The Blackhawks fell to the Winnipeg Jets 6-4 at the United Center on Sunday.
Here are 10 observations from the loss:
1. Despite the NHL trade deadline being less than 24 hours away, the Blackhawks did not hold back any players for asset protection purposes. Erik Gustafsson and Henrik Borgstrom were the healthy scratches, but it wasn't for management reasons.
2. Marc-Andre Fleury probably played his last game as Blackhawk. Minnesota has reportedly expressed significant interest, and it appears the price tag is the major hold-up. We'll see what happens between now and Monday at 2 p.m., but I would be surprised if Fleury isn't traded at this point.
3. Side note: A near nightmare scenario for both Fleury and the Blackhawks happened at the end of the second period. Fleury lost his glove after Blake Wheeler squeezed it off his hand while the Jets were on a power play and he tried making a stop on the shot that led to the goal with his bare hand.
4. The Blackhawks generated 17 high-danger chances during 5-on-5 action, which is a new season-high. Their previous best was 15 in a 3-0 win over Anaheim on Jan. 15. A nice bounce-back effort on offense after having only one high-danger chance the day before in Minnesota.
5. Taylor Raddysh scored in his second game with the Blackhawks and now has six career NHL goals. His last two tallies have come at the United Center, where he scored as a member of Tampa Bay on March 6. He also recorded a primary assist in this game on Jonathan Toews' goal and finished with five shot attempts (four on goal).
NHL
6. The Blackhawks scored twice in a 23-second span early in the middle frame and controlled the pace of play for the most part but unraveled in the second half of the period. They allowed three consecutive goals to Jansen Harkins, Kyle Connor and Josh Morrissey that took the wind out of their sails.
7. Dylan Strome had a multi-point effort with one goal and an assist and continues to stay hot. He's certainly upping his trade value, but one source mentioned he's also strengthening his arbitration case as a pending restricted free agent. So I'm not sure he'll be moved ahead of the deadline.
8. Calvin de Haan ranks second among all NHL skaters with 143 blocked shots. Only his teammate Connor Murphy has more (150). I think de Haan could be a solid third-pairing defenseman for a contender, but don't expect a big return for him. Money is tight for a lot of teams, although the Blackhawks would surely eat a portion of de Haan’s salary if he’s dealt.
9. Another name to watch is Ryan Carpenter, who I believe will be moved. He's in the final year of a contract that carries a $1 million cap hit. Depth player, can win faceoffs, kill penalties, and won't cost much at all.
10. Interim head coach Derek King on what he might say to his team after the trade deadline passes and everyone can breathe again: "We're all here now. Nobody is going anywhere. We have so many games left, whether it's 19 or 20 games left. We need to build on what we started building on. A bit of an identity and we need to compete every night. This isn't just: 'I'm safe and I'm going to play every game.'"