Time to catch up after a second straight day of Blackhawks practice before Thursday’s matchup between two of the league’s worst teams when Chicago heads to Nashville to face the Predators.
The biggest talking point from the day revolved around forward Taylor Hall, who spoke on the speculation he’ll be traded by the March 7 deadline, even if a ticket out of town wasn’t exactly the way Hall saw this season unfolding:
Taylor Hall on trade speculation: "I came into this year wanting to continue being a Blackhawk for years to come. I don't know if that's going to be the case anymore, but I'll leave that door open for sure and understand that it's a business and the team is going to do what's…
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 15, 2025
It’s been a rough tenure in Chicago for Hall, who played just 10 games before a season-ending injury in 2023-24 and has 22 points (8 G, 14 A) in 43 games this season. While he’s fourth on the team with those 22 points, Hall’s current points-per-60 minutes rate is 2.0, according to Hockey Reference, which is the lowest season mark of his career (save for that 10-game “season” from ’23-24). In the final season of the two-year deal he signed to come to Chicago, though, Hall could certainly have appeal for a contending team looking to add depth scoring for a postseason push.
Hall spoke with a noticeable black eye, too, which he received when Calgary’s Martin Pospisil continued his obnoxious existence by boarding Hall on Monday night:
“It wasn't a great hit. . … I don't think he should have hit me, but he's a young guy trying to make his mark in the league, and I understand that it's a fast game at times.”
— Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) January 15, 2025
—Blackhawks F Taylor Hall on Flames F Martin Pospisil’s hit pic.twitter.com/1nKzP6L72Z
Perhaps Hall is coming around to the idea of a trade out of Chicago because Wednesday’s practice lineup had him down on the fourth line?
#Blackhawks lineup at practice:
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 15, 2025
Bertuzzi-Bedard-Nazar
Dach-Reichel-Foligno
Teravainen-Dickinson-Mikheyev
Hall-Donato-Maroon
Martinez-Jones
Vlasic-Crevier
Allan-Brodie
Mrazek
Söderblom
Extras: Kurashev, Kaiser
Out: Smith (back)
The top line is certainly an interesting one, with perhaps the best two offensive talents on the Chicago roster right now joined together in Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar. Having Lukas Reichel and Colton Dach together on the second line offers some intrigue into that line as well. Sorensen talked about that new top line after practice on Wednesday:
Blackhawks head coach Anders Sorensen talks about his thinking behind the Frank Nazar-Connor Bedard-Tyler Bertuzzi line. pic.twitter.com/r0grFzfRvR
— CHGO Blackhawks (@CHGO_Blackhawks) January 15, 2025
And just in case posting this news in our recent IceHogs prospect update didn’t cover all the bases, the Blackhawks swapped D prospects with the Winnipeg Jets earlier on Wednesday:
The Blackhawks have traded Isaak Phillips to Winnipeg for defenseman Dmitry Kuzmin. The Blackhawks wanted to give Phillips a chance elsewhere as he’s been passed up by some defensemen. Kuzmin knows Artyom Levshunov and could be helpful to Levshunov in Rockford.
— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) January 15, 2025
As Powers mentioned in the tweets above and below, there’s a familiarity between Levshunov and Kuzmin which could help both flourish as teammates:
Dmitri Kuzmin and Artyom Levshunov, who are both from Belarus, train together in the offseason in Florida. They also share the same agent, Dan Milstein.
— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) January 15, 2025
The Blackhawks, who are 32nd in the league standings, will face the Predators, who are 30th in the league standings, on Thursday night. Feel the excitement!