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Chicago Blackhawks Issue Update On GM Search

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While the Montreal Canadiens and Vancouver Canucks have filled their vacant general manager positions in the last few weeks, the Chicago Blackhawks continue to operate with Kyle Davidson in an interim position. There has not been much reporting over who the candidates for the Blackhawks job would be, other than the fact that Davidson himself is one.

Today, Blackhawks CEO Danny Wirtz released a lengthy update on the process, which included the following:

Over the last six weeks, our leadership has been taking part in a discovery and research process that explored all functions and structure of our Hockey Operations department. This top to bottom exercise revealed an incredible amount of in-house talent while also highlighting areas for growth and opportunities to become more competitive. We plan to create a next generation Hockey Operations department with a path to sustained success for the Chicago Blackhawks. Our next step is to find the right leader, and we will begin to reach out to potential candidates this week to interview for the General Manager role. That position will be the highest-ranking executive in Hockey Operations and will report directly to me. We anticipate making a final decision in advance of the National Hockey League Trade Deadline.

Again, Wirtz confirms that Davidson will be a candidate but currently has full autonomy to make hockey decisions. Otherwise, the team pledges to be as transparent as possible in the process but will not identify potential candidates other than noting they are interviewing some from both inside and outside of hockey.

The Blackhawks have been without a full-time GM since Stan Bowman left the organization in late October following the Kyle Beach sexual assault scandal. Senior vice president of hockey operations Al MacIssac was also dismissed, and at the time, Wirtz was very clear that they would audit the entire organization before naming a successor. That process continues but with this new announcement, a GM hire should be made relatively soon, as the trade deadline sits a little over seven weeks away.

Capitals Looking Into Marc-Andre Fleury

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While the Capitals are quite comfortably in a playoff spot (13 points ahead of Detroit for the final Wild Card slot), they’re also within striking distance of first in the Metropolitan as they were five points out of first heading into tonight’s games.  They’ve managed to accomplish this on the backs of Alex Ovechkin and one of the strongest offensive groups in the league even with goaltending that has been near the middle of the pack.

Accordingly, it appears they’re at least exploring a potential upgrade between the pipes as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in his latest 32 Thoughts column that they are looking into the possibility of acquiring Blackhawks goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.

Washington is currently platooning youngsters Vitek Vanecek and Ilya Samsonov with Zach Fucale getting into a handful of games this season and they’ve played to a 2.56 GAA with a .908 SV%.  Those numbers are actually similar to what Fleury has put up this season (2.76 GAA, .913 SV%) although Chicago has had some struggles on the back end that have to be taken into consideration.

It was only last season that the 37-year-old won the Vezina Trophy, recording a 1.98 GAA with a .928 SV% with Vegas who decided to move Fleury to Chicago over the summer to free up some salary cap space with his $7MM AAV coming off the books.  The Blackhawks gave up very little in return, the rights to Mikael Hakkarainen, who was released three weeks later.

Accordingly, in the right environment with a chance of a long playoff run, Fleury could represent a notable upgrade and it’s understandable that Washington is at least looking into this possibility.  He’d certainly give them a boost for the stretch run while allowing Chicago to bring back a lot more than what they gave up to get him.

That said, making the money work will be a challenge.  Washington has just over $2MM in cap space, per CapFriendly, and that’s due to Anthony Mantha being on LTIR.  If he’s unable to return before the end of the regular season, that could, in theory, be applied towards Fleury’s price tag but if the winger can return, that will basically make the Caps capped out in order to get back into cap compliance.

Chicago can retain up to 50% and if the Capitals are willing, a third team could get involved and retain 50% of the remainder (25% of the full deal) to help mitigate the cap impact although some further work would need to be done to get compliant.  It seems unlikely that GM Brian MacLellan would want to part with either Vanecek or Samsonov to accommodate a few months of Fleury and if that’s the case, they’ll have to find a way to afford to carry three goalies the rest of the way.

Fleury has a 10-team no-trade list in his contract and it’s unknown if Washington is on there.  Even if it is, it’s quite likely that Chicago would give the veteran a chance to approve or nix a deal to the Capitals or anywhere else after they worked with him to get him to agree to join the Blackhawks in the first place.

Regardless of whether or not this works out, it appears Washington is trying to think big in terms of shoring up their goaltending situation which will make them a team to watch for in the weeks leading up to the March 21st trade deadline.

Kevin Lankinen Lands On Injured Reserve

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The Chicago Blackhawks placed goalie Kevin Lankinen on injured reserve with a right-hand injury today. The team recalled Arvid Soderblom from the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs to compensate for the injury.

Lankinen played yesterday against the Minnesota Wild, making 40 saves in an overtime loss. NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis reports Lankinen is expected to miss roughly three weeks with the injury.

For that period of time, it’ll be Soderblom’s and Marc-Andre Fleury’s net. Soderblom played his first two NHL games earlier this year, registering a .881 save percentage.

Lankinen has just a .890 save percentage in 13 games this season, good enough for a 2-5-4 record.

If the three-week timeline holds up, Lankinen could return to the active roster for the team’s Valentines’ Day game against Winnipeg.

 

Blackhawks Notes: Khaira, Stillman, Connolly

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Per the Daily Herald’s John Dietz, the Chicago Blackhawks moved forward Jujhar Khaira to injured reserve today. He has a lower back injury, and the move is retroactive to January 17. Khaira can come off injured reserve as soon as the 27th,  meaning the soonest he can return is January 28th at home against Colorado. He has just three goals in 27 games during his first season with Chicago.

More from the Blackhawks today, all per Dietz:

  • Defenseman Riley Stillman was also moved to injured reserve today, dealing with a shoulder injury he sustained last night against Minnesota. The soonest he can return is February 1st, meaning he’ll miss at least the team’s next five games. In his absence, Caleb Jones should see playing time with more consistency. Stillman has a respectable 10 points in 28 games.
  • The team also assigned forward Brett Connolly to the active roster, bringing him up from the taxi squad. He should play in his fifth game of the season tonight, drawing in on the fourth line alongside Sam Lafferty and Ryan Carpenter. Connolly was suspended earlier in the season for interfering with Dallas forward Tanner Kero.

Goalie Notes: Oilers, Stars, Fleury, Allen

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It’s no secret that the Edmonton Oilers are in pursuit of a goaltender. While the team possesses some truly elite offensive talent, their severe struggle with preventing goals has overshadowed their ability to score. The result is a 26th-ranked 3.42 goals against per game that has directly contributed to the team’s 2-11-2 record in their past 15 games, including a seven-game winless streak. While this does not fall entirely on the netminders, the Oilers have not received much help from the group. Current starter Mikko Koskinen has an .895 save percentage and 3.33 GAA. The current backup, young Stuart Skinner, has outplayed Koskinen but not to a level that has forced the Oilers’ hand. For now, they seem hesitant to place any more responsibility on the 23-year-old. Expected starter Mike Smith has missed all but six games this season due to injuries that have kept his health status in flux all year. Even when healthy, Smith has not performed; he has an .898 save percentage and 3.76 GAA in his handful of outings. Yet, if there was any internal solution to the Oilers’ net woes, it was a return for Smith. So with the report today out of Edmonton that Smith is back on the injured reserve (with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins moving to LTIR), the situation has become even more dire. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported on Thursday that the Oilers were exploring all options, including Columbus’ Joonas Korpisalo. However, with the news of Smith remaining sidelined combined with a current four-game losing streak adding to their nearly two-month long slump, “exploring” might just not be enough any more.

  • Discussing Edmonton’s other trade options in net, LeBrun mentioned the Dallas Stars as a potential partner – namely with third-string Anton Khudobin as the likely target. The veteran keeper cleared waivers earlier this season amidst struggles that even surpass those of Koskinen and Smith. However, Khudobin is just two years removed from leading the league with a .930 save percentage and taking the Stars to the Stanley Cup Final in 2019-20, which briefly made him a hero in Dallas. While his numbers dropped off last season, they were well ahead of his current pace. Performance does not seem to actually be the main concern the Oilers have when it comes to Khudobin. Instead, his $3.33MM cap hit and additional year of term makes Edmonton hesitant to pull the trigger, especially considering their current cap crunch and the legitimate question of whether Khudobin is an upgrade to Koskinen. As LeBrun puts it, Khudobin is “less appealing” than other options. However, with Smith seeming less and less likely to be a dependable option this season and desperately in need of points, can the Oilers afford to be picky? If they can acquire Khudobin cheaply and quickly, they may have to do so. LeBrun points out that impending free agent Braden Holtby, who is enjoying a strong campaign, is the superior option on the Stars, but the team may not be willing to move him and will be much more costly to acquire, especially with the Oilers in such obvious need.
  • One potential target mentioned by LeBrun but considered unlikely for the Oilers has all but confirmed that he will not be moving. Star veteran Marc-Andre Fleury of the Chicago Blackhawks is in the final year of his contract and having yet another solid season. This should have made him a prime rental target for any team with a need in net, especially considering that Fleury only has limited trade protection. However, the Blackhawks have stated that they will only move the respected vet if that is what he desired and it seems as though Fleury is happy where he is for now. Fleury told NHL.com’s Tracey Meyers that he is only interested in getting Chicago to the playoffs this season and is not looking to move. This might not be a realistic goal with the Blackhawks .094 percentage points back of the final wild card spot in the West with five teams ahead of them in the race. However, Fleury has earned the right to make that call. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner was just traded this summer and may not be keen to go through that process again so soon, especially at 37 years old and possibly at the end of his career. If the three-time Stanley Cup winner wants to stay loyal to his team rather than make another run, so be it.
  • Another option off the table for the Oilers is Montreal’s Jake Allen. Edmonton needs immediate help and Allen can’t provide it. After leaving a game last week due to injury, the Canadiens have announced that Allen is out approximately eight weeks with an undisclosed lower-body ailment. The Oilers’ struggles this season pale in comparison to the Habs’, who find themselves with the worst record in the NHL after playing in the Stanley Cup Final just last year. Everyone is available for the right price in Montreal, including Allen even though he has performed admirably in Carey Price’s absence over the past two seasons. Allen is signed at a reasonable $2.875MM through next season and maybe another team will still be interested despite the substantial injury. The Oilers, however, will have to look elsewhere.

Brett Connolly Enters COVID Protocol

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  • Blackhawks winger Brett Connolly has entered COVID protocol, relays John Dietz of the Daily Herald (Twitter link). The veteran has only played in four games with Chicago this season and has spent most of the year in the minors.  Defenseman Ian Mitchell was recalled from AHL Rockford just a day after being sent down.

Calvin De Haan Avoids Suspension, Earns Fine

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Not only does the Department of Player Safety have a hearing with Ross Johnston of the New York Islanders today, but some more supplementary discipline was on their plate. Calvin de Haan of the Chicago Blackhawks has earned a $2,500 fine for a dangerous trip on Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield.

The incident in question happened partway through the third period as Caufield tried to skate around the Blackhawks’ net. The trip, which appeared to be a clear slew-foot, went unpenalized by the on-ice officials. The league has been seeing a huge increase in these kinds of incidents this season, with Brad Marchand and Kevin Labanc both earning slew-footing suspensions and P.K. Subban earning multiple fines.

There are some who credit the crackdown on cross-checking as the reason why these trips have seemingly increased, though obviously, the league believes something like this is not worthy of a suspension. Caufield did not suffer a serious injury on the play. While it isn’t a suspension, the incident will still be considered in any future disciplinary decisions involving de Haan.

Kirby Dach, Dylan Strome Enter COVID Protocol

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5:38 pm: The placements are now official, according to The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus.

5:27 pm: NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis reports that Chicago Blackhawks forwards Kirby Dach and Dylan Strome entered the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol today, meaning they’re unavailable for tonight’s contest against Montreal.

Dach is a humongous loss for this Blackhawks team. The 20-year-old center is averaging 19:34 per game, a great indicator of the trust placed in him by the team’s coaching staff. He has six goals and eight assists for 14 points through 36 games.

Strome was a healthy scratch at many points during the beginning of the season, but he’s found himself in the lineup more often under new head coach Derek King. Through 26 games, he has three goals and seven assists for 10 points.

In their absences, forward Sam Lafferty could draw in and make his Blackhawks debut. The team acquired Lafferty over a week ago (January 5) from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for forward Alexander Nylander.

If Strome and Dach are subject to just a five-day quarantine, they could return on January 21 against Minnesota.

Lukas Reichel To Make NHL Debut

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  • On the other end of the spectrum is Lukas Reichel, who was recalled to the Chicago Blackhawks taxi squad today. Interim head coach Derek King confirmed to reporters including Charlie Roumeliotis of NBCS Chicago that Reichel’s NHL debut will come tomorrow night and it certainly seems like he’ll be a legitimate part of the gameplan. The 20-year-old forward was practicing with Patrick Kane and Dylan Strome today, but King did caution that “it’s a marathon, not a sprint” in terms of developing prospects, and that he’ll likely be sent back down after a few games. Reichel has 20 points in 20 games in Rockford and was the 17th overall pick in 2020.

Seth Jones Tests Positive For COVID, Status Unclear

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  • When Seth Jones was not available to the media following morning skate, a few eyebrows were raised given the situation. The star defenseman was set to play in Columbus tonight for the first time since the offseason trade, but that now is in jeopardy. Though the team hasn’t officially announced his placement in the COVID protocol yet, he is no longer listed on the Blackhawks official roster and Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that Jones tested positive for coronavirus. The team is likely waiting for the result to be confirmed, but it looks like Jones may not get to face his old mates after all. (UPDATE: The Blackhawks have officially announced Jones’ placement in the protocol, along with another staff member. He will not play tonight.)

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