Morning Chirps: Landon Slaggert Recalled, Seth Jones Insight

The Chicago Blackhawks are off today after a 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild last night. General manager Kyle Davidson will meet the media this morning while the team gets ready to head out on a three-game road trip. Let’s get caught up in the happenings all around the hockey world.

Blackhawks Chirps

• In case you missed it last night, our full recap of Sunday’s loss direct from the United Center is available here.
• Two hours before Sunday’s game, the Blackhawks recalled Landon Slaggert from the Rockford IceHogs. He has 10 goals and 25 points in 39 games. Slaggert scored a goal and four points in 16 games with the Blackhawks last season.
• Connor Bedard picked up his 30^th assist on Seth Jones’ power-play goal last night. He became the second-fastest teenager in team history to record 30 assists, doing so in 49 games. Patrick Kane did it in 40 games in the 2007-08 season.
• Captain Nick Foligno had a costly unsportsmanlike penalty last night. After he was called for holding Minnesota star Kirill Kaprizov, he had a very animated protest. While it made you laugh in the moment, it got him an extra two-minute penalty. The Wild scored the game-winning goal during that second penalty. “He’s got to be better there,” interim head coach Anders Sorensen said of the sequence.

• Frank Seravalli had more insight into the recent Jones trade rumors during CHSN’s pregame show. He said general managers see the rumors on social media and pick up the phone to see what’s happening. Seravalli said Jones may be dealt before the March 7 deadline, but the Blackhawks don’t want to retain any salary in a trade, which makes it less likely that one is made.
• There is a long way to go between now and the start of NHL free agency on July 1, but it’s never too early to start gauging the market. That’s what Scott Powers and Mark Lazerus of The Athletic did. They believe Mikko Rantanen and Mitch Marner are on Davidson‘s radar. They actually have to hit the market first, and there is a good chance neither one does.  Nikolaj Ehlers, Brock Boeser, Brock Nelson, Brad Marchand, and John Tavares were also listed as potential targets. They will have plenty of cap space to be big players this summer. Powers and Lazerus also mentioned T.J. Brodie and Laurent Brossoit as possible buyout candidates.
• On this date in 1960, Glenn Hall appeared in his 329^th straight game for the Blackhawks, breaking Montreal Canadiens’ legend Georges Vezina’s record for most consecutive games played by a goaltender. Hall played 502 straight games before coming out of the lineup, a record that will never be broken.
• On Jan. 27, 1992, Brent Sutter scored his 300^th career goal in a 4-3 overtime win against the Calgary Flames. Two years later. Michel Goulet recorded his 600^th NHL assist in a 4-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings.
• Happy 58^th birthday to former Blackhawks defenseman Dave Manson!

NHL Chirps

• The Vegas Golden Knights announced that defenseman Alex Pietrangelo is withdrawing from the 4 Nations Face-Off to tend to an ailment and prepare for the remainder of the regular season. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Team Canada is working on naming Pietrangelo’s replacement.
• The Vancouver Canucks have provided hockey writers around the league with a ton of content this season. J.T. Miller has been at the forefront of the trade rumor mill, but Elias Pettersson is another name floating around. Frankly, Pettersson is the far more attractive trade target. Friedman reported that the Buffalo Sabres are among the teams showing interest in Pettersson. Let’s hope the Blackhawks get added to that list. Pettersson would solve a lot of problems in Chicago for years to come.
• Don’t look now, but the Ottawa Senators are up to third place in the tight Atlantic Division standings. This is the latest in the season that they’ve been in a top-three spot since the 2016-17 season. Danny McCloskey of Ottawa Hockey Now says buying into Travis Green’s defensive system is a big reason for their success.