CHN Daily
Jack’s Daily: Blackhawks Trade Board, Panarin Held Out By Rangers
Trade activity has ramped up recently around the NHL with the Olympic roster freeze kicking in next week. Buyers are starting to make moves for a second-half playoff push, while sellers are beginning to trade away players for future assets.
The Chicago Blackhawks are fully expected to remain sellers ahead of the 2026 trade deadline, even though they’ve earned a point in nine of 14 games in January. There are several players on expiring contracts who are likely to be dealt, including three mentioned in Chris Johnston’s latest trade board 5.0 that dropped on Wednesday.
More in the links to see which Blackhawks were mentioned by Johnston, and whether a trade could be made before all NHL rosters are locked on Feb. 4.
Also in Blackhawks news, prospect Jack Pridham continued his red-hot run for the Kitchener Rangers and is closing in on being the leading scorer in the OHL.
Around the league, Artemi Panarin’s time with the Rangers is nearing an end, Ondrej Palat had an impactful debut with the Islanders, while another NHL hat trick was recorded on Wednesday by Flyers forward Travis Konecny.
All that & more in the Daily!
Chicago Blackhawks Recap, News & Tidbits
Chicago Hockey Now: Chris Johnston of The Athletic dropped his trade board 5.0, and three Chicago Blackhawks were among the 40 players listed. All three are on expiring contracts; however, there’s a chance only two actually get traded.
More CHN: ICYMI, the Blackhawks suffered a disastrous defeat in their last appearance on Tuesday, blowing a 3-0 lead en route to a 4-3 shootout loss to the Minnesota Wild. It was an unacceptable result, considering how well the Hawks played throughout the game.
More CHN: While this team isn’t interested in silver linings and/or moral victories, there was plenty to be encouraged about from Tuesday, despite falling short of the win. Connor Bedard had his best game since returning from injury and clicked with Frank Nazar on the top line, while the defense had another stout showing.
In prospects news, Jack Pridham tallied a primary assist in Kitchener’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Owen Sound Attack on Wednesday. At first, it appeared that Pridham had scored his 32nd tally of the season, only for the scorekeepers to change the goal and give it to Sam O’Reilly. Still, Pridham now has 19 points (8G, 11A) in his last nine games, which has him closing in on the OHL scoring lead. Pridham is tied for second in the league with 61 points, just one point back of first-place Nathan Aspinall.
NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now
The Athletic: Corey Pronman recently released an updated prospect ranking for the 2026 NHL Draft, and it wasn’t Gavin McKenna who came in at No. 1. In fact, McKenna didn’t even crack Pronman’s top three. Check out who’s currently ahead of him, in Pronman’s eyes, at least.
Forever Blueshirts: Artemi Panarin’s time with the New York Rangers is coming to an end. With the Rangers announcing a retool and Panarin’s contract expiring this summer, they’ve elected to move on. Panarin was held out of the lineup on Wednesday for “roster-related reasons.” A trade is likely coming soon.
ESPN: Over on Long Island, Ondrej Palat had a terrific debut with the New York Islanders, scoring a goal and adding an assist in a 5-2 win over the Rangers. Carson Soucy, who was traded from the Rangers to the Islanders earlier this week, had two shots on goal and two hits in his team debut, which fittingly came against his former club.
Detroit Hockey Now: In a curious move made by GM Steve Yzerman, defensive defenseman Ben Chiarot signed a three-year contract extension with the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday. The 34-year-old’s new deal carries a $3.9 million cap hit and runs through the 2028-29 season. Interesting.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Tonight’s opponent, the Pittsburgh Penguins, will be without forward Bryan Rust, as he’s been suspended for three games after dishing an illegal check on Brock Boeser during Sunday’s game. Head coach Dan Muse was critical of the decision to suspend Rust for so long.
Philly Hockey Now: Travis Konecny’s hat trick was not enough for the Philadelphia Flyers, as they lost 5-3 to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday. Konecny’s hat trick was the 29th by an NHL player in January 2026, which ties December 1985 for the most in a single calendar month. Will the record get broken over the next three days before February begins?
Toronto Hockey Now: How bad have things gotten for the Toronto Maple Leafs? Head coach Craig Berube called a closed-door meeting with the Leafs ‘Leadership group’ ahead of their big matchup with the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night.
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