CHN Daily
Jack’s Daily: Toninato’s Addition; Vanacker Snubbed; NHL Player Polls
It was an intense and eventful practice at Fifth Third Arena on Tuesday, and the Chicago Blackhawks needed it after what transpired over the weekend in Southern California. Head coach Jeff Blashill tinkered with all three defensive pairings for the first time this season, while a veteran forward was recalled from Rockford and participated in the session.
More in the links on why the Blackhawks made the proper choice with their call-up, which allows Nick Lardis to keep developing for the time being in the AHL.
Also in Blackhawks news, a former first-round pick was snubbed by Team Canada for the 2026 World Junior Championship, while another prospect tallied two assists in a win for Providence.
Around the league, The Athletic recently released its NHL Player Polls, Evgeni Malkin is banged up for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Nathan MacKinnon became the first player to reach 50 points this season.
All that & more in the Daily!
Chicago Blackhawks Recap, News & Tidbits
Chicago Hockey Now: Dominic Toninato was recalled from the AHL on Tuesday, and he’s expected to serve as the Chicago Blackhawks‘ 13th forward moving forward. While top prospect Nick Lardis has been lighting it up with the Rockford IceHogs as a rookie, GM Kyle Davidson made the correct decision by calling up Toninato.
More CHN: ICYMI, the Blackhawks wisely assigned defenseman Sam Rinzel and Landon Slaggert to the AHL on Monday afternoon. It’s a justified decision, considering that both youngsters were playing minimal roles in the NHL recently.
More CHN: After a disastrous end to the four-game West Coast road trip, the Blackhawks return home to the United Center on Wednesday and face off with the New York Rangers. Here’s CHN’s Game Preview of the Original Six matchup, where Connor Bedard and Artemi Panarin clash in Chicago.
In other prospects news, 2025 fourth-round pick Julius Sumpf tallied two assists in Providence’s 4-2 win over Brown on Tuesday night. Sumpf now has eight points (2G, 6A) in 16 games as a 20-year-old freshman for the Friars.
NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now
The Athletic: Over 100 anonymous NHL players were recently polled on various topics, including where Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby will play next when each of their contracts concludes. Here’s where fellow NHLers think the two superstars end up.
Sportsnet: Tuesday night was filled with close-contested matchups across the league. In four different NHL games, one team forced overtime with a game-tying goal in the final 15 seconds of regulation, which is a league record. It was not a fun night for fans who tend to leave games before the final horn sounds.
Pro Hockey Rumors: On Monday’s edition of 32 Thoughts, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Los Angeles Kings could be looking for a change-of-scenery trade involving center Phillip Danault. Friedman suggested the sturdy defensive forward would be open to a trade.
Colorado Hockey Now: In a bizarre series of events, the Colorado Avalanche needed their backup goaltender to enter the game in a shootout after starter Scott Wedgewood was injured in the first round. The Avalanche went on to lose the shootout to the Nashville Predators, but Nathan MacKinnon tallied two points to become the first player to reach 50 points this season.
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: In successive days, Pittsburgh Penguins star forward Evgeni Malkin has gone from taking a maintenance day on Saturday to being ruled day-to-day on Sunday, and now he’s been placed on injured reserve. That’s a brutal loss for the Penguins, as Malkin is the team’s second-leading scorer on the season.
NHL.com: Speaking of the Penguins, Beckett Sennecke scored with 0.1 seconds left in regulation to force overtime in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. The Ducks wound up winning 4-3 in a shootout and have now claimed three consecutive victories. Sennecke is the first rookie in the NHL to reach 25 points this season.
TSN: Darren Dreger reported that Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck could return to game action as early as next week. Hellebuyck, last year’s Hart Trophy and Vezina Trophy winner, underwent Arthroscopic knee surgery in mid-November. The Jets are just 3-7-1 in 11 games since he suffered the injury.
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