Happy Olympic Break, Blackhawks fans. Last night’s game sucked, so let’s move on. But, before we do, after the game Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill said Colton Dach‘s injury isn’t significant and he would be day-to-day but Wyatt Kaiser will likely be out “a bit.” I’ll have some thoughts on that later this morning…
I want to start our almost-full-month without games with a really good read from Scott Powers at The Athletic on the future of Ilya Mikheyev in Chicago. He’s been a great pick-up by Kyle Davidson (like Jason Dickinson) in a salary dump from the Canucks (LOL again). Mikheyev got votes for the Selke last year and should again this season. He is, in my opinion, the best penalty killing wing in the entire NHL. But the trade deadline presents a complicated reality for both Mikheyev, who will be a UFA this summer, and the Blackhawks. He’s 32, so he is likely looking at his last big shot to cash in with an NHL contract. The Blackhawks love him, and he loves Chicago (as Powers writes). The question for me is term if the Blackhawks want to extend him; with the players coming up in the near future, the Hawks just don’t have a lot of forward spots to lock up for very long. But the players in the room respect him so much. This quote from Connor Bedard is all you need to know.“He doesn’t go under the radar in our dressing room,” Bedard said. “We understand how great he is. I think he’s the best penalty killer in the league and it shows with our penalty kill right now. He’s the guy that’s hopping over the boards first every time. It’s unbelievable what he can do — his speed, his motor, the way he can get in the way of everything and just cause havoc. I know in practice, it sucks to go against him. It’s fun to watch. Not just PK, his [five-on-five] game, as well. He does so much for us. Maybe from an outside perspective people don’t know, but in the room we definitely appreciate what he does and how great he is.”
Will Ilya Mikheyev be traded or re-signed by the Blackhawks? @MarkLazerus discussed the possibilities with him. That plus Artyom Levshunov’s development, Anders Sörensen’s Olympics role and catching up with Ben Smith t.co/YvQ9SelwUc
— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) February 4, 2026 One other quote from Powers’ notes above. As the Blackhawks sit Artyom Levshunov down to work on his game for a few days, he’s got a great attitude. He’s been very coachable since he arrived in Chicago, and I appreciate his confidence and perspective here:“I want to be great,” Levshunov said after practice on Tuesday. “I know I’m maybe young, but I still have to try to be great and become better. Of course, it’s hard. Not every person who is my age is super successful at this age.”
The folks at Elite Prospects ranked the top 20 rookie forwards in the NHL to date, and Blackhawks Ryan Greene and Oliver Moore both made the list. Greene came in at No. 13. Here’s part of what they wrote about him:Ryan Greene’s early NHL success has taken our team a bit by surprise. We slotted him 18th overall in our 2025 ranking of the Blackhawks prospect pool and 15th overall in 2024, giving him a long-shot, middle-six upside.
So far, Greene’s higher-end abilities have translated to the league. He’s stickhandling past the occasional defender, using deception, and catching-and-releasing pucks. In a way, he has found a niche as a skilled connector who distributes precise passes all around in transition and makes the play progress that way. His routes and tactical understanding of the game shine, too.
Moore came in at No. 15. Here’s part of what they wrote about him:Oliver Moore has found his niche in the Blackhawks’ lineup. Speeding up on the forecheck, he disrupts multiple opponents, picks up loose attackers on the backcheck, and retrieves loose pucks on the wall before opponents can get to them. Constantly scanning and moving his feet, he reloads from threat to threat in the defensive zone, easily sticking with his coverage. Considering the skills he has already shown, it’s quite easy to imagine him becoming a core piece of a match-up line and an annoying penalty killer, capable of generating some chances down a man.
Ranking the NHL's top 20 rookie forwards at the halfway mark of the season, based on on-ice play, usage, advanced stats, and development curve. @EliteProspects1- Ivan Demidov2- Beckett Sennecke3- Arseni Gritsyuk4- … t.co/CNpk5KcHWQ pic.twitter.com/tfu473eTHt
— David St-Louis (@DavidSt_Louis) February 4, 2026 On the Blackhawks’ pregame show on CHSN last night, Frank Seravalli said the Blackhawks hope to get a second-round pick for Connor Murphy before the trade deadline, but said he expects a third to be more likely. We’ll see how that plays out; the guys at The Athletic appear to be higher on Murphy’s potential return than Seravalli. Good read here from Ben Pope looking ahead at the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft. As the Florida Panthers continue to struggle in the standings, it only makes last year’s trade of Seth Jones for Spencer Knight and Florida’s first-round pick look better. The top of the 2026 NHL Draft had potentially huge news break on Wednesday evening when we learned top prospect Gavin McKenna is facing multiple charges, including felony assault, after an alleged fight over the weekend.If the NHL season ended today, the Blackhawks would own two top-16 picks in the draft.The Panthers' pick they own is looking better and better with Florida sitting 8 points out of a playoff spot.New story: t.co/w44gTBVREY
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) February 2, 2026 In the OHL last night, Jack Pridham picked up an assist on Kitchener’s second goal of the night. A quick couple thoughts on the Kings acquiring Artemi Panarin yesterday: they’re clearly going for it in Anze Kopitar’s final season. And good for them — they should. He deserves it. The two-year extension for Panarin is a good fit as well, even if the Kings will have three players with a cap hit over $10M next year. However, PuckPedia indicates the Kings still have plenty of wiggle room under the cap. And I don’t think they’re done; Panarin doesn’t make them suddenly good enough to beat Edmonton or Vegas for me. They could use some more speed and defensive help up front. And they have enough cap space — and a few remaining draft picks in 2026 and beyond — to afford one of Dickinson and/or Mikheyev. Considering the issues they’ve had with the Oilers in the playoffs, I’ve thought Mikheyev made sense for them going all the way back to my preseason predictions. Keep an eye on LA coming out of the break… IceHogs forward Samuel Savoie was suspended by the AHL for three games on Wednesday. The Blackhawks prospect will miss Rockford’s games Friday (Feb. 6) vs. Iowa, Saturday (Feb. 7) at Milwaukee and Feb. 14 vs. Milwaukee.Rockford’s Samuel Savoie has been suspended for three games as a consequence of his actions at the conclusion of Sunday’s game at Manitoba. t.co/iKq6xUkTLa
— AHL Communications (@AHLPR) February 4, 2026 Speaking of suspensions, former Blackhawks defenseman Caleb Jones was benched for 20 games by the NHL for violating the league’s PED program. Oops!In other news, @penguins defenseman Caleb Jones has been suspended for 20 games, without pay, for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program.His statement, via the NHLPA: pic.twitter.com/AiY1O9ywMM
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) February 4, 2026 Before the NHL’s Olympic trade freeze, the St. Louis Blues traded Nick Bjugstad to the New Jersey Devils for forward prospect Thomas Bordeleau and a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Finally, multiple insiders reported on Wednesday that the NHLPA is reviewing Nashville hiring CAA to help with their GM search. We’ll see how this plays out.BLEACHER NATION: Go Ad Free | Subscribe to the BN Newsletter
Framber Valdez got PAID by the Tigers. It sounds like Maxx Crosby’s time with the Raiders is coming to an end Overnight the Bulls traded Dalen Terry to the Knicks for Guerschon YabuseleHence then, the article about mikheyev s complicated future rookies ranked savoie suspended and other blackhawks bullets was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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