NEWSLETTER
We’re going to take a spin around the league this morning and discuss some things happening outside of Chicago, but we’ve got to talk a bit about some Blackhawks-related(ish) things first. Let’s get the heartbreak out of the way right off the bat.
• Artemi Panarin’s four-point performance against the Blackhawks last night gave him his 500th career point (and then some). Panarin becomes the 49th player in NHL history to reach that plateau in 457 or fewer games, per the New York Rangers’ stats & information department.
Artemi Panarin becomes the 49th player in NHL history to record 500 points (172G-328A) in 457 or fewer games. Panarin is one of five active players (McDavid, Crosby, Ovechkin, Malkin) with 500 points in 457 games or less. pic.twitter.com/ioRDogkRTd
— NY Rangers PR (@NYR_PR) December 8, 2021
• Panarin joins some elite company in that group and the seven points that Panarin logged in two victories over the Blackhawks in the last week really sting. Say what you will about cap space; there were other atrocious decisions made before and after that negate that argument, but Panarin will always be the one that got away from the Blackhawks, and worse yet, because of their cap mismanagement.
• By now, I’m sure that you’ve seen or heard about the massive hit that Jacob Trouba delivered to Blackhawks forward Jujhar Khaira in last night’s contest. The crash left Khaira motionless on the ice while paramedics attended to him and eventually removed him from the rink on a stretcher. I’m not linking the video; I’m sure you can find it somewhere else; instead, a positive update on Khaira and then some thoughts:
NEW: Jujhar Khaira has been released from the hospital.
Blackhawks statement: "Despite the significant injury, his prognosis is excellent, and we expect a full recovery. At this point, it is too early to put a timeline on return to play.”
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) December 8, 2021
• As King said last night, Khaira was awake and responsive at Northwestern hospital after the game with the Rangers ended. Khaira has since been released from the hospital and is expected to recover fully, but he will miss time, and there is not timeline on his return to play.
• Let’s get something straight here; that WAS A DIRTY HIT! If your argument to the contrary is that Trouba hit him in the chest, enough slow-motion videos and still shots are floating around to inform you otherwise. Suppose your opinion is that Trouba didn’t draw a penalty from the referees, so, therefore, it’s all cool, or that the NHL rules can be interpreted in a way that makes that hit okay. In that case, we’re not paying attention to the severe problem that concussions present to human beings. Regardless of “how the game has always been played,” drilling someone in the neck and face area with a shoulder and scrambling someone’s brains will never be okay. It wasn’t before we knew about the ramifications of impacts like that, and it’s not now. I find it funny that we have people gate-keeping for the “old way” of doing things in hockey after it’s been proven time and time again that the “old way” of doing things in hockey is broken on just about every level. Let’s use common sense, folks.
• Let’s lighten up the mood with this hilariously good assist and goal by Anaheim’s Trevor Zegras and Sonny Milano:
Trevor Zegras oh my god pic.twitter.com/GZjZNaRTYj
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) December 8, 2021
• That was wild, but, as a bazillion die-hard hockey simulation fans pointed it out on Twitter, we’ve seen this before:
Reminds me of this from the opening of NHL 06 lol pic.twitter.com/ztSwXvmzXe
— Tyler Humpartzian (@THumpy94) December 8, 2021
• Ah, the good ol’ days! I was a sophomore in high school when NHL06 dropped, and those were much simpler times.
• We’re going to keep on playing the highlights! Here’s an incredible post-to-post save by Jack Campbell:
HIS NAME IS JACK CAMPBELL
WHAT A SAVE pic.twitter.com/XQN8oVn8e8
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) December 8, 2021
• And, here’s another:
Jack Campbell with another highlight-reel save
The paddle! pic.twitter.com/LQ8aj71KJy
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) December 8, 2021
• Auston Matthews just keeps on scoring. Matthews now has a goal in seven consecutive games for the Leafs, putting him in some elite company:
Auston Matthews scored to extend his goal streak to seven games (9-3—12), matching his career high set in 2020-21.#NHLStats: https://t.co/WlxpFDDTXQ pic.twitter.com/O6SLJFn1ym
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 8, 2021
• During Matthews’ goal streak, he has nine goals and three assists. That’s a whopping 12 points in seven games!
• Andrei Vasilevskiy made history on Tuesday night:
Andrei Vasilevskiy became the second goaltender in NHL history to win 60 games in a calendar year (regular season & playoffs combined).#NHLStats: https://t.co/WlxpFDDTXQ pic.twitter.com/qsKIjACb57
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 8, 2021
• Trade talk, anyone?
Worked the phones over the last two weeks to get a picture of how the NHL trade market is shaping up.
Here’s what I’m hearing about what teams and players could be in play (ESPN+) https://t.co/a9rJnzKqHD
— Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) December 8, 2021
• According to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, Columbus’ Joonas Korpisalo, Dallas’ Braden Holtby, and Anton Khudobin, and the Blackhawks’ Marc-André Fleury could be on the move in a hot and heavy goaltending market ahead of this season’s trade deadline. Marc-André Fleury has been stellar of late and is only under contract for the remainder of this season, but the Kaplan expects the struggling Blackhawks to be sellers. Fleury figures to be a commodity that the Blackhawks will be at least taking calls on if the price is right.
• Kaplan also mentioned Dylan Strome as a name to watch, and as we know, the Blackhawks have been shopping him for months now with no luck. Teams are wary of Strome’s $3 million salary-cap hit, but the 24-year-old forward is three years removed from scoring 51 points in 58 games and has tallied points in consecutive games in his latest string of consistent playing time with the Blackhawks.
DYLAN STROME MAKES IT 2-1 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Airj39kUll
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 6, 2021
• Jason Spezza was handed a six-game suspension for kneeling Winnipeg’s Neal Pionk:
Toronto’s Jason Spezza has been suspended for six games for Kneeing Winnipeg’s Neal Pionk. https://t.co/DDlM0Tdzw3
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) December 8, 2021
That’s it for today, happy hump day!
