Morning Chirps: Dach Recalled, Levshunov Suspended, Jones Trade Talk

The Chicago Blackhawks had the day off as they traveled to Salt Lake City for the first of three straight road games, starting tonight against the Utah Hockey Club. However, there was still plenty of news on the off day, including a roster move, an AHL suspension, and more trade speculation. Let’s get to the Chirps!

Blackhawks Chirps

• Before getting on the plane for Utah, the Blackhawks recalled forward Colton Dach from the Rockford IceHogs. He has a goal and four points in 13 NHL games this season.
• The American Hockey League suspended IceHogs defenseman Artyom Levshunov for one game for his cross-checking incident against the Chicago Wolves on Sunday. He will miss Friday night’s game versus the Tucson Roadrunners.

• Elliotte Friedman shared what he’s heard on the Seth Jones trade front on the latest episode of 32 Thoughts. He said Jones had not provided Kyle Davidson with any trade list, and Jones’ camp started the discussions. The NHL’s top insider added that the Blackhawks are ok with keeping Jones on the team if the right deal can’t be found. That is the correct attitude to have. Set your price; if you don’t get it, he stays.
• Sticking with Jones, The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus claims Davidson has “absolutely no interest” in retaining up to half of his salary in any trade.  
• Ben Pope of the Sun-Times recently interviewed Blackhawks prospect Dominic James, who intends to turn pro after his college season ends.
• On this date in 1987, Doug Wilson broke Pierre Pilote’s team record for most assists by a defenseman when he picked up his 401st helper in a 3-3 tie with the Montreal Canadiens.  

NHL Chirps

• NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman reduced Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman’s 10-game suspension by two games. He is now eligible to return on March 4 versus the Seattle Kraken.
• Speaking of suspensions, Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras was handed a three-game banishment for his hit to the head of Detroit Red Wings forward Michael Rasmussen. According to Kevin Allen of Detroit Hockey Now, there is no new update on Rasmussen’s status. He did not return to the game after Zegras’ hit.

• There were no hard feelings between the Ducks and Red Wings because they completed a trade on Monday. Detroit sent goaltender Ville Husso to Anaheim for future considerations. The three-year, $14.5 million contract Steve Yzerman gave him in 2022 might go down as one of the worst he dished out in the Motor City. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reported that this deal has nothing to do with any potential John Gibson trade. The San Diego Gulls need a goalie, and the Ducks want their AHL affiliate to make the playoffs.
• Pierre Lebrun of The Athletic reported that the Carolina Hurricanes are not telling teams they might trade Mikko Rantanen if they can’t sign him to an extension. He added that the Hurricanes made a “detailed pitch” to Rantanen and his agent during the 4 Nations break. Carolina knows the veteran forward was blindsided by the trade last month and needs time to get used to his new surroundings.
• The Winnipeg Jets made history with their 2-1 overtime win against the San Jose Sharks. The victory was their 10^th in a row, the longest winning in franchise history. Mark Scheifele’s game-winning goal was the 329^th over his career, passing Ilya Kovalchuk for the most in Jets/Atlanta Thrashers history. Few players in the NHL today are more clutch than Scheifele.