The NHL Trade Deadline is less than 24 hours away (March 6) and the Chicago Blackhawks are already one of the biggest contenders. They traded Jason Dickinson, Connor Murphy and Colton Dach to the Edmonton Oilers in two separate deals, giving the Blackhawks a 2028 second-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick and forward Andrew Mangiapane.
The Blackhawks are fifth in the NHL with 56 points and are 11 points behind the last Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, so a seller seemed to be expected. However, there are two parts to the trade deadline: the personal side and the hockey side.
At the Blackhawks practice on March 5, I asked about the experience.
Blackhawks parted ways with leaders at the deadline
When it comes to goalie Spencer Knight, he is no stranger to the trade deadline. In fact, he was traded from the Florida Panthers in the Seth Jones trade last year, in March 2025.
This season is different. He was given a three-year contract extension in September and will not move. However, the trade deadline is still a tall order for anyone in the NHL.
Knight explained about the experience as a player: “Yeah, I mean, I got traded last year. I didn’t expect it. Maybe I should have thought of different scenarios that could have happened, but I didn’t think about it. But it’s interesting because, like you said, people go and in this case you lose big parts of your team, right? And just guys, I mean, you go out to dinner and you hang out. I mean, jokes and good times together. But But then we get people back, and of course we have a good player back, Mangiapane, and we’re excited to meet him, excited to play with him. And you know, we’ll accept them with open arms, and just… all try to enjoy it and keep the group in good spirits, and stay on the path that we want to be on as a team, on and off the ice.”
It’s hard for players to see teammates leave after bonding all season, especially on a team like the Blackhawks who have been a tight-knit group all season. It’s hard when players see friends and leaders (Murphy and Dickinson were both alternate captains and key mentors for the team) leave.
Knight said of the process: “The deadline is always a very interesting moment. Sometimes nothing happens. Other times things happen, right? Obviously, I think Dicky (Jason Dickinson) and Murph (Connor Murphy) expected something to happen a little bit more. So you lose great leaders, right? So that definitely shakes up the locker room a little bit, just because those guys are woven into the fabric of what this team is, right? And you know, we’re obviously going to miss them tremendously. Obviously Dacher (Colton) too. Dach)… I don’t think we expected him to go, but you know, it’s part of it, right?
Related: Connor Murphy will leave a lasting impression with the Blackhawks
Hockey players are people, and the trade deadline affects them in every facet. Players understand the organizational side of things, but it doesn’t change the feelings that come with it. But the NHL is a business and business continues as usual.
Blackhawks exceed trade deadline
The Blackhawks will face the Vancouver Canucks on deadline day, and it will certainly be tough. It all makes sense to head coach Jeff Blashill, as he said he built relationships with the players he coached. However, he shared a similar sentiment as Knight, in that the team must move on. When Blashill was asked if it’s difficult to focus on the game at the deadline,
“Well, ultimately it can’t be that way. I think part of what we have to do is compartmentalize emotions. If you’re a coach, an athlete, anyone, I guess, in any job, if you want to do your best, there are always things going on that are not directly relevant to the task at hand. You have to find a way to just focus on the task at hand. You know, I was in Detroit and we were playing Carolina. I remember when we traded Anthony Mantha for that job. It was a tough trade for a lot of guys, but we played a great game. It’s not that you can’t do that, but (we) can’t use it as a crutch.”
Between now and tomorrow, there’s a chance more players will make a move, including captain Nick Foligno or Ilya Mikheyev, two other beloved players in the Blackhawks locker room.
However, they will stick together, they will push through the toughness of it, and, as they have preached all season, try to keep the focus on getting better every day.
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