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Morning Chirps: Sorensen Responds to Hall, Boqvist Waived, Special Moment for Fleury

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Anders Sorensen addressing the media after practice at the Chicago Blackhawks prospect camp.

The Chicago Blackhawks could not win back-to-back road games for only the second time this season. Today, they will hit the practice rink before Saturday’s matinee against the Florida Panthers. Plenty of interesting comments were made before the game that we’ll put a bow on. Plus, we’ve got updates on former Blackhawks who have fallen out of favor with their most recent teams.



Blackhawks Chirps

  • The effort certainly wasn’t an issue for the Blackhawks in Carolina last night. Their passive mindset with the puck has been a problem all season, and it cost them again versus the Hurricanes.
  • The Blackhawks were supposed to face their former teammate Taylor Hall, but he was a late scratch due to illness. He was well enough to take the morning skate and made some interesting comments, including that his role diminished because of the recent influx of younger talent. Interim head coach Anders Sorensen said the two had some conversations about the veteran’s expectations and didn’t agree with his assessment.

“It’s opportunities for everybody. We’re not looking at what age you are. But if you’re playing well and contributing the way we expect you to, then you’ll get your opportunities.”  

  • Seth Jones has been on quite the roll since playing his worst game of the season against the Calgary Flames on Jan. 13. In the six games since he has two goals and nine points and is a plus-4. He had a simple explanation for his outstanding play of late.

“It starts with my breakouts and finding options there, putting guys in good spots. And then it goes to the neutral zone and my game works up from there. I’m trying to find offensive plays when I can, but it starts defensively, having a good stick all over the ice and keeping pucks out of my net.”

  • Nick Lardis has been showing up on nearly a daily basis. He scored his OHL-leading 42nd goal Thursday night. However, 2024 first-round pick Marek Vanacker stole the show for the Brantford Bulldogs by scoring twice, including the game-winning goal in a 3-2 victory over North Bay.
  • On this date in 1963, two of the biggest Blackhawks legends notched hat tricks in a 9-2 thrashing of the Boston Bruins. Stan Mikita scored his first hat trick, while Bobby Hull had his career eighth three-goal.

NHL Chirps

  • The most talked about play of the week came Tuesday night when Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone dove at the knees of Dallas Stars top defenseman Miro Heiskanen. Stone says Roope Hintz tripped him, but the debate has raged over whether this was a dirty play or an unfortunate accident. Stars head coach Pete DeBoer told 96.7 The Ticket that Heiskanen will require surgery, but he’s optimistic the injury is not season-ending.
  • Heiskanen will not compete for Finland in the 4 Nations Face-Off. All four countries announced their captains on Thursday. Auston Matthews (USA), Sidney Crosby (Canada), Aleksander Barkov (Finland), and Victor Hedman (Sweden) will wear Cs during the tournament. It’s hard to argue with those choices. However, Quinn Hughes not being named an alternate captain for Team USA feels like a snub.
  • Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported that the four teams that could be the most interested in signing Brandon Saad are the Vegas Golden Knights, Toronto Maple Leafs, New Jersey Devils, and Tampa Bay Lightning.
  • Adam Boqvist was placed on waivers by the Panthers yesterday. The 24-year-old defenseman has played only 18 games for Florida. He was originally selected eighth overall by the Blackhawks in 2018. Former general manager Stan Bowman can be criticized for making that big, but the trade he made with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2021 was a massive win for the Blackhawks. The Blue Jackets moved on from Boqvist and traded David Jiricek. Cole Sillinger has been fine with 39 goals and 97 points in 265 games. Meanwhile, Jones and Nolan Allan are staples on the blue line in Chicago.
  • Here’s a fun fact: Ryan Suzuki made his NHL debut against the Blackhawks last night, which meant all 31 players taken in the first round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft have now played in the NHL.
  • Finally, the fans and players in Montreal gave the hockey world a cool moment. Future Hall of Fame goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury made his final appearance in his hometown and shut out the Canadiens. Despite losing a tough game, the Habs lined up to shake his hand while the Montreal faithful gave him a standing ovation.