GM Kyle Davidson traded Anthony Beauvillier to Predators and waived Boris Katchouk on Thursday, but that was it for rebuilding Chicago. Injured Andreas Athanasiou and Nikita Zaitsev set to return.
Anthony Beauvillier skates against Anaheim in December.
Colin Blackwell is still a Blackhawk.After sending forward Anthony Beauvillier to Nashville on Thursday, the Chicago Blackhawks made no additional deals before Friday's NHL trade deadline.
Forwards Tyler Johnson and Colin Blackwell, both set to become unrestricted free agents after the season, practiced on Friday and then traveled with the team to Washington for a game on Saturday. The two veterans will finish their seasons with Chicago.
The Blackhawks had waived forward Boris Katchouk on Thursday with the plan of assigning him to AHL Rockford and making him eligible to the farm team's playoffs. But Ottawa claimed the 25-year-old on Friday before the 3 p.m. ET deadline.
Calm for Kyle Davidson
Kyle Davidson's third NHL trade deadline was a lot less hectic than his first two, when the Blackhawks 35-year-old general manager had to tear down his team for a rebuild and oversee the departures of Stanley Cup champions icons Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.
Patrick Kane went on to sign with Detroit in November.Both Kane and Toews were at the end of eight-year, $84 million contracts last year. Davidson traded Kane to the New York Rangers and allowed Toews to finish out the season with the Blackhawks. Although he hasn't formally retired, the worn-down Toews didn't play in 2023-24.
"Some chatter, but not a whole lot of substance there," Davidson said on Friday after the deadline had passed.
"The last few years were stressful for just different reasons," added the NHL's youngest GM. "The activity, the gravity of some moves.
"The last two deadlines I've worked have been so busy that this felt different. You know, you're thinking 'Is there something else I should be doing?' It was just different. To say it was much more quiet would be an understatement."
Davidson said he wasn't looking to necessarily make any specific trade or had an agenda. See the following video.
Athanasiou and Zaitsev Set to Return
Forward Andreas Athanasiou, out since Nov. 9 with a hip/groin injury, and defenseman Nikita Zaitsev, practiced as a full participants on Friday. Both are expected to be activated before the contest with the Capitals.
Andreas Athanasiou may be back Saturday against Washington.Zaitsev suffered a knee injury on Jan. 16.
"Yeah, they're going to come and we'll just make sure tomorrow they're feeling good," coach Luke Richardson said. "We'll make that decision tomorrow.
With Zaitsev's pending return, the Blackhawks assigned rookie D-men Louis Crevier and Isaak Phillips to Rockford.