CHN Daily
Jack’s Daily: Canada Adds Bennett; Panarin Rumors; Behm’s Five-Point Game
Just two days remain before the NHL enters the Olympic break, and the Chicago Blackhawks will play their final game until Feb. 26 on Wednesday night in Columbus.
After losing 4-2 to the Blue Jackets in Chicago just five days ago, the Blackhawks seek revenge at Nationwide Arena and will look to split the two-game season series. Captain Nick Foligno, who spent nine years with the Blue Jackets and donned the “C” for the final six, is trending towards a return after missing the last two games with an undisclosed injury.
More in the links for the latest on Foligno’s status for Wednesday, and the line changes made by head coach Jeff Blashill during Tuesday’s practice session.
Also in Blackhawks prospects news, Nathan Behm reached the 70-point plateau in the WHL, while a video surfaced of Vaclav Nestrasil getting injured over the weekend for UMass.
Around the league, the trade rumors around Artemi Panarin are beginning to pick up steam, Team Canada named a replacement for Anthony Cirelli, and Chris Johnston dropped his Olympic freeze trade board.
All that & more in the Daily!
Chicago Blackhawks Recap, News & Tidbits
Chicago Hockey Now: Despite coming off a 6-3 win over the San Jose Sharks, head coach Jeff Blashill still tinkered with his forward lines at practice on Tuesday. Oliver Moore is getting another look in the top six, while captain Nick Foligno looks ready to rejoin the lineup against his former team. Here’s the latest from the Blackhawks‘ final session before the Olympics.
More CHN: Speaking of the win against San Jose, Chicago’s third line of Ryan Donato, Jason Dickinson, and Ilya Mikheyev combined for 10 points in the 6-3 victory. It was the first time the Blackhawks scored more than three goals in a game since Jan. 7.
More CHN: The Blackhawks’ depth scoring finally came alive, with five of the six goals being scored by bottom-six forwards or defensemen. Connor Bedard didn’t have the most impactful performance, but he still extended both his goal and point streaks. More on how Chicago’s offense came alive, plus Bedard making more history, in the Hawks Hits.
In WHL news, prospect Nathan Behm recorded five assists in the Kamloops Blazers 11-1 beatdown over the Victoria Royals. Behm is now solo third in the league in scoring this season, with 70 points (28G, 42A) in 48 games.
In NCAA news, a video surfaced of 2025 first-round pick Vaclav Nestrasil receiving a high hit into the boards during UMass’ 6-4 win over UMass-Lowell on Sunday. The Minutemen have yet to provide an update on Nestrasil’s status. He was forced to leave the game in the first period and did not return. Nestrasil, 18, has 23 points (11G, 12A) in 26 games as a freshman this season.
NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now
The Athletic: The clock is ticking around the league, as the NHL Olympic roster freeze goes into effect at 2 p.m. CT later this afternoon. Here’s Chris Johnston’s trade board 6.0, breaking down which players, such as Artemi Panarin, could be dealt before the deadline. Three Blackhawks are among the 50 players mentioned.
TSN: Speaking of Panarin, it appears that his desire to sign a multi-year contract extension, reportedly wanting somewhere in the ballpark of $40-50 million, is scaring teams away from acquiring him via trade. Hmm, you don’t say. There doesn’t seem to be anything imminent evolving for the Breadman.
NHLtraderumors: Here are six teams reportedly still interested in trading for Panarin, which includes the Washington Capitals. Elliotte Friedman reports that the Capitals are willing to give Panarin the money he is looking for, but will the Russian winger want to sign there?
Sportsnet: Tampa Bay Lightning forward Anthony Cirelli has been ruled out for the Olympics after suffering an injury in the Stadium Series game against the Boston Bruins earlier this week. Team Canada has officially replaced Cirelli with Florida Panthers two-time Stanley Cup champion forward Sam Bennett, who also recently got banged up. Apparently, there’s no concern over Bennett missing the tournament.
NHL.com: Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen won’t be able to suit up for Team Sweden at the Olympics next week due to a lower-body injury. UPL got hurt in the first period against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 27.
Boston Hockey Now: With Luukkonen ruled out for the Olympics, Finland added Boston Bruins netminder Joonas Korpisalo to their roster on Tuesday.
More NHL.com: It’s been a jaw-dropping start to the New Year for Nikita Kucherov. The Lightning forward tallied one goal and three assists in a 4-3 comeback win over the Sabres on Wednesday, recording helpers on the game-tying and game-winning goals. Kucherov now has 39 points (11G, 28A) since the calendar flipped to 2026.
Philly Hockey Now: There’s been tons of noise recently surrounding Philadelphia Flyers forward Matvei Michkov. With the noise only growing on Tuesday, GM Danny Briere addressed the media before Tuesday’s game against the Washington Capitals.
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