Morning Chirps: Latest on Dickinson & Mikheyev, Predators trade two forwards

The Chicago Blackhawks will be off today after returning home late last night. They will be back on the practice ice tomorrow as they prepare for Friday night’s game against the Vancouver Canucks.

Blackhawks Chirps

• The Blackhawks looked like they were coming back home with four points on their four-game road trip, but had to settle for three points after another late-game collapse.

• Of course, the Connor Murphy trade was a big topic of discussion on the site yesterday. First, Nestor Quixtan broke down why the Blackhawks got the return they did for the veteran blueliner. Then Justin Lynch took a look at which defensemen will be affected the most by the trade.

• Last night, Frank Seravalli shared the latest on what he’s hearing about Jason Dickinson and Ilya Mikheyev:

• Scott Powers of The Athletic spent part of his time at Blackhawks practice last week putting together their annual player poll. Check out who was voted the worst-dressed, best chirper, pickiest eater, and more.

• Roman Kantserov scored a goal and recorded an assist on Tuesday in Metallurg Magnitogorsk’s 3-0 win over Dinamo Minsk. He still leads the KHL with 33 goals and has 61 points in 58 games. Metallurg has a league-high 97 points with seven games left in the regular season. The Gagarin Cup playoffs will begin on March 23.

• On this date in 1976, Stan Mikita recorded his 800th career assist in a 6-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. He’s still the franchise’s all-time leader with 926 helpers.

• In 1990, Bob Murray joined Mikita, Bobby Hull, and Eric Nesterenko as the only players to play in 1,000 games for the Blackhawks. The defenseman’s big night was spoiled by a 4-1 loss to the Boston Bruins.

• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, March 4: Virgil Johnson, Tony Poeta, and Jake Dowell.

NHL Chirps

• The Nashville Predators withheld forwards Michael McCarron and Cole Smith from their 3-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets because general manager Barry Trotz had deals worked out for them. First, he traded McCarron to the Minnesota Wild for a second-round pick in 2028. Later in the night, he sent Smith to the Vegas Golden Knights for a third-round pick, also in 2028. That’s a pretty good return for two-thirds of his fourth line.

• The St. Louis Blues could be an active team before Friday’s trade deadline. Forward Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas have been involved in trade rumors, and now, goaltender Jordan Binnington’s name is being floated around. The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford reports that a trade this week is unlikely, but the veteran netminder could be moved in the summer. He has one season left on his contract after this one and has a 14-team no-trade clause.

• The New York Islanders are reportedly having “serious discussions” about acquiring forward Conor Garland from the Vancouver Canucks. Originally, defenseman Tyler Myers was thought to be part of a potential deal, but that won’t happen, possibly because he won’t waive his no-movement clause to join the Islanders.

• Colorado Avalanche forward Artturi Lehkonen is week-to-week after getting hit in the face with a puck in the first period of Monday’s win over the Los Angeles Kings.

• Kirill Kaprizov capped off the Wild’s 5-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning with a late empty-net goal. It was the 220th of his career and past Marian Gaborik for the most goals in franchise history.

• NHL Birthday Roll Call, March 4: Ray Allison, Gord Kluzak, Derek Forbort, Valeri Nichushkin, Bodgan Truneyev, and Dylan Duke.