Morning Chirps: Pridham Scores a Michigan Goal, Rash of Injuries Across the NHL

The Chicago Blackhawks have the day off today after their losing streak hit four games last night. They will be back in action at the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday. Meanwhile, Tuesday was a bad night on the injury front, with numerous key players leaving their games.

Blackhawks Chirps

• Seth Jones had another honest media scrum after the Blackhawks’ 2-1 loss in Utah. He is sick of the losing, but that doesn’t guarantee a trade out of town.
• Scott Powers of The Athletic got some input from a pair of scouts on Nick Lardis’ NHL potential. It’s a very good read from two professionals who are not wearing Blackhawks-tinted sunglasses.
• Jack Pridham went viral on Tuesday night as he scored a Michigan goal for the Kitchener Ranges. The highlight-reel goal was his 21^st in the OHL this season.

• The Blackhawks have five prospects nominated for the Hobey Baker Award, given to the best college hockey player every year. The voting process is in its second phase, where online fan voting trims the field down to 10 players. Ryan Greene is currently second in voting at 14.4%. Michigan State forward and Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Isaac Howard leads with 15.1% of the vote.

• Marco D’Amico of RG listed the Blackhawks as a possible suitor for center Jake Evans. Giving assets at the trade deadline for the soon-to-be free agent doesn’t make much sense. The 28-year-old is a solid bottom-six center with a decent scoring touch. If the Blackhawks want to add him to the mix, they should just wait until the summer, when it only costs money.
• On this date in 1947, Doug and Max Bentley combined for seven goals and 10 points in a 9-7 win over the New York Rangers.
• Two decades later, on Feb. 26, 1967, the Montreal Canadiens needed the help of taxi cabs and police cars to get to the Chicago Stadium after their charter bus failed to show up at the team hotel. They skated to a 2-2 with the Blackhawks after they arrived.

NHL Chirps

• The road to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the Detroit Red Wings got tougher as they will be without the services of Andrew Copp for the rest of the season. The veteran forward underwent successful surgery on Tuesday to repair a torn pectoral muscle. This could put the Red Wings in the market to acquire a center before the trade deadline.
• Nashville Predators general manager Barry Trotz had an interesting interview on 102.5 The Game yesterday. He said he didn’t regret taking a big swing last summer. However, he said he recently told his top players that they’re either in for the long haul or they will be moved. It sure sounds like everyone is fair game in Nashville. 
• Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar told Megan Angley of Guerilla Sports that Valeri Nichushkin will be an option when they play the New Jersey Devils later tonight. He has been out of the lineup for nearly two months with a lower-body injury after missing the first 17 games of the season while entering the Players Assistance Program.  The Avalanche desperately needs scoring, so activating Nichushkin will be like making a trade without giving up anything.
• According to Josh Yohe of The Athletic, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Davidson would trade defenseman Erik Karlsson “in a heartbeat” if a deal comes up. Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now supports the idea of trading Karlsson.
• Tuesday was a rough night across the NHL as the following players all left their respective games due to injury: Roman Josi (NSH, upper body), Adam Fox (NYR, upper body), K’Andre Miller (NYR, lower body), Chris Tanev (TOR, upper body), William Nylander (TOR, undisclosed), Josh Anderson (MTL, upper body), and Trent Frederic (BOS, undisclosed).