What is happening right now with the Chicago Blackhawks? Last night they took on the St. Louis Blues, and while I missed the start of the game, when I was getting notifications on my phone about the action, I had to double check to see if what I was reading was correct. The Hawks were able to get two goals on their first 3 shots when Dickinson (snapping a 30 game goalless streak) and Lafferty (shorthand) beat Jordon Binnnington. The Hawks went in to the first intermission with the two goal lead despite giving up 20 shot attempts (11 on net) and only having registered 6 attempts with 3 of them actually hitting the net.
They would eventually chase Binnington from the net after going up 4-1 less than 4 minutes into the second period. If there is a silver lining to this team continuing to play good hockey, the fact they were able to embarrass that clown of a goalie is well worth it. He would leave the game with a .429 SV% and as Hawks fans, you just love to see it. However, with the basket case out of the game, St. Louis was able to make this into a game as they would get within a goal halfway through the 3rd. Domi would net his 14th goal of the season to put this one out of reach and the Hawks would go on to win 5-3.
This was a big game for goaltender Jaxson Stauber as he gets career win number one in career start number one. The 23 year old looked very solid in net, stopping the first 13 shots he faced, which included a very busy first period. He would finish the game with 29 saves and a .906 SV%. While I am not sure what the future holds for Stauber in terms of ranking on this teams depth chart, it has been nice seeing the younger goalies in the system and to know that there are options going forward. It wasn’t too long ago that it felt like all the eggs where in the Crawford basket with zero plans for the future. Now with Soderblom, Stauber, and Commesso in the system its all about development now.
I always wanted to quickly touch on how impressed I have been by defenseman Isaak Phillips. The 2020 fifth round pick has made his jump to the NHL a lot faster than anyone had expected and has been fully taking advantage of the opportunities he gets. Three points (1-2) in his last 5 games and with the way he jumps up in to the play and the awareness he has out there, you would think he has been in the league longer than he really has. Averaging 15:46 of ice time this season, clearly he is impressing the coaching staff too. Last night he even showed some grit getting into his first career fight against Barbashev, who even gave the kid a little tap at the end of it in a great sign of respect. Much like goaltending, defense was another position that seemed like there wasn’t a solid plan for going forward but under this new regime I think we are seeing the beginning of a great d-core once again, and what is even more exciting about it is there are pieces that haven’t even seen NHL time yet so truly the sky is the limit as long as they don’t rush these kids.
With that, the Hawks are now winners in 3 straight and 6 of their last 7, and in the month of January they are 6-3. The offense has returned as they have scored 30 goals so far this month, averaging 3.33 goals per game. However, despite the goal scoring, they still are letting up way too many goals as they so far have let in 29 goals for an average of 3.22 goals per game. They have jumped up to 30th in the league and still have 3 games in hand to the Ducks and 2 games in hand to the Jackets. Am I worried? I am not. Am I a little bit nervous? Maybe just a little bit, but that’s ok; it is what it is at this point. It is too early to start freaking out about the standings and draft lottery positions. Things will balance out at the end of the season and we have to pretty much just leave it to that.
Trade Rumors
Now I do not have any insiders in the league and I see and react to the same accounts as all of you. There are a few people and accounts that I trust more than others, and when those accounts talk about rumors, I will address those. There have been a few rumors tossed out there that I think are worth keeping an eye on.
Jonathan Toews
According to Elliotte Friedman, people around the league expect the most teams will offer for Toews is a 2nd or 3rd round pick. This is much lower than what the Hawks are hoping for and will make you wonder if they will just hold on to the captain. A player you can compare to Toews is Claude Giroux, who last year at the deadline fetched Philly Owen Tippett, a 2023 3rd round pick and a conditional 2024 1st round pick. Reason I compare these two they are close in age (Giroux is a year older) last season when he was traded to Florida he had 16 more games played and 17 more points than Toews currently has, so you can argue they are on the same path statistically. Toews also leads the league in face-off percentage with 63.7% and also has three cups to his name. With all that in mind and the fact the Hawks will more than likely eat 50% of his salary, there is absolutely no reason for the Hawks to settle and only get a 2nd or a 3rd.
Jake McCabe
According to Frank Seravalli, Toronto has shown interest in the defenseman and interesting enough, they are the only Canadian team not on his NTC. McCabe is having a great season, so its no surprise to see teams being interested in picking him up. With a cap hit of 4 million for two more seasons, it will be interesting to see how teams make the numbers work and if the Hawks will eat any of that hit for the next two seasons.
Connor Murphy
Also from Frank Seravalli, Edmonton and LA have reached out about Connor Murphy and again much like McCabe how the numbers work out is interesting as he hold a cap hit of 4.4 million for three more seasons.
Up Next: LA Kings 25-17-6 3 game losing streak
Players to Watch
Kevin Fiala 16 goals 31 assists 47 points
Anze Kopitar 12 goals 25 assists 37 points
Phillip Danault 13 goals 21 assists 34 points
Projected Starter (after a crazy night last night in net not sure who gets the call in this one)
Phoenix Copley 12-3 2.91 GAA .894 SV%
Jonathan Quick 8-11-4 3.34 GAA .884 SV% 1 Shutout
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