- Despite his public desire to sign an extension with the Chicago Blackhawks, veteran forward Taylor Hall is readying for a breakup. Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports Hall believes he’ll be traded before the deadline saying, “I came into this year wanting to be a Blackhawk for years to come. I don’t know if that’s going to be the case anymore.” It won’t be the first time the former MVP has been involved in a mid-season swap having been acquired in the 2020-21 season by the Boston Bruins and the 2018-19 season by the Arizona Coyotes.
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Blackhawks Rumors
Jets Acquire Isaak Phillips From Blackhawks
12:33 p.m.: Winnipeg made the trade official Wednesday afternoon, confirming it’s a one-for-one swap.
11:49 a.m.: The Jets are finalizing a trade to acquire defenseman Isaak Phillips from the Blackhawks in exchange for 21-year-old defense prospect Dmitri Kuzmin, Darren Dreger of TSN reports Wednesday.
Phillips, 23, is a 6’3″ lefty who Chicago drafted in the fifth round in 2020. He has 56 NHL games to his name already, but just three have come this season.
Aside from a few recalls in the first few weeks of the campaign, Phillips has spent 2024-25 entirely in the AHL with Rockford. Now in his fifth professional season, getting an early start thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down the OHL’s operations in 2020-21, he has eight points in 28 games on the farm with 54 PIMs and a plus-eight rating.
Phillips has an eye-popping -37 rating in his brief NHL career, although it’s hard to judge a still-raw defender on one of the league’s worst teams during that timeframe. Even still, relative to his Chicago teammates during that time, his possession numbers have been poor.
Chicago has controlled 42.4% of shot attempts with Phillips on the ice since his debut in 2021-22, 3.7% worse than their share without him. That’s a significant margin for a player whose primary calling is their defensive skills, although he has also provided 12 points, 47 blocks and 89 hits.
He still has upside, though, and Winnipeg was likely on the hunt for a slightly more experienced recall option than what they had in the system. The younger Kuzmin heads the other way, with the Blackhawks gaining a riskier but higher-ceiling talent in the swap.
The Jets drafted the Belarusian native 82nd overall in 2021, and he promptly came over to North America to suit up in the major junior ranks. The 5’10” lefty posted 103 points and a +18 rating in 122 games with the OHL’s Flint Firebirds across two seasons before turning pro with the Winnipeg organization in 2023.
Only this season has Kuzmin established himself as a semi-regular in the AHL. He split 2023-24 between the Jets’ AHL affiliate in their backyard and their ECHL affiliate in Norfolk, and his numbers didn’t pop off the page in either league.
This season, Kuzmin has been limited to a goal and three assists for four points with a minus-nine rating through 21 appearances. It’s clear things weren’t quite working out for the puck-mover in Winnipeg’s system, so he’ll get a fresh start in the Windy City with a year and a half left on his entry-level contract.
The swap won’t affect either team’s roster count or salary cap,, as both are actively on AHL assignments. However, the Jets will need to work with Phillips, who will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights at the end of the season.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Blackhawks Activate Alec Martinez, Place Connor Murphy On Injured Reserve
The Chicago Blackhawks are swapping a pair of veteran defensemen on the team’s injured reserve. Before their contest tonight against the Edmonton Oilers, the Blackhawks organization announced they’ve activated Alec Martinez from the injured reserve and have placed Connor Murphy on the injured reserve, retroactive to December 31st, in a corresponding roster move.
Martinez will resume what can only be described as one of the more disappointing seasons of his professional career. He’s had a fair bit of injury concern since coming into the league at age 22 during the 2009-10 season and will now fail to reach 60 games played for the second consecutive year.
The three-time Stanley Cup champion was brought in as a veteran presence with championship pedigree for a young Blackhawks’ defensive core. As much of a mentor as he’s been to many of his younger peers in Chicago, Martinez has only managed to suit up in 15 games this year.
Despite starting the season on time, Martinez was placed on the team’s injured reserve after only four games at the beginning of the season due to a lingering injury from the preseason. He was reinstated nearly a month later in mid-November but returned to the IR due to a face injury against the Winnipeg Jets on December 7th.
Dissimilarly, Murphy is one defensive veteran having a positive year for the Blackhawks. Murphy also has recent injury concerns, having only played 46 games during the 2023-24 season. However, he has already scored one goal and recorded 13 points in 38 games.
He’s already eligible for activation and will as soon as he’s fully recovered from his groin injury. Murphy will look to achieve his career-high in scoring (19 points in 2019-20) once he returns to Chicago’s active roster.
Al MacNeil Passes Away At Age 89
A legendary member of the Calgary Flames organization, Al MacNeil, has passed away at the age of 89 as announced by the Flames.
Before starting his coaching and executive career in the National Hockey League, MacNeil spent 11 years as a player. He suited up for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, and Pittsburgh Penguins from 1955 to 1968 recording 17 goals and 92 points in 524 games with another four assists in 37 postseason contests.
After a brief hiatus in the CHL and AHL, MacNeil was named assistant coach for the Canadiens ahead of the 1970-71 season. After starting the season with an 11-8-4 record through 23 games, then-head coach Claude Ruel resigned leaving the keys to MacNeil for the remainder of the season.
Montreal rebounded immensely under MacNeil’s stewardship, finishing the regular season on a 31-15-9 tear with a +58 goal differential. After knocking off the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins in the first round of the playoffs, the Canadiens defeated the Minnesota North Stars and Chicago Blackhawks to win the organization’s 15th Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Despite coaching the team to a Stanley Cup championship, Montreal hired fifth-year head coach Scotty Bowman after leading the St. Louis Blues to three out of the last four Stanley Cup Finals. The Canadiens had no intentions of MacNeil leaving the organization, naming him head coach of the AHL’s Nova Scotia Voyageurs. He enjoyed success with the Voyageurs, winning three Calder Cup championships in six seasons behind the bench.
After finishing as Director of Player Personnel for the Canadiens in the 1978-79 season, MacNeil became the head coach of the NHL’s Atlanta Flames for the 1979-80 season. He would spend the next two decades with the Flames organization.
MacNeil became the last head coach for the Atlanta Flames while being the first head coach for the Calgary Flames. He finished with a record of 105-93-44 in 240 games but failed to coach the Flames beyond the Conference Finals.
He was promoted to Calgary’s front office after the 1981-82 campaign and became the team’s assistant general manager in 1985. Despite a brief 11-game return as the Flames’ head coach in 2002-03, MacNeil held the role of the assistant general manager until his retirement after the 2005-06 season. MacNeil won the fourth Stanley Cup ring of his career when Calgary dispatched his former employer, the Canadiens, in the 1989 Stanley Cup Final.
Although many will think of franchise icons such as Jarome Iginla, Theo Fleury, Al MacInnis, or Lanny McDonald when pondering the Flames’ success since moving to Alberta, MacNeil remains one of the most historical figures in franchise history. PHR extends our condolences to Al’s friends, family, and the organizations he’s been a part of for the last 70 years.
Blackhawks Recall Colton Dach
The Blackhawks recalled forward prospect Colton Dach from AHL Rockford on Wednesday night, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 21-year-old could be in line to make his NHL debut tomorrow against the Canadiens and his older brother Kirby Dach. Chicago had a full active roster, so winger Joey Anderson was reassigned to Rockford in a corresponding transaction after clearing waivers last month.
The Blackhawks selected Dach 62nd overall in the 2021 draft, two years after they made Kirby the third overall selection but one year before they traded the latter to the Canadiens. The former captain of the Western Hockey League’s Kelowna Rockets is now in his second season of professional hockey, and he’s looking far more settled into his role with Rockford.
Dach’s rookie AHL season wasn’t bad by any means, but it was marred by injuries. Limited to 48 games in part due to an ankle injury, he posted 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points.
This year has been healthier and thus more productive for Dach. He’s played in all 30 games for Rockford and is second on the team in scoring with 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points, on pace for 60 in 72 games. He won’t hit that games-played threshold as he’s due to miss at least one minor-league contest during this call-up, but it’s still a much-needed step forward early in his development to give him a legitimate shot at turning into a full-time NHLer.
Checking in at 6’4″ and 196 lbs, Dach is a natural center but also has spent a fair amount of time at left wing. If he makes his NHL debut during this recall, he’ll likely slot in at the latter.
Dach still has one year remaining after this one on his entry-level contract, so he’s locked in at an $825K cap hit for his NHL recalls through 2025-26. He won’t be eligible for arbitration upon reaching restricted free agency in 2026.
Anderson was never sent to Rockford after clearing waivers on Dec. 9, but since he’s been rostered for fewer than 30 days and played in less than 10 games since the waiver placement, he doesn’t need them again to head down to the AHL today. The 26-year-old winger has been a healthy scratch in three straight contests and has just one assist in 18 games this season, coming against the Sharks back on Oct. 17.
It’s been a trying campaign for Anderson, who didn’t receive a qualifying offer from Chicago last summer despite recording a career-high 17 points in 55 games. Nonetheless, he still returned to the Blackhawks on a two-year, $1.6MM deal immediately after hitting unrestricted free agency.
Chicago Blackhawks Activate Craig Smith
Veteran forward Craig Smith has the opportunity to play in today’s Winter Classic after all. The Chicago Blackhawks announced they’ve activated Smith from the injured reserve after missing the last eight games with a back injury.
Smith is expected to reprise his role on the Blackhawks’ fourth line next to Pat Maroon and Lukas Reichel. He scored six goals and 10 points in 26 games before going down with an injury in mid-December.
Unlike many of his fellow teammates in Chicago, this won’t be the first time Smith has skated in a Winter Classic. He participated in the 2023 Winter Classic between the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins as a member of the former but failed to find the scoresheet after skating in only 5:32 of the game.
Beyond the 2023 matchup, Smith also went scoreless in the 2020 Winter Classic as a member of the Nashville Predators. Since today will be the third outdoor game of his career, Smith will tie for 46th on the NHL’s record of outdoor games played.
Although Smith’s scoring has moderately increased compared to last year with the Dallas Stars, his defensive play has seen some shortcomings. He’s typically hovered between 91% to 93% in on-ice save percentage in all situations but it has fallen to 88.7% this year with the Blackhawks.
Thankfully, he doesn’t have too much responsibility when healthy allowing some of the defensive shortcomings to be overlooked. Still, as one of multiple veteran players brought in last summer, Smith holds an important task in helping develop some of his younger peers.
Jonathan Toews Explains Absence, Doesn’t Rule Out NHL Return
Jonathan Toews’ name has slowly begun slipping from hockey dialogue. He led a star-studded career with the Chicago Blackhawks from 2007 to 2023, serving as the team’s captain for 14 seasons and leading the team to three Stanley Cup wins. Toews remained a tremendous lineup piece long after Chicago started to lose their luster – but the 2020s brought a challenge with nagging injuries that the franchise centerman couldn’t overcome. He announced in December of 2020 that he’d miss the entirety of the upcoming, shortened 2020-21 season due to an undisclosed illness, later revealed to be Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS).
Toews rehabbed and returned from the illness in 2021-22, and while he returned to a productive top-line role – the illness still forced him out of 38 games between 2021-22 and 2022-23. Toews announced at the end of the 2023 summer that he would be stepping away from hockey to focus on healing. That journey took him through rounds of alternative medicine, natural healing, and even a five-week trip to India to practice Ayurveda – a traditional healing approach. Toews recently returned from the cross-world trip and opened up to GQ Magazine about what he learned, how he’s feeling, and what future may lie ahead.
Toews opened the interview by explaining that his battles with illness ran deeper than previously foretold. He shared that a lifelong battle with digestive and immune system issues hit a flare in his second season in the league – the 2008-09 season, when a 20-year-old Toews was named Chicago’s captain. He struggled to eat or sleep, and ended up working with a team of doctors to craft a diet tailored to his needs. That helped Toews get through the next 10 seasons – where he scored 624 points in 721 games, earned three All-Star bids, and won three Stanley Cups – but he says he never once felt like his illness was fully behind him.
Then, Toews caught COVID-19. He explains that the illness perpetuated all of his issues, worsening his energy sink and 
ability to recover game-to-game. The story of his struggles recovering from COVID have been well documented. Toews explains that he was too caught up in recovery to discuss a contract for the 2023-24 season, leading to him taking another season off. He heard about various approaches to healing over the year, including a recommendation to visit an Indian Sadhu to practice Ayurvedic medicine. One thing led to another, and Toews ultimately decided to take up the unique approach in September of 2023. He said all the while he was driven by a saying from his mother: “When the student is ready, the teacher appears.”
Toews describes his day-to-day experience in India in-depth. Ultimately, the practices helped him regain control and confidence over his health – and Toews adds that he’s been able to continue to practice Ayurveda back in North America. That has him feeling better, and reconsidering the thought of playing in the NHL. Toews told GQ that his desire to play hasn’t left, and that there’s still a part of him that hasn’t come to terms with his career being over. He spoke optimistically, saying, “There’s never any guarantees in life, but I’m going to give it my best shot.”
Toews’ statement of hope is an encouraging sign, given his career
seemed to be at its end. He faces an uphill battle working back into the NHL as a 36-year-old who hasn’t had hockey at front-of-mind since early-2023. But Toews is proudly an all-time-great, posting a career that has already gone down in the history books of an Original Six franchise. He scored 372 goals and 883 points in 1,067 career games; and managed an 81-point season as recently as 2018-19. Toews was significantly less impactful in his most recent two seasons – with just 68 points in 124 games between 2021 and 2023 – but his value as a well-rounded, middle-six centerman could still stand tall.
If Toews does near a return, his decision on where to suit up will be hotly followed. He spent the entirety of his 15-year career with the Blackhawks, who drafted him third-overall in the 2006 NHL Draft. But Toews is a native of Winnipeg, and faced plenty of trade rumors throughout the later years of his career. The Blackhawks could certainly use his help, as they’re currently sat with the fourth-fewest goals in the NHL and a menial 14-18-4 record. Toews could also be a fantastic support to young superstar Connor Bedard, who’s looking to take over Toews’ and Patrick Kane’s mantle as the team’s franchise leader. It’ll be that ability to lead teams and inspire young players that earns Toews a return, though it seems the answers to if and where he’ll return are yet to come – as the Chicago hockey legend works to reintroduce himself to the game.
Alec Martinez, Craig Smith Close To Returning
- The Chicago Blackhawks are expected to reintroduce a pair of veteran players into the lineup. According to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, defenseman Alec Martinez and forward Craig Smith have been downgraded to day-to-day and are expected back soon. Both players have missed nearly a month for the Blackhawks with separate injuries. Chicago only has one open roster spot in the NHL meaning they’ll need to make at least one roster move to pave the way for both player’s activation.
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Blackhawks Reassign Kevin Korchinski, Recall Wyatt Kaiser
The Chicago Blackhawks are making a roster swap with two of their depth defensemen. The organization announced they’ve reassigned defenseman Kevin Korchinski to their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, and recalled Wyatt Kaiser to the NHL roster.
Korchinski is not a depth defenseman in the true sense of the word but he has been utilized like one this season. He’s only three years removed from being the seventh overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft and played through his rookie season last year. There’s reason to believe Korchinski was inappropriately rushed to the NHL last year as his rookie campaign yielded lethargic results.
It was never going to be an easy transition for Korchinski. He was tasked with shouldering top-four minutes on a weak Blackhawks’ roster and he ended the year with five goals and 15 points in 79 games with an eye-popping -39 rating. Chicago understandably sent Korchinski down to the AHL this season to help the young blue-liner regain confidence and take a small step back in his development.
Under his current recall, Korchinski skated in nine games for the Blackhawks but failed to find the scoresheet averaging 16:46 of ice time per game. He saw a minor increase in his CorsiFor% but a nine-game trial isn’t enough to make any serious judgement calls about Korchinski’s current development.
He’s produced better offensively with AHL Rockford scoring two goals and 11 points through 21 games but hasn’t quite yet gained the defensive maturity required for professional hockey. Still, being back with the IceHogs will allow increased playing time and an opportunity to compete for a playoff spot down the stretch.
Kaiser is back on the Blackhawks roster after a small demotion over the holiday break. He’s suited up in 28 games for Chicago this season but had been serving as a healthy scratch for their last three. He sits fourth on the team in blocked shots and will likely slot into the bottom-pairing duo next to T.J. Brodie for the team’s game against the Dallas Stars later today.
Blackhawks Assign Brett Seney To Canadian National Team
According to the AHL transactions page, the Chicago Blackhawks have reassigned Brett Seney, the captain of their AHL affiliate, to the Canadian National Team for the upcoming Spengler Cup. It will be the first time Seney has suited up for Team Canada in international play throughout his professional career.
Seney is in his eighth professional season and third with the Blackhawks organization. The New Jersey Devils drafted him with the 157th overall pick of the 2015 NHL Draft. He made his professional debut with the team’s AHL affiliate, the Binghampton Devils, toward the end of the 2017-18 season.
Before turning to the professional ranks, Seney amassed a solid career with the NCAA’s Merrimack College scoring 42 goals and 115 points in 139 games. That level of offensive consistency has translated well to the AHL where Seney has collected 97 goals and 274 points in 345 games.
Unfortunately for Seney, his talent hasn’t translated well to the NHL. He scored five goals and 13 points in 51 games for the Devils in his rookie campaign during the 2018-19 season while averaging 10:20 of ice time per game. He saw his role significantly reduced during the Covid-shortened 2019-20 season as Seney only suited up in two games for the rebuilding New Jersey franchise.
He spent one more year in the Devils organization before signing a one-year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2021. Seney led the team’s AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies in scoring that year leading to three straight one-year contracts with the Blackhawks.