The Chicago Blackhawks return to action tonight after the Olympic break, opening a four-game road trip in Nashville. With a record of 22-26-9 and 53 points, Chicago sits seventh in the Central Division and 28th overall in the league. The playoffs are out of reach but the next 25 games carry real importance for a franchise still building its foundation around Connor Bedard.
THE FOUR-GAME ROAD TRIP
Tonight’s opener is in Nashville — a Predators team that, like Chicago, is on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff picture. Both teams could be sellers at the March 6th deadline. Saturday brings the most difficult challenge of the trip: Colorado, the best team in the Western Conference. Then Utah on Sunday, a team fighting hard for a wildcard spot under head coach André Tourigny in what could be a historic first playoff run for the franchise. The trip closes March 4th in Winnipeg — another team in the same situation as Nashville and Chicago, likely sellers before the deadline.
Road trips like this one reveal character. For a young team still developing its identity, four games against teams with different motivations and different levels of urgency will test what this group is actually made of.
WYATT KAISER UPDATE — TARGETING MID-TRIP RETURN
The most significant development coming out of the Olympic break is the positive update on defenseman Wyatt Kaiser. The 23-year-old stay-at-home blueliner suffered a lower-body injury in the final game before the break, when his knee twisted awkwardly in a collision with Columbus defenseman Zach Werenski on February 4th.
After being placed on Injured Reserve, Kaiser has been working his way back. Head coach Jeff Blashill confirmed Wednesday that Kaiser was on the ice doing individual work before practice — a positive sign. Blashill indicated Kaiser is targeting a return midway through the road trip, with March 5th against Edmonton at the United Center being the earliest realistic target for a full return to the lineup.
Kaiser has been one of Chicago’s most reliable defensemen this season, and his presence on the blue line, and specifically on the penalty kill, makes a significant difference for this team.
THE THREE BIG DEADLINE DECISIONS
With March 6th approaching, GM Kyle Davidson faces decisions on three UFA players who have each contributed in important ways this season — and whose departures would have a direct impact on what has been one of the NHL’s best penalty kills.
Chicago’s penalty kill ranks among the top three in the league this season. Murphy, Dickinson, and Mikheyev are all core contributors to that unit. Losing any one of them hurts. Losing all three would fundamentally change the team’s identity on the kill.
CONNOR MURPHY — Defence, UFA
Murphy is the most coveted name on this list. A physical right-shot defenseman who excels in the defensive zone and eats difficult minutes on the penalty kill, he is exactly the kind of player contending teams call about in February. Multiple teams have been linked to his name in trade discussions. The question for Davidson is whether the return justifies the defensive hole it creates for the final 25 games — especially with Kaiser still recovering.
JASON DICKINSON — Forward, UFA
Dickinson’s value goes well beyond the scoresheet. He is one of the better defensive forwards available at the deadline — a penalty kill specialist and faceoff presence who has been a quiet contributor all season. A contender needing depth down the middle will value exactly what Dickinson brings. His departure would be felt directly on the penalty kill.
ILYA MIKHEYEV — Forward, UFA
The fifth forward by time on ice for the penalty kill this season, and another piece of what makes Chicago’s kill so effective. Mikheyev has been healthy and productive this season. He brings speed and penalty kill instincts that are not easy to replace internally. His case is the most nuanced of the three — his value to this team right now is real.
THE FLORIDA PANTHERS PICK
One storyline worth monitoring is the Florida Panthers pick that Chicago holds. The pick is top-10 protected, meaning Florida keeps it if they finish in the bottom ten of the league. Currently, the Panthers sit 21st in the league standings — one spot away from being outside the protection threshold. If Florida continues to struggle, Chicago could be looking at a very valuable pick in the coming weeks.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Davidson’s decisions before March 6th will not reshape this franchise. Murphy, Dickinson, and Mikheyev are valuable pieces, but they are role players — the kind that contenders quietly acquire to round out a roster, not the kind that headline a trade. Expect modest returns. A pick here, a depth prospect there.
What matters more is what happens after the deadline. Does Bedard take another step in the final 25 games? Does Nazar continue to develop into the two-way centre this organization needs him to be? Does the young core show enough that Davidson can walk into the summer with confidence?
The rental market is a footnote in the Chicago story right now. The chapter that actually matters is still being written on the ice every night.
