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Afternoon Notes: Dickinson, Pitlick, Acklin, Philp

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The NHL is gearing up for a two-week break for the 4-Nations Face-Off, giving teams plenty to do before many of their players head off for vacation, international play, or minor-league stints. The spree of afternoon news begins in Chicago, where center Jason Dickinson has avoided the worst-case scenario after suffering a scary-looking injury in the team’s Wednesday loss to the Edmonton Oilers. Dickinson took an awkward crash into the boards that trapped his leg under him in the second period. He left the game immediately and was later seen leaving the arena in a walking boot. After testing, Dickinson has been diagnosed with a high ankle sprain and should only miss a couple of games, head coach Anders Sorensen told ESPN.

That’s relieving news after Dicksinon seemed poised to miss the long-term. He hasn’t racked up the points this season, with just seven goals and 16 points in 53 games – but Dickinson has returned to his role as one of Chicago’s top defensive centers. He leads all Blackhawks forwards with 137 minutes of ice time on the penalty-kill, and ranks fourth on the offense in xGA/60 (expected goals-against per-60) per Evolving Hockey. Dickinson’s stout defense has earned him top minutes, centering a top-six line between Teuvo Teravainen and Ilya Mikheyev – the two players above him in xGA/60. His role would have been tough for the Blackhawks to replace for an extended period, but with this news the team can rest assured that he’ll be available when they return from break.

Headed to the West Coast, the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda have signed veteran forward Rem Pitlick to a minor-league contract for the rest of the season. Pitlick hasn’t played this season, but spent last year split between the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Rockford IceHogs. He accumulated 57 points in 59 games between the two squads, and got called up for nine appearances with the Chicago Blackhawks – though his stat line read no points, two penalty minutes, and a minus-seven. Those appearances brought Pitlick up to 132 career NHL games over the course of his seven-year pro career. He has totaled 21 goals, 54 points, and 54 penalty minutes. A deal with the Barracuda will mark a chance for him to rediscover his red-hot minor league scoring, and try to show his worth to a San Jose Sharks club that currently ranks dead-last in the NHL.

Across the Conferences, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ President of Business Operations, Kevin Acklin, has stepped down from the squad per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Acklin had been in the role since 2022, and previously served as a Senior Vice President and General Counsel for the team. In his presedential role, Acklin oversaw the day-to-day business operations, strategic planning, corporate partnerships, and marketing and communication of the Penguins brand. He also supported the development of a live music venue in Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill District, and supported maintenance of the former site of Civic Arena – the Penguins’ home rink from 1967 to 2010.

After stops at each region of the States, we head North for our final update – where the Edmonton Oilers have assigned forward Noah Philp to the AHL for the duration of the 4-Nations break. Philp has been one of Edmonton’s top call-up options this season. He received his NHL debut on October 31st and has since played in 12 games with the Oilers lineup, including their most recent nine outings. Philp has just two assists so far, and is still searching for his first NHL goal. He’s been much more productive in the minors, where his 17 points in 28 games places him fourth in points-per-game (0.60) among players with 20-or-more appearances. Philp will now get a chance to build on those totals while the Oilers are away.

Blackhawks Activate Craig Smith From Injured Reserve, Assign Two To AHL

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6:20 PM: The team announced that Smith has officially been activated off IR.  They decided to make a pair of corresponding moves, sending Dach and Levshunov back to AHL Rockford.

11:22 AM: Blackhawks winger Craig Smith will return to the lineup Wednesday against the Oilers, Scott Powers of The Athletic reports. Chicago has a full active roster and will need to make a corresponding transaction to activate him from injured reserve.

Smith, 35, has missed the last 11 games with a lingering back injury that also held him out for eight games in December. The 958-game veteran is nonetheless chugging along as a serviceable fourth-liner in the Windy City, posting six goals and five assists for 11 points in 30 games when healthy while averaging 11:41 per game, his highest usage in three years.

Signed to a one-year, $1MM deal over the summer, Smith has spent nearly all of his time as the team’s fourth-line right winger with Pat Maroon on the left side and either Ryan Donato or Lukas Reichel down the middle. The latter is Chicago’s second-most-common line combination this season, and for good reason. They’ve controlled 50.4% of expected goals together, per MoneyPuck, one of three of nine Blackhawks forward lines with over 60 minutes together to be in the black.

He’ll return to that role against Edmonton, Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio 720 reports. 22-year-old rookie Colton Dach, who has a goal and three assists through his first 13 NHL games, will come out of the lineup. Smith has also suited up on the Hawks’ second power-play unit at times, although only one of his 11 points have come with the man advantage.

Reassigning Dach is one of the multiple transactions the Blackhawks can make to open up a roster spot for Smith. The other likely option is demoting 2024 second-overall pick Artyom Levshunov, who the club recalled for “development purposes” on Monday but isn’t expected to see any game action.

Blackhawks Recall Artyom Levshunov, Place Louis Crevier On Injured Reserve

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The second-overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft is set to join the Blackhawks for the first time. Chicago announced they’ve recalled defenseman Artyom Levshunov from their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, and have placed defenseman Louis Crevier on injured reserve in a corresponding transaction.

Levshunov was the undisputed top defensive prospect entering last summer’s draft. The Michigan State University product scored nine goals and 35 points in 38 games in his only year with the Spartans leading to a bevy of individual rewards. The Zhlobin, Belarus native secured bids on the All-Big Ten First Teams and All-Big Ten Freshman Teams, was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and was named to the AHCA West Second All-American Team.

His size and explosive skating ability already made him an intriguing defensive prospect to start but his ability to be an offensive threat put him in a different category altogether. Shortly before the start of training camp, Tracey Myers of the NHL listed Levshunov as the top prospect in the Blackhawks’ organization.

Initially, his transition to professional hockey has been challenging. Levshunov decided to skip his sophomore season at Michigan State to pursue a professional career, and the Chicago organization insisted that he begin the year in the AHL. This approach is consistent with their new strategy for other top prospects, as they avoid rushing players too quickly into the NHL.

Still, he’s not expected to play in any games for the Blackhawks before their break for the 4 Nations Face-Off. Tracey Myers reported that Levshunov’s recall is for development purposes only, and he’ll only practice with the team while the AHL is on their All-Star break.

He has scored three goals and a total of 13 points in 38 games for Rockford this season, which places him tied for 13th among rookie defensemen in scoring. Although Chicago was likely expecting more offensive production from their young defenseman, they will have the opportunity to evaluate him more closely in the NHL during practice.

Unfortunately, Levshunov’s recall comes with bad news. Reports indicate that Crevier suffered a concussion during the recent game against the Florida Panthers, resulting in his placement on injured reserve.

Crevier may not have the same prospect pedigree as Levshunov, but he came very close to reaching his career-high for games played in a single season, getting hurt just two games short. This year, he has scored three goals and one assist in 23 games with the Blackhawks, averaging 17 minutes and 48 seconds of ice time per game.

Blackhawks Activate Connor Murphy Off Injured Reserve

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The Blackhawks welcomed back a veteran defenseman to their lineup against Florida earlier today.  The team announced that they activated blueliner Connor Murphy off injured reserve.  He had been out for the last month due to a groin injury.

The 31-year-old is in his eighth season with Chicago (12th overall) and has more or less played the same role with them for the majority of that time.  Murphy has played in 38 games so far this season, picking up a goal and 12 assists along with 93 blocked shots and 70 hits in 20:33 per night of playing time.

Murphy has one year left on his contract after this season with a $4.4MM cap charge.  Given his long-standing reputation as being a quality shutdown defender, it wouldn’t be surprising if GM Kyle Davidson was fielding interest from around the league about his potential availability.  Notably, Chicago has one retained salary slot remaining with the other two being used on Jake McCabe and Mikko Rantanen while Murphy can veto a trade to ten teams.

Chicago had an open roster spot so no corresponding move needed to be made to bring Murphy off injured reserve.

Connor Murphy Nearing A Return From Injury

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Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy will likely be in and out of the lineup for the next little while as he tries to work his way back from osteitis pubis (as per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times). Osteitis pubis is an inflammation in the joint between the left and right pubic bones and typically causes pain and swelling in the groin or lower abdomen.

Murphy hasn’t played since New Year’s Eve when he suited up for the 2025 NHL Winter Classic and has been dealing with the ailment dating back to last season when he missed 38 games.

Pope writes that Murphy feels he could return to game action in the near future, however, doctors don’t share his sentiments and believe that he will struggle to play without interruptions. Murphy has dealt with injuries throughout his career, playing more than 70 games just twice since 2017.

The 31-year-old was on pace for the best offensive season of his career before the injury, posting a goal and 12 assists in 38 games. His overall play has improved this season compared to the previous few years, even though his deployment has remained difficult.

Given where the Blackhawks are in the standings, they would likely have shopped the 12-year NHL veteran, but now with the uncertainty surrounding Murphy’s health, it is likely his trade value has dropped which could mean he remains with the Blackhawks until the end of the season.

Additional Fallout From The Mikko Rantanen Trade

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Although plenty of new information has emerged regarding the trade that sent Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche to the Carolina Hurricanes, we hadn’t heard from the player himself. In an article by Corey Masisak of The Denver Post, Rantanen finally spoke about the trade from his point of view. 

One of the biggest takeaways from the interview with Masisak is that he confirmed he was willing to take a discount to stay with the Avalanche organization, which had been widely reported in the days following the trade. Masisak quoted Rantanen saying, “I was ready to take a significant discount for my market value. We had some chats, like a couple days before. Then they traded me. That’s what happened. That’s why I didn’t expect what happened.”

Despite being blindsided by the trade, it doesn’t appear Rantanen is taking it too personally. Even though he had never been traded in his career, he acknowledged one of the realities of his profession when he said, “I don’t know. I didn’t know we were in a rush. That’s what I felt like. That’s my honest opinion. But it’s business and I understand. They’re trying to think what’s best for them and you’ve got to understand that. You’ve got to understand they are only doing the business how they think it is good for their future.”

Regarding the potential extension, several analysts and pundits have suggested that Rantanen’s starting point was Leon Draisaitl’s eight-year, $112 million extension with the Edmonton Oilers. Still, provided the added context of the Avalanche’s lack of desire to pay anyone more than Nathan MacKinnon’s $12.6MM salary, it was going to be hard to resolve even if Rantanen was willing to take a pay cut.

Moving on to one of the facilitators of the blockbuster deal, the general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks, Kyle Davidson, spoke about his team’s involvement in the deal. In an interview with Scott Powers of The Athletic (Subscription Required), Davidson was quoted saying, “In waiting, you run the risk of things like injury, (and) the role was diminishing almost by the game. It just wasn’t heading towards a way that was going to maximize or enhance value. In moving then, we moved at full price and held (salary) on the other player involved. It just didn’t make sense to wait and not really get a better return later on.”

Davidson was referencing Chicago’s inclusion in the deal beyond retaining half of Rantanen’s remaining salary. The Blackhawks traded former MVP Taylor Hall whose ice time had been precipitously dropping over the last several games. The fourth-year general manager wasn’t convinced Chicago would get a better offer had they waited closer until the trade deadline.

Blackhawks “Hopeful” Laurent Brossoit Will Return This Season

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The Blackhawks expected veteran Laurent Brossoit to serve as their No. 2 option between the pipes after they signed him to a two-year, $6.6MM deal over the summer, but he’s instead spent the entire season on injured reserve after two surgeries on the meniscus in his right knee. General manager Kyle Davidson tells Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that he’s “hopeful” but unsure if Brossoit will play at all in 2024-25.

“If he does come back this year, we’re very confident [goaltending coach Jimmy Waite] will be able to manage that dynamic, which is not traditional, but it’s the situation we’d be in if he’d return,” Davidson said (via Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio 720). “I think we’ll be fine working through that if we end up with three goaltenders on the NHL roster.”

Brossoit, 31, has been a career backup and was quite inconsistent from year to year in limited action during his first few NHL seasons in Edmonton and Winnipeg. While that small workload has never changed, he was among the NHL’s save percentage leaders since returning from injury with Vegas in the 2022-23 campaign. He logged a .927 mark in limited action with the Knights to end the regular season and carried that strong play into a return to Winnipeg in the summer of 2023, replicating his SV% in a career-high 22 starts behind Connor Hellebuyck.

That led to rightful optimism that he could handle an increased workload, but he hasn’t gotten the chance to prove it. He and former Panthers backup Anthony Stolarz were in very similar situations entering the summer, coming off runs of elite play in small samples. Both have dealt with injuries this year, but Stolarz has at least gotten a chance to play and solidified his status as an elite tandem option with the Maple Leafs. He’s close to a return after missing six weeks with knee issues.

After his late-August surgery, Brossoit was initially expected to join Chicago’s roster around the start of the regular season. However, his return was delayed, and his status was continually downgraded until he underwent a second procedure in late November. He’s again blown past his projected return window, as the second procedure had a six-week timeline and should have had him back in the lineup earlier this month.

His absence hasn’t affected the Blackhawks’ record too much. 25-year-old Arvid Söderblom was nearly unplayable as Petr Mrázek’s backup last season but has rebounded in a big way in 2024-25, posting a .906 SV% and 2.97 GAA in 19 starts and two relief appearances. He’s stopped 3.3 goals above expected, per MoneyPuck, playing far more efficiently than Mrázek and his -9.7 figure.

Söderblom would need to go on waivers to head down to the minors, prompting Davidson’s comment that they’d carry three goalies the rest of the way if Brossoit returned. He’d steal more starts from Mrázek, who has a .895 SV% in 29 appearances, than Söderblom anyway.

Blackhawks Recall Landon Slaggert

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The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled forward Landon Slaggert from the AHL. Slaggert isn’t expected to play in the team’s Sunday game against the Minnesota Wild, but will serve as an insurance forward for the team’s upcoming three game road trip.

This marks the first formal call-up of Slaggert’s career. He made his NHL debut last season, joining the Blackhawks after the end of the University of Notre Dame’s season and scoring four points in 16 games. But, like many burgeoning Hawks prospects to debut last season, Slaggert was assigned to the minors to start the year. He’s since worked his way into a top-six role with the Rockford IceHogs. Slaggert ranks third on the team in scoring with 25 points in 39 games. He also boasts a team-best +9.

Slaggert may face a tough time cracking into the lineup during this road trip. For Chicago’s many faults, their bottom-six has been warming up as of late. All six players – Colton Dach, Lukas Reichel, Nick Foligno, Pat Maroon, Ryan Donato, and Philipp Kurashev – have multiple points in the team’s last 10 games, led by Donato’s seven points and 18 shots. Kurashev would likely be the first of the bunch to cede minutes, though. He snapped a 12-game scoring drought with two points on January 20th, but has other wise fallen more-and-more out of favor in the Hawks lineup. Kurashev has been a routine healthy scratch and even appeared in trade rumors. Calling up Slaggert for a multi-game trip could be a good chance to see who would likely succeed Kurashev in the fourth-line role.

Ryan Donato Receiving Trade Interest

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While Blackhawks forward Ryan Donato has been pretty consistent over the years with his production, he hasn’t had much stability, lasting no longer than two seasons with each of his five NHL teams.  It appears that trend may soon be continuing as Chris Johnston relays in his latest Trade Board for The Athletic (subscription link) that the 28-year-old is starting to attract some attention from other teams on the trade front.

Donato has put up at least 20 points in seven straight seasons now, including this one.  While his career high in that department is 31 set back in 2021-22, he is well on his way to beating that.  In 46 games so far with Chicago, he has 14 goals and 14 assists despite playing less than 15 minutes a night.  On top of that, he has played down the middle more often than usual this season; that versatility will only help his trade value.

So too will a reasonable contract.  Donato is in the final season of a two-year, $4MM deal signed back in 2023.  That’s pretty good value for a player who currently sits third on the Blackhawks in points.  The fact that Donato is having that success in more of a middle-six role should also be appealing as he’s likely to be in the bottom six on most contending teams where his 22 even-strength points will fit in well.

Considering Donato’s performance this season and the fact that Chicago is still trying to find the right mix of veterans to keep in the fold, there’s certainly a case to be made that the Blackhawks might be better off trying to re-sign him.  Given how much he has bounced around, it’s possible he’d be interested in some stability in which case it might not cost considerably more to re-sign him.

But on the other hand, as someone who isn’t expected to be part of their long-term plans when their rebuild is completed, GM Kyle Davidson might simply elect to move him for the best possible offer, ensuring at least a return of some value for a low-risk addition just a year and a half ago.  The Blackhawks have just one retention slot remaining following yesterday’s three-team swap so they could use it on Donato to make him affordable to even the most cap-strapped of teams which should only help his return.  Either way, it looks like he’s a strong candidate to be moved by the March 7th deadline.

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