Chicago Blackhawks Morning Links- What Just Happened

Good morning Chicago Blackhawks fans! It was barely lunchtime yesterday, and my only question was What Just Happened? 

For a while we had heard that the Chicago Blackhawks were going to be moving a key core player, but after Marian Hossa announced he wasn’t playing next year due to a skin disease, I believed we thought Stan Bowman was done making any big moves.

Well, I was far from right as you can possibly be!  Stan kicked off the morning announcing the trade that sent Niklas Hjalmarsson to the Arizona Coyotes which was a total shock to all Chicago Blackhawks fans! The move made the Hawks defense younger and cheaper, but it didn’t make them better that’s for sure.

My only real thought about Hjalmarsson getting moved is that the coaching staff and/or Bowman felt like his skills were starting to diminish, but it’s still a tough pill to swallow seeing #4 leave Chicago.

More from Blackhawks News

• Blackhawks vs Flames: Date, Time, Lineup, Betting Odds, More
• Three Takeaways from the Blackhawks’ Win vs Vancouver
• Blackhawks: Why Derek King is the Right Coach moving forward
• Marc-Andre Fleury Carries the Blackhawks to a 4-2 Win vs Seattle
• Instant Reaction: Blackhawks top Kraken for first time in history

As soon as that trade was announced it was already being announced that Brandon Saad/Artemi Panarin trade was a done deal.

Yes, Panarin is a better scorer, but I miss Brandon Saad’s speed and 2 way play, and to be honest without Hossa, Saad is a player that can be #81’s replacement.

More from Blackhawk Up

• Blackhawks: Three Noticeable Improvements in Comeback Win vs Blues
• Blackhawks: Key Takeaways from 3-2 win over the Blues
• Blackhawks: Grading Connor Murphy and a position comparison
• Blackhawks: Shuffling the lines to try and spark offense at 5 on 5
• These Lineup Changes could Solve the Blackhawks’ Scoring Problem

What a wild a crazy day that ended with the 2017 NHL draft taking place at the United Center.  It’s time to take a deep breath! So here are some morning links to kick off your weekend!

Stan Bowman called Friday a very hard emotional day which is an understatement (Blackhawks)

The Chicago Blackhawks traded down 3 spots to take a Finnish Defenseman with pick #29 (Tribune)

Brandon Saad is coming back to Chicago being the one that got away (Committed Indian)

Gary Bettman had fun egging on the fans at the United Center at the NHL Draft (Madhouse Enforcer)

What to make of all these blockbuster trades by the Hawks (CSN)

Every Pick in the First Round of the 2017 NHL Draft (Bleacher Report)

Could the Nashville Predators really get Matt Duchene (Predlines)

T.J. Oshie re-signed with the Capitals for 8 years (Pro Hockey Talk)

Next: Blackhawks Trade Reaction

Cody Glass is the first ever Vegas Golden Knight draft pick (Puck Daddy)