Morning Chirps: High Price Set for Donato, Bad Day for Devils

The Chicago Blackhawks will get back on the ice to practice this morning, which could be the last time this current roster is together. The lineup could look very different when they host the Utah Hockey Club tomorrow night. Let’s get to the chirps and all the trade action and rumors around the NHL.

Blackhawks Chirps

• There was more to talk about after last night’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators than there was during it. Get all the details directly from the United Center, including clarification on the goaltending situation going forward.
• The Blackhawks have a valuable trade chip in Ryan Donato, but, as I wrote yesterday, they should only trade him if someone is willing to overpay.
• Frank Servalli was on the CHSN pregame show to share the latest he’s been hearing about the Blackhawks. First, he mentioned there is a lot of interest in Donato, but the Blackhawks are being patient and holding out for a first-round pick. This is the correct way to do it. Next, Seravalli said the Blackhawks are willing to give goaltender Petr Mrazek away for free, but his cap hit and addition year will make a deal unlikely until the summer. Finally, Lukas Reichel is garnering interest, but the Blackhawks prefer a player-for-player swap, not a late-round draft pick.

NHL Chirps

• Wednesday was a rough day for the New Jersey Devils. So much so that they might go from buyers to sellers. First, they announced that Jack Hughes underwent successful shoulder surgery and will miss the remainder of the season. He will be ready for training camp in the fall. Later on, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that defenseman Dougie Hamilton is week-to-week with a lower-body injury. James Nichols wrote how the Hughes injury impacts the Devils’ trade deadline strategy at New Jersey Hockey Now.
• Utah had a busy day as they continue to hand out contract extensions after giving one to defenseman Olli Maatta on Monday. Center Alex Kerfoot (one year, $3 million), defenseman Ian Cole (one year, $2.8 million), and goaltender Karel Vejmelka (five years, $4.75 million AAV) all got new paper on Wednesday.
• The Tampa Bay Lightning acquired an old friend. They traded forward Michael Eyssimont, two first-round picks (2026 & 2027), and a 2025 second-round pick to the Seattle Kraken for forwards Yanni Gourde (50% salary retained) and Oliver Bjorkstrand. They also sent a fourth-round pick to the Detroit Red Wings to retain another 25% of Gourde’s salary. That is a huge price for 22 combined goals and 54 total points, but we’ve seen Tampa overpay in the past.
• The Florida Panthers filled the void left by sending Spencer Knight to the Blackhawks by sending rookie forward Patrick Giles to the San Jose Sharks for goaltender Vitek Vanecek. They also signed forward Jesse Puljujarvi, who was on a PTO with their AHL affiliate, to a one-year, two-way contract.  
• Finally, two teams with their tires spinning in the mud, the Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins, made a trade on Wednesday. The Penguins shipped forward Michael Bunting and a 2026 fourth-round pick to Music City for center Tommy Novak and defenseman Luke Schenn. Dan Kingerski has the full trade analysis at Pittsburgh Hockey Now.