The Chicago Blackhawks have new forward lines with Jason Dickinson gone to the Edmonton Oilers, and Wyatt Kaiser is a full participant.
The Chicago Blackhawks traded Jason Dickinson to the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night. He, along with Colton Dach, was sent up north in exchange for a first-round pick and Andrew Mangiapane.
They already played a game following the Connor Murphy trade, but the forward lines remain to be seen for Friday's game due to a lot of factors.
Mangiapane wasn't at Blackhawks practice on Thursday, so it is unclear exactly how he'll fit in the lineup, but there was a glimpse of how Dickinson may be replaced.
Greene-Bedard-Burakovsky
Donato-Nazar-Teravainen
Bertuzzi-Moore-Mikheyev
Slaggert-Foligno-Lafferty
Vlasic-Crevier
Kaiser-Rinzel
Grzelcyk-Levshunov
Del Mastro-Korchinski
Knight
Soderblom
In the post-Olympic portion of the schedule, Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar have been seperated because Bedard can take face-offs again following his shoulder injury.
Nazar hasn't been as productive as he was before his pre-Christmas jaw injury, but they will have two solid scoring lines if he gets back to his normal level of play.
Dickinson held the third-line center position before his trade, but it seems like Oliver Moore is going to take over that spot in the meantime. Will he earn the job long-term? That remains to be seen, but he has been admittedly more comfortable at center.
Colton Dach was consistently being scratched following the break, but he is no longer an option on the fourth line. With Mangiapane not there yet, they only had 12 forwards in attendance.
If they do trade Ilya Mikheyev, Nick Foligno, or someone unexpected at forward, call-ups will be made. They are likely to make at least one, even if no more trades are made
Andre Burakovsky sticks on the top line for another day with Connor Bedard and Ryan Greene, who have been playing well lately.
Teuvo Teravainen had a tie-up with Frank Nazar during a drill and limped off the ice at one point during practice. He shook it off, however, and looked okay skating later in the session. It's something to monitor at this stage.
Wyatt Kaiser returned to being a full participant in practice following the injury that he sustained during the last game before the break. He is expected to play on Friday.
If Matt Grzelcyk is not traded, the top-six defensemen from practice are likely going to play in the game, meaning Ethan Del Mastro and Kevin Korchinski would sit. One of them is sure to be sent down to Rockford in that case.
With the trade deadline fast approaching, these lines from practice may or may not be the same during morning skate on Friday.
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