Morning Chirps: More Peterka Smoke, Busy Day for Stars

One trusted insider confirmed that the Chicago Blackhawks are in the mix for one of the top players on the trade block this summer. One Central Division rival had a busy day, but still has a ton of work to do before the fall, while another might be close to trading away a young player. Enjoy your Friday Chirps!

Blackhawks Chirps

• Will Horcoff checks a lot of boxes for what the Blackhawks’ prospect pool lacks. Check out his Blackhawks Draft Profile to see if he’s a good choice with the 25^th overall pick.
• According to Scott Powers of The Athletic, Ryan Donato’s contract includes a 10-team no-trade list in the first year, an eight-team list for the second and third years, and no trade protection in the final season.
• Frank Seravalli reported on the latest episode of Daily Faceoff Rundown that the Blackhawks are one of the teams “squarely in the mix” for Buffalo Sabres forward JJ Peterka. He listed the New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vancouver Canucks, and New York Rangers as the other teams showing interest.
• On this date in 1992, the Blackhawks selected forward Sergei Krivokrasov with the 12^th overall pick of the NHL Entry Draft. He is best remembered for overtime playoff goals against the Colorado Avalanche in 1996 and 1997. They followed up that pick by taking Jeff Shantz in the second round. The only other members for the 1992 draft to play with the Blackhawks were Sergei Klimovich (1 game played) and Mike Prokopec (15 GP).

• In 2008, the NHL Entry Draft took place in Ottawa. The Blackhawks selected forward Kyle Beach with the 11^th overall pick. The most successful member of this rather unspectacular draft class was sixth-round pick Ben Smith, who had 23 goals and 39 points in 156 games for the Blackhawks.
• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, June 20: Colin Delia.

NHL Chirps

• Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill was busy on Thursday. First, he signed forward Matt Duchene to a four-year contract extension, with a $4.5 million AAV. Many quickly pointed out the no state income tax in Texas as the reason for the discounted cap hit. While that is a factor, a bigger reason Duchene signed for less than market value is that he is still getting paid by the Nashville Predators. He is still owed $11 million over the next four seasons, including $6.56 million this year.
• A few hours later, Nill traded forward Mason Marchment to the Seattle Kraken for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2025 fourth-round pick. The move freed up $4.5 million in cap space for Dallas, the exact amount given to Duchene. According to PuckPedia, the Stars have $4.95 million in cap space and only have eight forwards under contract for next season.
• It doesn’t sound like Jason Robertson will be moved out to create cap space. Elliotte Friedman reported on SN590 AM that the Stars did test the market on Robertson. However, they’ve decided to try to re-sign him after knowing what the offers were.
• According to Michael Russo and Joe Smith from The Athletic and Patrick Johnston of The Province, the Vancouver Canucks have made a formal trade offer for Minnesota Wild forward Marco Rossi. The concrete details of the potential trade are unknown, but it’s believed that the 15^th overall pick and a player have been offered.
• The Ottawa Senators signed forward Fabian Zetterlund to a three-year contract extension with a $4.275 million AAV. The 25-year-old scored 19 goals and 41 points in 84 games between the San Jose Sharks and Senators.
• Love him or hate him, you can’t deny Brad Marchand’s personality.