Morning Chirps: Boisvert Honored, MacKinnon Gives Insight on Bedard, Marchand Skates

The Chicago Blackhawks had Tuesday off following their 3-0 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Monday. They will practice later today in San Jose, ahead of tomorrow’s game against the Sharks. Let’s start your morning off with a fresh batch of Chirps!

Blackhawks Chirps

• Mark Lazerus of The Athletic chatted with Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon, who struggled to produce points as a teenager in the NHL. In fact, Bedard has had better numbers in his first two seasons than the reigning Hart Trophy winner did.
• The Blackhawks released the latest episode of Every Shift, which gives some great behind-the-scenes look at the trade deadline. It was also revealed that general manager Kyle Davidson recently had a procedure to replace a pulmonary valve in his heart during the 4 Nations Face-Off break.

• Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times caught up with goaltending prospect Adam Gajan. The 2023 second-round pick has had a rough freshman season at the University of Minnesota-Duluth between poor numbers and an injury. However, he has played much better of late. Gajan and the Bulldogs are the seventh seed in the NCHC tournament and will play Arizona State in the best-of-three quarterfinals.
• Speaking of prospects, 2024 first-round pick Sacha Boisvert was named to the NCHC All-Rookie Team. He was one of two unanimous selections after scoring 16 goals and 28 points during his freshman season. North Dakota is the fifth seed in the NCHC tournament and will play Omaha in the quarterfinals.
• Bobby Hull made March 12 his personal playground during his Hall of Fame career. On this date in 1961, he became the third-fastest player in NHL history to score 100 career goals. Five years later, Hull became the first player to score 51 goals in a season. In 1969, he extended his team-record goal-scoring streak to 10 games in a 4-1 loss to the visiting Oakland Seals.
• On March 12, 2022, Patrick Kane recorded three assists in a 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators to move past Hull as the second-leading scorer in franchise history.

NHL Chirps

• Brad Marchand participated in the Florida Panthers’ morning skate on Tuesday at his old place of business, the TD Garden in Boston. This marked the first time he skated with his new teammates, but there is still no timetable for his return from an upper-body injury. The Panthers hope he’ll make his team debut before the regular season ends.
• William James of Philadelphia Hockey Now took a dive into defenseman Jamie Drysdale’s recent uptick in offensive production.
• The Detroit Red Wings have a logjam at the goaltending position, including the recently acquired Petr Mrazek. Even with the plethora of netminders, Kevin Allen of Detroit Hockey Now doesn’t think 2021 first-round pick Sebastian Cossa’s path to the NHL is blocked.
• Marc Dumont of Montreal Hockey Now gave his honest analysis of the Canadiens’ chances of making the Stanley Cup Playoffs.