future: Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks’ New Era, officially drops on Feb. 11!
- The Blackhawks brought Artyom Levshunov up this week — for practices only. Because of the AHL break, they wanted to keep him on the ice and expose him to NHL-level practices this week. We got a chance to talk to him after practice (he stayed out more than ten minutes longer than even Connor Bedard) and he shared his excitement with the opportunity to get a little run with the NHL guys. I asked him how Dmitry Kuzmin — the defenseman the Blackhawks acquired from Winnipeg for Isaak Phillips last month — was helping him on and off the ice. He said he feels a lot more comfortable being able to speak his language both on the ice and away from the rink.
- While we’re on the subject of getting some more run during a lengthy break, something to keep an eye on at the end of this week as the NHL goes on its 4 Nations Face-Off break: the Rockford IceHogs play four games between Feb. 11-17. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if some of the young Blackhawks — specifically Colton Dach, Ethan Del Mastro and Nolan Allan — were assigned to the AHL for the break to get some game run instead of taking two weeks off. Not a negative by any means, just more reps. Especially the defensemen who have (for some reason) been scratched recently. When he spoke with us a couple weeks ago, general manager Kyle Davidson said guys going back to Rockford wasn’t off the table. And that doesn’t exclude them from coming back after the break.
- A few of the young Blackhawks — Landon Slaggert, Del Mastro and Dach — were wearing the throwback gloves from the Winter Classic in practice on Monday. It sounds like the Hawks will wear those in St. Louis this weekend (yes, red on the road — love to see it!).
- Frank Seravalli at Daily Faceoff joined the list of folks updating their trade boards early this week after the flurry of trades around the weekend. Ryan Donato is still on his list, ranking No. 17 this week. Seth Jones is new on his list — and he checks in at No. 8 overall. Here’s what he wrote about the Jones trade market:
Do the massive salary cap increases agreed upon between the NHL and NHLPA make it easier for the Hawks to move Jones? Maybe. At $9.5 million, Jones will count for just 8 percent of the cap three seasons from now. Yes, he will be 33 then, but he is such a gifted and effortless skater there shouldn’t be any concern on the age curve chart. Jones has averaged 25:18 over four seasons in Chicago. He is a fine defenseman, just an overpaid one, and the Blackhawks are willing to be creative to move a player who doesn’t necessarily line up with their timeline. Sounds like talks are picking up on that front.
- Connor Murphy is also on Seravalli’s list, coming in at No. 14. Here’s what he wrote about Murphy:
Remember when the Blackhawks retained half on defenseman Jake McCabe’s deal and knocked him down to just $2 million to send him to Toronto? That deal worked out great for the Leafs. Chicago could do it again with Murphy. There is a reason the Blackhawks preserved their final salary retention slot in the Taylor Hall / Mikko Rantanen trade. It could be to potentially retain on Seth Jones, though that isn’t preferred, or it could be to get creative on a deal like one for Murphy – who is a perfectly serviceable if not flashy No. 4 defenseman. The youth movement is on the way in Chicago.
- Donato didn’t practice on Monday (maintenance) but Craig Smith was with the team and taking some contact, which is a good sign. After practice, interim head coach Anders Sorensen said they’ll see how he responds to the workout and go from there but this is a good sign. Smith was having a good season before the back issue showed up in December. He might be able to play his way back into being a nice trade chip before the March 7 deadline.
- For the inquiring minds: Del Mastro was skating with TJ Brodie on Monday. Allan was with Levshunov.
- Steve Ellis at Daily Faceoff posted some updates on NHL prospects playing well in the KHL right now. His list included Blackhawks prospect Roman Kantserov. Here’s what Ellis had to say:
Injuries have limited Kantserov’s total games this year. But the fact that he’s on pace for about 40 points in fewer than 50 games as a 20-year-old is a testament to his season. He had just 15 points in 53 games as a KHL rookie last year, but he needed just 17 games to tie that as a sophomore. Kantserov is a high-energy, all-around offensive threat who seems always to be making something happen with the puck. Kantserov is quite small at 5-foot-9, but he makes plays such a significant rate that some scouts think he’ll be able to overcome that at the next level. He’s still a few years away from the NHL – his KHL deal ends May 2026 – but he’s already looking like a nice value pickup at No. 44 in 2022.
- Former Blackhawks Ryan Hartman got the hammer on Monday: a 10-game suspension for his cheap, dirty WWE move against Ottawa. Good! He’s a repeat offender and this is a dangerous play. I wouldn’t have been mad if it was longer.
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- Apparently PECOTA absolutely loves the 2025 Chicago Cubs.
- Are the Warriors going to run it back with… Kevin Durant?
- With the crazy trades happening in the NBA, it was still a bit of a surprise to see one of the best pass rushers in the NFL formally ask for a trade on Monday.