Anders Sorensen - Feb. 8 Chicago Blackhawks Media Availability postgame The Chicago Blackhawks are on a two-week break along with the rest of the National Hockey League. They are all on break for the Four Nations Faceoff, a best-on-best tournament taking place between Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States. The one Blackhawks player participating in this tournament is Teuvo Teravainen. He will represent Team Finland. Teravainen came into this break playing well which is much needed for the Finnish squad. As for the rest of the team, they get a much-needed break away from hockey. This has been a rough year for them and resetting the batteries is important. Coming into the break, the Blackhawks are 17-31-7 which is good for 41 standings points. They have the second-worst record based on wins, points, and points percentage. The San Jose Sharks are the only team below them. Ryan Donato leads Chicago in goals with 19. Connor Bedard leads them in points with 49. They’re not incredible totals for team leaders but it’s what you’d expect from a lousy team with little support for the top guys. Although the team hasn’t had much success in terms of wins and losses, there has been some good development for young players at the NHL level. Connor Bedard continues to grow his game which is the most important thing for them. Alex Vlasic is also turning into a top pair guy for this team and he is learning to make an impact in all phases of the game. He can play well at even strength, kill penalties, and run a power play. Other guys like Louis Crevier, Frank Nazar, Ethan Del Mastro, Colton Dach, and Nolan Allan have all had various stints in the NHL throughout the year. There is a lot to work on for all of them but there have been more positives than negatives with them. A lot of this team’s issues have existed because the veterans brought in haven’t played as well. Kyle Davidson is going to have to revamp that part of the team during the off-season. Chicago made one big trade before the break. They were part of a major three-team deal along with the Colorado Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes. Taylor Hall was sent away from Chicago in the deal. Mikko Rantanen and Martin Necas were also moved in the deal. It was one of the biggest mid-season trades in NHL history. They are hoping that the third-round pick that they received in the deal can turn into something for them. Notably, the pick was originally their own so it will be higher in the third round. It can also be used in an offer sheet. The Hawks' first game back following the break will occur on February 22nd at the Columbus Blue Jackets. They will return to United Center one day later to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs. Chicago isn’t going to make the playoffs once they return but they'd like to play some meaningful hockey. The way that they can do that is by developing their young talent. As long as those guys play well, the end of this season can be a win for the organization. Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks/] team site to stay updated on the latest news [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/latest-newshttps://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks/latest-news], game-day [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/game-dayhttps://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks/game-day] coverage, player features [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/playershttps://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks/players], and more.
