Morning Chirps: Maroon Wants to Stay, Crosby Passes Blackhawks Legend

The Chicago Blackhawks were off yesterday as they traveled back from Anaheim. They will be back at the United Center tonight to host the Los Angeles Kings. We’ll have a full preview after morning skate concludes. With the NHL trade deadline on Friday, the rumor mill is hotter than ever. Let’s get you caught up with some fresh Chirps!

Blackhawks Chirps

• Kyle Davidson pulled off a massive trade on Saturday night by sending Seth Jones to the Florida Panthers. Everybody wants to declare an instant winner in these deals, but this was a trade that the Blackhawks, Panthers, and Jones all won. I gave my breakdown and what it means for the Blackhawks going forward.
• You might want to take Pat Maroon off your trade board. According to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, Maroon has implied that he prefers not to be traded and believes Davidson will do what’s right.
• February wasn’t the best month for the Blackhawks. Things appeared to be trending in the right direction, but they got derailed by the 4 Nations Face-Off break, leading to a 1-5-2 record. Despite the lack of results, there were still some fun moments, as the Blackhawks gave us their Top Plays of the Month.
• Happy 67^th Birthday to Al Secord! He played 466 games for the Blackhawks in the 80s, scoring 213 goals and 373 points while racking up 1,426 points. Secord was a fan favorite as he could beat you with his shot and fists. He had three seasons with at least 40 goals, including 54 during the 1982-83 season. In 1987, he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs with Eddie Olczyk for Bob McGill, Steve Thomas, and Rick Vaive.

NHL Chirps

• The Panthers placed forward Matthew Tkachuk on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury suffered at the 4 Nations Face-Off. With the move, Florida now has $8.7 million in cap space, so they can make another significant move before the deadline if they believe Tkachuk isn’t coming back until the postseason.
• The New York Rangers held forward Rielly Smith out of their game Sunday against the Nashville Predators for what Pierre LeBrun called “trade deadline reasons.” The Rangers won the game 4-0, with goaltender Jonathan Quick earning his 800^th career victory.
• Speaking of the Predators, according to LeBrun, they are listening to offers on veteran center Ryan O’Reilly. They aren’t actively shopping the 34-year-old but are open to doing so if the right offer is made. O’Rielly still has two years left on his contract after this season, with a $4.5 million cap hit.
• LeBrun also mentioned that the Washington Capitals could be looking to add a depth forward before the deadline. They could be a team interested in the services of Ryan Donato.
• Sidney Crosby made more history in the Penguins’ 6-5 overtime loss to the Maple Leafs. The future Hall of Famer recorded two assists to move past Bobby Hull and Gordie Howe into 10^th place on the all-time assists list with 1,050. He needs 13 helpers to catch Steve Yzerman in ninth place.