Blackhawks Trade Deadline Notebook: Donato, Knight, Veleno & More

Knight wasted no time, starting for the Blackhawks on Mar. 3 against the Los Angeles Kings. The Blackhawks won the game 5-1, with Knight stopping 41-of-42 shots for a stellar .976 save percentage. At the beginning of the game, the 23-year-old netminder faced a flurry of shots; his first game with a new club, mind you. But Knight held strong, giving the Blackhawks the cushion they needed to find their offensive groove.

Needless to say, Knight was named the No. 1 Star of the game. A few nights later he got the nod versus the Utah Hockey Club, where he stopped 36-of-39 shots for a .923 SV% in yet another win (4-3 in overtime).

The new netminder’s presence has given the Blackhawks and their fans a huge dose of positivity, with the hope that the future could be very shiny and bright with Knight manning the crease.

Mrazek the Model of a Perfect Teammate

The addition of Knight didn’t exactly spell good news for the Blackhawks’ veteran goaltender Petr Mrazek. He was basically told he would be out of the rotation while the team went forward with Knight and the 25-year-old Arvid Soderblom. Mrazek was assured by Davidson he would do his best to find him a new home, although it might not happen until the offseason.

It’s only human for a person in this situation to be resentful and jealous. But 33-year-old Mrazek didn’t exactly see it that way. Instead, he indicated he aims to support his fellow netminders in any way he can.

Sodey (Soderblom) and Spencer are young guys, and they have their whole careers in front of them. I’m going to be here to support them. I’m going to be happy around them and make sure they feel comfortable.

Regarding his own situation, Mrazek was the ultimate professional and took a mindset we could all learn from.

I’ve been in way worse situations in my career. I’m a positive person. It’s still a great league to be around. The job we have, we have to enjoy it. I believe when people are positive good things happen.

It turns out Mrazek was right; a good thing did happen. Davidson found him a home on Mar. 7 when he traded Mrazek to the Detroit Red Wings, where the Czech native was originally drafted in 2010. It’s pretty amazing the Blackhawks’ GM found someone to take on Mrazek’s full cap hit of $4.25 million for the remainder of this year and next; but he did. Once again, Davidson did right by the player.  

Mrazek won’t be around anymore to help Knight and Soderblom, but it sounds like he’ll have a chance to play in Detroit while they make their playoff push. Best of luck to Mrazek in his future endeavors!

Smith Can Benefit Detroit as Well

Veteran forward Craig Smith was also part of the trade to the Red Wings along with Mrazek. When I wrote about Smith last offseason, I had a hunch he’d be a pleasant surprise for the team. I feel he lived up to that.

Smith was a staple of the fourth line for most of his time with the Blackhawks, and he was one of the few players that never hesitated to shoot the puck. He dealt with a back issue that limited him to only 40 games, but he still ranked 10^th on the team with 74 shots on goal. This is impressive considering his amount of games played and that he only averaged 11:39 minutes of ice time.

Smith ended his tenure with the Hawks tallying nine goals and 16 points. For some perspective, those nine goals is currently more than Jason Dickinson, Philipp Kurashev & Lukas Reichel, who have all played in more games than Smith. There’s no question the 35-year-old’s tenacity and experience will benefit the Red Wings.

Veleno’s Potential

The return to Chicago in the Red Wings/Blackhawks trade is 25-year-old Joe Veleno. The Blackhawks are obviously going young, and they’ve been putting an emphasis on speed. Veleno fits into that profile.

The 6-foot-1 forward had fallen out of favor with the Red Wings, suiting up for 56 games and averaging just 11:57 minutes of ice time. His five goals and 10 points is nothing to write home about, but he did boast 20 and 28 points in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, respectively. He also plays center, so he can help the Blackhawks at the dot; an area they’ve struggled in this season.

Both the Blackhawks and Veleno hope a change of scenery and more playing time will be beneficial. In his first game with the Blackhawks on Mar. 8, Veleno slotted in as the fourth line center and contributed one goal, three hits, a takeaway and one blocked shot in 13:07 minutes of ice time. He also logged 2:22 minutes on the penalty kill and won four-of-eight faceoffs. All that on very little sleep due his travels to join the Blackhawks!

Not a bad start with his new team.

Donato Stays With the Blackhawks

Finally, we get to Ryan Donato, who wasn’t traded after all, even though he was the one most expected to be dealt at the deadline.

First off, I just love what Donato has accomplished. He was a depth forward on the bubble at the beginning of the season, and even a healthy scratch a couple of times. But the 28-year-old (29 on April 9) had worked hard to improve his speed and his skating during the offseason. He quickly proved he was most certainly NOT a bubble player, but an impact player through and through.

Donato currently leads the team with 23 goals. His 25 assists and 48 points both sit in third place on the team. These stats exceed all his previous career highs. Donato is also very versatile in that he can play anywhere up and down the lineup. He can play center or wing, and he gives his all and brings his same consistent game no matter who he’s playing with.

All this was enough for Donato to garner huge interest around the league at the deadline, and the asking price from the Blackhawks was a first-round pick. A first-round pick for a depth forward seems like a pretty hefty price, but it was a seller’s market and the Blackhawks thought that was fair for the value they hold towards Donato.

It turns out a deal never came to fruition. The Blackhawks and Donato’s camp will now try to work out an extension. Not only would Donato be a great addition to a contending team, but he could serve as a perfect role model for the younger players in Chicago, considering his commitment and work ethic are second to none. Hopefully the two parties can work something out.

At the time of this writing the Blackhawks have a 3-0-2 record in the month of March, their first five-game point streak since Feb. 2023. They’ll look to continue their streak against the Colorado Avalanche on Monday (Feb. 10). Post deadline, there seems to be a new energy surrounding this young team. I’ll have a piece up about this new-look Blackhawks’ team later in the week.

Update: 19-year-old Artyom Levshunov was recalled by the Blackhawks on Sunday (Mar. 9), adding even more to the youth movement.

Keep it here at The Hockey Writers for all the latest news and analysis. The rest of the season should be fun!