The NHL Trade Deadline is less than 24 hours away (March 6), and the Chicago Blackhawks are already one of the biggest participants. They traded Jason Dickinson, Connor Murphy, and Colton Dach to the Edmonton Oilers in two separate deals, with the Blackhawks receiving a 2028 second-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick, and forward Andrew Mangiapane.
The Blackhawks are fifth-worst in the NHL with 56 points and sit 11 points out of the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, so being a seller seemed expected. However, there are two parts to the trade deadline: the personal side and the hockey side.
At Blackhawks practice on March 5, I asked about the experience.
Blackhawks Said Goodbye To Leaders At Deadline
When it comes to goaltender Spencer Knight, he is no stranger to the trade deadline. In fact, he was traded from the Florida Panthers in the Seth Jones trade just last year, in March 2025.
This season is different. He was locked into a three-year contract extension in September, and won’t be on the move. However, the trade deadline is still a lot to navigate 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 pieces of your team, right? And just guys, I mean, you go out to dinner with, and you hang out with. I mean, jokes and fun times together. But that’s just the way it is. But then we get people back, and obviously we got a good player coming back, Mangiapane, and are excited to meet him, excited to play with him. And, you know, we accept them with open arms, and just… all just try to enjoy it and keep the group in good spirits, and stay on the path we want to be on as a team, on the ice and off the ice.”
It’s tough for players to see teammates leave after forging bonds throughout the season, especially on a team like the Blackhawks, which has been a close group all season. It’s hard when players see friends and leaders (Murphy and Dickinson were both alternate captains and were significant mentors for the team) depart.
Knight said about the process, “The deadline is always a very interesting time. Sometimes nothing happens. Other times, there are stuff that happens, right? Obviously, I think Dicky (Jason Dickinson) and Murph (Connor Murphy) a little more anticipated that something was going to happen. So you lose big leaders, right? So that definitely does shake 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, obviously, we’re going to miss them tremendously. Obviously, also Dacher (Colton Dach)… I don’t think we were expecting him to go, but, you know, it’s part of it, right? It’s part of the business. But, we move on, and we’re going to miss them all, and just keep going.”
Related: Connor Murphy Will Leave Lasting Impression With the Blackhawks
Hockey players are human, and the trade deadline affects them in all facets. 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 goes on as usual.
Blackhawks Moving Beyond Trade Deadline
The Blackhawks will face the Vancouver Canucks on deadline day, and surely that has to be tough. For head coach Jeff Blashill, it all makes sense, as he mentioned developing relationships with the players he coached. However, he shared a similar sentiment to Knight, in that the team has to keep going. When Blashill was asked if it’s hard to focus on the game on deadline day,
“Well, at the end of the day, it can’t be. I think part of what we have to do is compartmentalize emotions. When you’re a coach, an athlete, anybody, I guess, in any work that you have, if you want to do your best, there’s always stuff going on that isn’t directly relevant to the task at hand. You got to find a way to just focus on the task at hand. You know, I was in Detroit, and we played Carolina. I remember we traded Anthony Mantha that day. It was a hard trade for a lot of guys, but we went out and played a great game. Like, it’s not that you’re not capable of doing that, but (we) can’t use it as a crutch. Everybody is kind of going through the same boat.”
Between now and tomorrow, there is a chance more players could be on the move, including captain Nick Foligno or Ilya Mikheyev, who are two other beloved players in the Blackhawks locker room.
However, they’ll stick together, they’ll get through the heaviness of it, and, as they have been preaching all season, try to keep the focus on getting better each day.
