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Poll: Who Will Win The 4 Nations Face-Off?

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The first (and perhaps only) 4 Nations Face-Off is less than 48 hours away. Festivities will kick off in Montreal on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. CT, with Canada versus Sweden. As a refresher, the tournament will consist of seven matchups: six round-robin games and a championship match on Feb. 20 between the top two clubs in the standings (which will use a 3-2-1-0 points system!).

Canada’s roster, while still without a couple of glaring omissions, remains the favorite. Icing the duos of Connor McDavid–Mitch Marner and Sidney Crosby–Nathan MacKinnon on two different lines will do that for you – especially with two-way dynamos Sam Reinhart and Mark Stone on their respective left wings (at least to start, per Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic). Add in a dynamic “checking” line of Sam Bennett, Anthony Cirelli, and Brandon Hagel, plus a defensive corps quarterbacked by Cale Makar and anchored by top shutdown presence Colton Parayko, and there aren’t many question marks among the skaters despite names like Mark Scheifele and Nick Suzuki being left off the roster.

Goaltending, as discussed at length in the public zeitgeist, will be the make-or-break factor. All signs point to 2023 Stanley Cup winner Adin Hill as their Game 1 starter. While he’s already recorded a career-high 20 wins through 34 starts for the Golden Knights, his .900 SV% and 2.64 GAA are rather pedestrian, and his 8.8 goals saved above expected ranks 21st in the league (per MoneyPuck). He’s good but not great – making it an especially damning decision for Canada to leave Vezina Trophy contender Logan Thompson off the roster. He’d give them a much more legitimate contender to compete with the Americans’ Connor Hellebuyck and the Swedes’ Filip Gustavsson, both bonafide top-10 netminders in the league based on this season’s sample.

While Hellebuyck stands as the primary reason for the United States’ optimism for a championship, their left-wing depth has allowed them to ice Kyle Connor, Jake Guentzel, and Matt Boldy on different lines. A one-two punch of Jack Eichel and Auston Matthews down the middle puts them much closer in talent there to Canada than the two European participants, and while they’ve lost their top defenseman in Quinn Hughes due to injury, a top pairing of Jaccob Slavin and Adam Fox gives them a combination of arguably the league’s best defensive mind and a player who’s produced over 70 points for three seasons in a row.

Down seasons from most of Sweden’s center corps mean they look thin up front, with Elias Pettersson and Mika Zibanejad anchoring their top six. A largely veteran group, especially on their depth lines, also raises some questions about whether declining talents like Viktor Arvidsson and Gustav Nyquist will be able to keep up with the scoring depth of the Canadians, Americans, and even the Finns. But their top two goalies, Gustavsson and Linus Ullmark, give them a clear advantage at the position over everyone but the United States, and their defensive corps boasting two-way dynamos like Mattias Ekholm and Gustav Forsling, in addition to some of the league’s top offensive talents give them a fluid blue line that can compete for a title.

Finland’s championship candidacy looks incredibly bleak after injuries decimated their blue line, keeping star Miro Heiskanen out as well as solid depth pieces Jani Hakanpää and Rasmus Ristolainen. Their goaltending trio of Kevin Lankinen, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Juuse Saros grades out more similarly to Canada’s than it does to the U.S. or Sweden, so they’ll need to rely on their forward group for success. They have scoring depth in spades, with Aleksander Barkov, Sebastian Aho, Roope Hintz, and Anton Lundell all centering their own lines. An elite sniper and power-play piece in Patrik Laine helps things along in addition to having names like Mikko Rantanen and Mikael Granlund in their top nine. But how effective will Finland be with the man advantage with Utah depth defender Juuso Välimäki projected as their top power play quarterback?

Who do you think will win the tournament? Have your say in the poll below!

Mobile users, click here to vote.

Examining Speculative Canucks Center Targets

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Thomas Drance and Harman Dayal of The Athletic took a look at potential trade targets for the Vancouver Canucks as they head into the NHL Trade Deadline. The Canucks have reportedly identified the center position as a spot to improve, which makes sense given that they just shipped out one of their top centers via trade. Vancouver entered the season with sky-high expectations but has had an uneven season, fueled mainly by internal issues between its top stars. However, with J.T. Miller now donning a New York Rangers jersey, the Canucks have heated up, collecting points in seven of their last eight games, despite missing star defenseman Quinn Hughes for an extended stretch.

Drance and Dayal identify Brayden Schenn of the St. Louis Blues as an ideal trade candidate for Vancouver. Darren Dreger of TSN relayed last week that the Blues are gauging the market for their captain. Schenn has significant term remaining on his contract (three years at $6.5MM), but with a rising cap, his contract is less of an issue than it would have been in years past. Schenn isn’t a high-end center but would would provide Vancouver with some offense and physical play. He’s posted 11 goals and 21 assists in 56 games this season and could be a good fit with a pass-first player like Conor Garland.

Another name that pops up is Sabres center Dylan Cozens. The 2019 seventh-overall pick has regressed this season and is on pace for just 41 points, marking a steep decline from the 68 points he posted two seasons ago. Cozens represents an interesting bounce-back candidate for Vancouver, but given that the Sabres will likely be looking for NHL-ready talent in return, Vancouver might not have the pieces to get a deal done.

One player who would carry a lower price tag is Nashville Predators center Tommy Novak. He’s spent most of his career playing sheltered minutes in a bottom-six role for Nashville. Novak could be a player who slides into the top six, but likely not for a team that considers itself a Stanley Cup contender. The 27-year-old has struggled to just 11 goals and eight assists in 45 games this season and probably doesn’t fit Vancouver’s needs.

Another intriguing player is Colorado center Casey Mittelstadt. Like Novak, Mittelstadt’s numbers are down considerably this season, and he does represent a buy-low candidate. Mittelstadt has plenty of skill, and his numbers have likely been affected by the rolling cast of characters that have been his wingers. However, he doesn’t offer much physicality or speed and may not be the best fit down the middle for the Canucks, given the style that their other centers play.

Last on the list is a skilled but injury-prone center, Josh Norris of the Ottawa Senators. Norris is not what you would call a two-way center, but he has been given challenging defensive assignments this season and has responded well while tallying 19 goals and 12 assists in 50 games. His $7.95MM cap hit could be problematic if injuries continue to take a toll on him. However, he is just 25 years old, and with a rising salary cap, it may be less of a deterrent than in previous years. The biggest issue with acquiring Norris might be his availability, as the Senators are still in the playoff picture and won’t be looking to throw in the towel as they try to get back to the postseason for the first time since 2017.

If the Canucks make a move, it will likely happen before the deadline as general manager Patrik Allvin and president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford typically like to get their business done early. However, if they can’t find what they are looking for, they will be aggressive and could take this hunt right to the deadline.

Loui Eriksson Officially Announces Retirement

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Former NHL forward Loui Eriksson has officially announced his retirement after 16 NHL seasons (via his agency on Instagram).

Eriksson last played in the NHL during the 2021-22 season with the Arizona Coyotes, posting three goals and 16 assists in 73 games. His final professional season came in 2022-23 when he suited up for Frölunda HC of the Swedish Hockey League.

At his best, Eriksson was a reliable 25+ goal and 70-point forward for the Dallas Stars. However, the Gothenburg, Sweden native fell on hard times after signing a massive free agent deal with the Vancouver Canucks in 2016 and was never able to get back to the numbers he posted in Dallas.

The 39-year-old was a staple of the Stars in the late 2000s and early 2010s before he was the central piece in the blockbuster trade that sent Tyler Seguin to Dallas and Eriksson to Boston. With the Bruins, Eriksson struggled in his first season but regained his form two years later when he posted 30 goals and 33 assists in 82 games and cashed in with the Canucks on a six-year $36MM deal.

In Vancouver, Eriksson became a beacon for criticism during the Jim Benning era, particularly in 2020 when the salary cap flattened out and the Canucks were forced to watch several talented players leave via free agency when they didn’t have cap space to sign them. Eriksson scored just 38 goals and 52 assists in 252 games with the Canucks before he was sent to Arizona as part of a package that was used to acquire Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Conor Garland.

Eriksson finished his NHL career with 253 goals and 360 assists in 1,050 career NHL games. He was a six-time 20-goal scorer and had the best season of his career in 2010-11 with Dallas when he registered 27 goals and 46 assists in 79 games.

All of us at PHR extend our best wishes to Loui as he enters the next chapter of his life.

Latest On Rickard Rakell

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Josh Yohe of The Athletic writes about Pittsburgh Penguins forward Rickard Rakell and what the team might do with the 31-year-old as they approach the NHL Trade Deadline. Yohe believes that the Penguins would be open to trading Rakell if a team offers up a first-round pick and a prospect who is close to being NHL-ready. That being said, Pittsburgh is also open to holding onto him if they aren’t blown away by the trade offers they receive.

Rakell is generating trade interest thanks to a terrific bounce-back season that has seen him tally 25 goals and 23 assists in 56 games. The Sundbyberg, Sweden native was an afterthought earlier in the year when it came to Sweden’s 4 Nations Face-Off roster but played his way onto the team late as injuries and a strong season opened the door for him to join his countrymen.

It’s quite the story, given that a year ago, many people in the hockey community were looking at Rakell’s contract as a problem for the Penguins. He was limited to 15-22–37 in 70 contests in 2023-24, his lowest production in a full season in nearly a decade. A year later, his $5MM cap hit looks pretty good, even if it does carry him for another three seasons until he is 34.

Rakell has played almost exclusively with Crosby this season and has developed excellent chemistry with him and Bryan Rust. The trio has skated over 400 minutes together at 5v5 and has controlled a sparkling 56.3% of expected goals, per MoneyPuck. If the Penguins were to trade Rakell, it would mark the second consecutive season they have dealt Crosby’s preferred winger after the team traded Jake Guentzel last March.

While a Rakell trade is possible, Yohe believes that the Penguins will likely hold onto him and see if his value is higher in the summer when the salary cap increases. The Penguins have good reasons to keep the six-time 20-goal scorer, but with their eyes set on a quick roster retool, trading Rakell could go a long way to acquiring valuable assets to turn things around in a hurry.

Sidney Crosby, Mikko Rantanen Healthy For 4 Nations Face-Off

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Team Canada is celebrating after just one practice for the 4 Nations Face-Off, following news that international superstar Sidney Crosby will be good to go when Canada kicks off the tournament on Thursday, per Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic. This news comes after Crosby missed the Pittsburgh Penguins’ last two games with an upper-body injury. He practiced in full at Canada’s Monday skate, serving on the team’s second line and filling the net-front role on the top power-play unit. Crosby also serves as Canada’s captain, as he has at the country’s last three international events with NHL talent.

Team Canada will be at relatively full strength with news of Crosby’s health. The team has no shortage of superstar talent – boasting Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Cale Makar, arguably the three top players in the NHL. But the Canadian crest doesn’t shine the same without Crosby being part of the group. His international highlights are enough to satisfy an entire career. Crosby famously scored Canada’s “Golden Goal” at the 2010 Winter Olympics to pull the country ahead of Team USA in the Gold Medal game. He had seven points in seven games in that tournament and added three more in six games of the 2014 Olympics, where Canada repeated their Gold Medal win with a team led in scoring by Shea Weber and Drew Doughty. Crosby has only appeared in two international events since that second gold, netting 11 points in nine games of the 2014 World Championship and scoring 10 points in six games of the 2016 World Cup. His presence and international track record will make Canada the country to beat early in this year’s tournament.

The shorthanded Team Finland has received similarly bright news, with Finnish coach Antti Pennanen sharing that Mikko Rantanen will join the team for their first game against Team USA per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. That’s a key bit of news with defensemen Miro Heiskanen, Jani Hakanpää, and Rasmus Ristolainen ruled out for the event due to injuries, leaving them with names like Nikolas Matinpalo and Urho Vaakanainen on their blue line.

Rantanen has represented Finland at every step of his pro hockey career. He appeared in two World Juniors with Finland in 2015 and 2016, totaling nine points in 12 games and captaining the team in the latter tournament. Rantanen also represented Finland at the 2016 World Championship, marking the first of four appearances at the international tourney. He’s totaled 31 points in 31 World Championship games and stands as potentially Finland’s biggest scoring threat at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Rantanen’s role in the lineup isn’t yet clear, but he will likely support the team’s top line and top power-play unit next to Aleksander Barkov and one of Sebastian Aho, Mikael Granlund, or Artturi Lehkonen.

Blackhawks Receiving Trade Interest In Pat Maroon

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Amid another season near the bottom of the standings, the Chicago Blackhawks seem to be on a clear path to selling off veteran talents at this year’s trade deadline. Recent reports suggest that productive center Ryan Donato, previously thought to be one of the team’s top trade candidates, could still sign an extension with the Blackhawks. That change has pushed 36-year-old winger Pat Maroon into the spotlight on Chicago’s trade block. Multiple teams are circling the waters on the tough veteran, per Daily Faceoff’s Jeff Marek, who adds that the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning could both be strong fits.

Maroon previously spent four seasons with the Lightning, starting in their Stanley Cup-winning season of 2019-20. He set his standard of play quickly in Tampa Bay, recording 23 points and 61 PIMs across 64 games in his first season. He continued the bruiser role into the shortened 2020-21 season, then ramped it up in 2021-22 by posting 27 points and 134 PIMs in 81 games. The Lightning returned to the Stanley Cup Final at the end of that year and, after losing to the Avalanche in six games, the burly Maroon decided to add yet another layer to his enforcer role in 2022-23. He scored just 14 points that season – a career-low up to that point – but managed a career-high and league-leading 150 PIMs in 80 games. The performance made Maroon one of just 44 players to eclipse 150 PIMs since 2010, and his 14 points tied for the 20th-highest among that bunch.

Maroon signed a two-year extension with Tampa Bay in February 2023, but the Lightning opted to send him to the Minnesota Wild for a sixth-round pick on the second day of free agency the following summer to clear cap space. Maroon found slightly more of a scoring touch in Minnesota with 16 points in 49 games, prompting the Wild to bank on his trade value at the 2024 Trade Deadline. They dealt him to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Luke Toporowski and a sixth-round pick. Maroon would go on to play just two regular season games and 13 playoff games in Boston before moving to Chicago on a one-year deal this summer.

Now, the league’s 12th-oldest forward could be headed for another move. He’s recorded 13 points and 71 PIMs in 49 games for the Blackhawks this season – an 82-game pace of 21 points and 119 PIMs. He may be in his golden years, but Maroon eclipsed 25 goals and 40 points at his career-best eight years ago. He’s amassed three Stanley Cup rings in his 14 years and 829 games in the NHL and eclipsed 1,000 career PIMs earlier this season. His tough, physical role and ability to control the net front haven’t diminished in his late 30s. Those traits could prove desirable for teams hoping for long playoff runs, though a trade likely won’t net Chicago a very lofty return.

Kraken’s Mitchell Stephens Clears Waivers, Victor Ostman Recalled

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2/10: Kraken forawrd Mitchell Stephens has cleared waivers, per a team report.

2/9: The Seattle Kraken announced a trio of roster moves on Sunday. Most notably, the team has placed forward Mitchell Stephens on waivers for the purpose of assigning him to the minor leagues. Stephens has appeared in Seattle’s  last 16 games. He contributed two points, six penalty minutes, and a minus-four while averaging just north of nine minutes in ice time. Seattle also reassigned defenseman Cale Fleury and goaltender Ales Stezka to the AHL, and recalled goaltender Victor Ostman from the ECHL’s Kansas City Mavericks.

Seattle does not play again until February 22nd, likely indicating that the moves of Stephens, Fleury, and Stezka are headed for AHL playing time during the 4-Nations Face-Off break. Ostman has been recalled to keep the team roster-compliant, and could be in store for an impromptu vacation while the team takes the next two weeks off. Ostman is playing in his rookie professional season this year, after spending the last four seasons vying for the starting role at the University of Maine. He’s performed well in his first pro games, already winning out the Mavericks’ starting role with an impressive 18-7-4 record and .905 save percentage in 29 games played. Ostman is playing in front of seasoned pro Jack LaFontaine, who has a 10-4-1 record and .904 Sv% in 16 games.

While Ostman questions what warm destination he’ll spend the next two weeks in, the Kraken will hold their breath to see if Stephens stays with the club while passing through waivers. He’s been a career depth-forward, alternating between the NHL and AHL lineups over the last six seasons. That stretch started in the 2019-20 season when Stephens made his NHL debut with the Tampa Bay Lightning, then had his name etched into the Stanley Cup just a few months later. He recorded six points, 10 penalty minutes, and a minus-nine in 38 games as an NHL rookie – with all four stats still standing as career-highs. Stephens has played in 82 NHL games in parts of four seasons since then, but only managed 13 points. He’s been far more productive in the minors, totaling 92 points in 139 AHL games since the start of the 2020-21 season. Stephens will get a chance to return to his AHL productivity, should he pass through waivers unclaimed.

Jesse Puljujarvi Signs PTO With Charlotte Checkers

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It appears the end of Jesse Puljujarvi’s contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins won’t yet mark the end of his stay in North America. The former fourth-overall draft pick has signed a professional try-out contract with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, per the AHL transactions log, joining the Panthers organization. Puljujarvi has been added to the Charlotte lineup, with Florida 2022 sixth-round pick Josh Davies headed to ECHL Savannah in a corresponding transaction

Puljujarvi agreed with the Penguins to mutually terminate his contract on Feb. 9th after he passed through unconditional waivers. The decision came on the heels of Puljujarvi’s second assignment to the minors on Feb. 7. He played his first AHL games of the season in January, recording three points across three games. But Puljujarvi couldn’t match that scoring at the NHL level, with just nine points in 26 NHL games this season. The performance was a continuation of Puljuarjvi’s struggles to score at the top flight. He has totaled a measly 29 points over his last 123 NHL games, spanning the last three seasons and four different clubs. Over that time, Puljujarvi has shot at just 5.7 percent and struggled to maintain roles in his teams’ top six.

Many expected Puljujarvi to follow his contract termination with a return to his home country of Finland, where he performed far better as a member of the Liiga’s Karpat. Puljujarvi made his Liiga debut in 2014-15, at the age of just 16 years old. He caught fire right away, netting 11 points in his first 21 Liiga games and backing it with 13 points in 15 Mestis games, Finland’s second-tier pro league. Puljujarvi followed that performance with a potent 28 points in 50 games the following year, which proved enough to earn him a top-five selection in a loaded 2016 draft class.

Puljujarvi moved to the North American pros immediately after being drafted by the Oilers. He immediately fell into the trap of high-end AHL scoring but snakebitten NHL play. He notched 28 points in 39 games in his first minor-league showing but was limited to 20 points in 65 appearances in his sophomore NHL campaign. Puljujarvi fought to buck the trend in the Edmonton Oilers lineup and, when he couldn’t, opted to return to the Liiga for the 2019-20 and part of the 2020-21 season after reaching restricted free agency. He instantly returned to productivity, with 65 points in 72 games across the season-and-a-half stay.

That proved a small spark, and Puljujarvi took advantage with 51 points in 120 NHL games in the two seasons after he returned. But those numbers couldn’t stick, and now it seems the once highly-touted Finn will opt to try and reinvigorate them by earning a chance in the minors rather than immediately returning to Finland. That could be the landing spot should he not find a match in Charlotte, though – a storyline that both the Florida Panthers organization and the hockey world will surely monitor closely.

Trade Deadline Primer: Detroit Red Wings

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With the 4 Nations Face-Off break upon us, the trade deadline looms large and is less than a month away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Detroit Red Wings.

It’s been a tale of two seasons for Detroit. The playoff-hopeful Red Wings started the 2024-25 campaign with a 13-17-4 record, nearly falling to last place in the Eastern Conference. Since relieving former head coach Derek Lalonde of his duties and replacing him with veteran bench boss Todd McLellan, the Red Wings have vaulted themselves back into the playoff conversation. Detroit is holding down the final wild-card spot in the East heading into the 4 Nations Face-Off thanks to a 15-5-1 record under McLellan. The recent hot streak has likely changed Detroit’s trade deadline strategy.

Record

28-22-5, 5th in the Atlantic

Deadline Status

Conservative Buyer/Conservative Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$12,626,183 on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 47/50 contracts used, per PuckPedia.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2025: DET 1st, DET 2nd, NYR 3rd, DET 3rd, DET 5th, DET 6th, STL 7th, DET 7th
2026: DET 1st, DET 2nd, DET 3rd, DET 4th, DET 5th, DET 6th, DET 7th

Trade Chips

The Red Wings are in a position to buy leading up to the trade deadline now that they’re back in the playoff conversation. Still, general manager Steve Yzerman has been known to trade expiring assets even with his eyes set on the playoffs.

Detroit doesn’t have many valuable rental pieces. Patrick Kane’s no-trade clause and looming $1MM performance bonuses (should the acquiring team make the playoffs) will likely drive away most interested parties. Defenseman Jeff Petry’s recent surgery could keep him out of action until a handful of games remain in the regular season, although his $2.34MM salary is more than palatable. Lastly, netminder Alex Lyon may be the most valuable rental asset, but the goalie market and the Red Wings’ desire to win should preclude his name from any trade conversations.

The one established player recently mentioned in trade rumors is winger Vladimir Tarasenko. In last week’s ’Saturday Headlines,’ Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman notes that Tarasenko is a player to monitor, even with his entire no-trade clause in effect this season. The former 40-goal scorer is enthralled in one of the worst statistical seasons of his career, scoring seven goals and 22 points in 53 games in the first year of a two-year, $9.5MM contract signed with Detroit last offseason. Reasonably, assuming the relationship hasn’t proven beneficial for either side, Detroit may work with Tarasenko to send him to a more favorable destination.

If the Red Wings aim to make a strong playoff push this season, they must actively engage with other teams about their prospects. Detroit has not historically been motivated to move their prospects, especially under Yzerman’s regime. Defensive prospects such as Axel Sandin-Pellikka, William Wallinder, and Shai Buium are likely out of the question, given the lack of long-term contracts on the blue line on the NHL roster. Still, the Red Wings could dangle forward prospects such as Nate Danielson, Carter Mazur, or Amadeus Lombardi should the right player become available.

Team Needs

1)  A Right-Handed Defenseman: Although rookie defenseman Albert Johansson has filled in nicely next to Simon Edvinsson on the second-pairing after Petry succumbed to his injury, Detroit would be better served having a more experienced talent on the right side. Moritz Seider and Sandin-Pellikka are assuredly the long-term answers on the right side of the defense, so it may be an opportune time to enter the rental market. Now that Cody Ceci has already joined the Dallas Stars for the rest of the season, Montreal Canadiens’ David Savard and Buffalo Sabres’ Henri Jokiharju may be the remaining options.

2)  A Second Line Center: Despite signing Andrew Copp and J.T. Compher in back-to-back offseasons, the Red Wings have yet to figure out their long-term answer behind Dylan Larkin. Yzerman might believe Marco Kasper will fulfill that role as his game develops, but it’s challenging to rely on that now in his career. Detroit has already been linked to Buffalo’s Dylan Cozens and Vancouver Canucks’ Elias Pettersson. Still, the latter may have already been pulled from the trade block, given their recent trade activity. Casey Mittelstadt of the Colorado Avalanche and Trevor Zegras of the Anaheim Ducks have also been floated as trade candidates this year. At any rate, it might be time for the Red Wings to take a shot.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Blackhawks Haven’t Ruled Out Attempting To Extend Ryan Donato

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The Blackhawks trading pending unrestricted free agent forward Ryan Donato ahead of the March 7 deadline remains the likeliest outcome. It’s not a foregone conclusion, however, as Scott Powers of The Athletic writes Monday.

General manager Kyle Davidson isn’t as sold as moving on from Donato as he was from veteran Taylor Hall, who they sent to the Hurricanes for their own 2025 third-rounder in last month’s three-way Mikko Rantanen deal, Powers reports.

Suppose that’s the best offer they get for Donato. In that case, Powers said, there’s a strong chance they’ll opt to reap instead the benefits of him sticking around as a support player for the rest of the season to avoid overtaxing younger players’ development before engaging in extension talks.

But a first or second-round pick, whether in 2025 or 2026, likely makes it a more prudent move for Davidson to part ways with the winger. As Powers writes, the prospect of Donato sticking around in Chicago is murky. Now 28 and amid a career year, Donato has played for five clubs since entering the league in 2017 and will likely prioritize security on the open market this summer. The Blackhawks, cautious of overcommitting term to veterans outside of a potential big-fish splash in free agency, would rather keep a long-term slot open for one of their developing players rather than give Donato a four- or five-year commitment. If he’s willing to accept a short-term, higher-AAV deal, an approach Chicago has taken multiple times recently with players like Andreas Athanasiou and Jason Dickinson, that fits their short-term outlook.

Donato has already set career highs in goals (19) and points (37) and tied a career-high in assists (18) through 53 games. He’s also spent far more time down the middle than in the past, taking 335 faceoffs with a 46% win rate. The 6’0″ forward also has utility on either wing and plays a more physical game than his reputation begets, ranking third on the team with 89 hits.

Since Mikael Granlund and Marcus Pettersson have already fetched first-rounders on the rental market this year, there’s strong reason to believe Chicago could fetch a second for Donato. A first remains unlikely – Pettersson is arguably a top-10 shutdown defenseman in the league and subsequently agreed to a six-year extension in Vancouver. At the same time, Granlund has produced at a 72-point clip over the past two seasons on a profoundly flawed Sharks roster.

Even then, it’s questionable whether Chicago needs the draft capital more than quality talent to continue supporting players like Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar down the stretch. The Hawks have two second-rounders in this year’s draft and three in 2026. An already-drafted prospect would likely be more enticing to Davidson, but it’s unclear if any Donato suitors would be willing to part ways with one.

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