Morning Chirps: Top insider ties Blackhawks to big offseason trade target

From one top team to another, the Chicago Blackhawks return home tonight to host the Colorado Avalanche after beating the Minnesota Wild last night. We’ll have a preview for tonight's game later this morning, as well as breaking down all the action following the final horn, so stick around!

Blackhawks Chirps

• The Blackhawks won in Minnesota for the first time since 2017. RIP, 19-game point streak. Good riddance! Check out all my postgame thoughts, in case you missed them last night.

• The Rockford IceHogs announced yesterday that Gavin Hayes will miss the next 6-8 weeks with an MCL injury. Unless the IceHogs can make a big run into the Calder Cup Playoffs, his season is likely over. He has 13 goals and 26 points in 57 games, but has played well of late. Since the calendar flipped to 2026, he has nine goals and 15 points in 27 games. Additionally, defenseman Taige Harding will miss 2-3 weeks due to a lower-body injury.

• Blackhawks fans who want to see Anton Frondell in Chicago as soon as possible have become Malmö Redhawks fans. They evened up their best-of-three playoff series by beating Frondell and Djurgårdens IF 2-1, to force a third and deciding game on Saturday.

• Elliotte Friedman reported that the Blackhawks are one of the teams showing “serious interest” in Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies. He also named the Anaheim Ducks, Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, and Utah Mammoth as potential suitors. Kyle Davidson had a deal involving Knies in place at the 2022 trade deadline.

• On this date in 1960, Bobby Hull had a goal and an assist in a season-ending 5-5 tie with the Boston Bruins to finish as the NHL’s leading scorer, winning his first Art Ross Trophy.

• In 1969, the Blackhawks and Bruins skated to another 5-5 draw. Hull scored twice to break his own single-season scoring record with 55 goals. He also became the second player in NHL history to have a 100-point season, 19 days after his former teammate, Phil Esposito, became the first.

• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, March 20: Bobby Orr, Robbie Tallas, and Nick Leddy.

NHL Chirps

• According to Frank Seravalli, the NHL Draft Lottery will be held on May 5.

• Lukas Reichel made his debut for the Bruins last night, and he made quite the first impression. He scored a goal and added an assist in a 6-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets. It was his first goal in the NHL since Oct. 15, when he scored two goals against the St. Louis Blues as a member of the Blackhawks. He’s already doubled his point production from his 14 games with the Vancouver Canucks. There is no doubt Reichel has the raw ability to be an effective NHL player, but he just hasn’t been able to consistently produce. A strong finish in Boston could help him earn another NHL contract, which didn’t seem possible just a few days ago.

• The Nashville Predators are in town Sunday, and they might be without their top netminder. Juuse Saros suffered an upper-body injury at practice on Thursday and had to recall Matt Murray. Justus Annunen made 25 saves on short notice to earn a huge 3-1 win over the Seattle Kraken. The Predators, Kraken, and Los Angeles Kings all have 71 points. The Kings currently hold the final wild card spot because they have the highest points percentage among the three.

• Staying in Nashville, Friedman reported that the Predators have interviewed Buffalo Sabres associate general manager and Florida Panthers assistant general manager Brett Peterson for their soon-to-be vacant general manager job.

• New York Islanders rookie defenseman scored his 21st goal of the season, and the 40th by an 18-year-old in the NHL. He is also only the second 18-year-old defenseman to have a 50-point season, joining Hall of Famer Phil Housley, who put up 57 points in 1982-83.

• NHL Birthday Roll Call, March 20: Charlie Simmer, Dennis Wideman, Valtteri Filppula, Sergei Kostitsyn, Justin Faulk, Nick Paul, and Trevor Zegras.