NHL Rumours: Blackhawks Problems, Keith Tkachuk’s Comments & Byram Update

In today’s NHL rumours, we start off with the Chicago Blackhawks, who suffered a devastating 9-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes last night. They are looking into the trade market for help and have valuable assets in play. Sticking with the Blackhawks, we have an update on Bowen Byram’s absence from the team.

Next, upon receiving his Hall of Fame ring, Keith Tkachuk spoke about the trade sending Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers, as well as his return to Ottawa.

Keith Tkachuk Tells Senators Fans to Move on From Brady

The day Brady Tkachuk was traded to the Panthers to play with his brother also happened to be Father’s Day, which was followed by Keith Tkachuk getting the call about his Hall of Fame induction. It was quite the weekend for the Tkachuk family.

The former Senators captain told the organization he would not be re-signing and would only accept a trade to the Panthers. This, of course, led to the countless booing and chants towards him during his return to Ottawa.

Keith’s involvement in the trade was pretty significant. While it was Brady who made the trade request, Senators owner Michael Andlauer had a quote go viral, calling out the influence that Keith and his brother Matthew had, stating, “Blood is thicker than water, and let’s just say that his father and his brother got in his kitchen.”

Brady refuted the idea that Keith or Matthew had anything to do with the trade, though on The Drive, AJ Jakubec stated, “And the reality is, Keith Tkachuk, from the people that I was talking to, was telling everyone and anyone that would listen at the Olympics that he was going to get Brady out of Ottawa”

During the ceremony, and in speaking with Johnston, Keith stated, “Brady’s moved on; we’ve moved on; it’s time Ottawa moves on.” (from ‘Keith Tkachuk says ‘it’s time Ottawa moves on’ after son Brady’s trade to Florida’, The Athletic, Nov. 7, 2026)

Senators fans didn’t appreciate this comment and have rallied around the idea that it isn’t Keith’s place to tell them how to feel, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he is booed in Ottawa for the rest of his career.

Blackhawks Dangling First-Round Picks, Looking to Add

As the Blackhawks enter Sunday morning with a 4-13-1 record and sit second-last in the league, general manager Kyle Davidson is ready to make a change.

According to Elliotte Friedman on Saturday Headlines, the Blackhawks are very active in the trade market. They hold their own first-round pick, which is almost certainly off the table considering their place in the standings, but they also hold the Florida Panthers’ and Edmonton Oilers’ first-round picks for this season.

They also have a pair of extra second-round picks, holding the Tampa Bay Lightning’s for this year, and the Oilers’ next year.

While it isn’t clear exactly what they are looking for in a trade, quality wingers to play with Connor Bedard will be high on their to-do list, as well as some impactful defensemen.

Looking at Chris Johnston’s trade board for The Athletic, it is hard to look at any of those players and think they wouldn’t be a good fit for the Blackhawks. (from ‘NHL trade board 3.0: Rumor mill in high gear after Nikita Kucherov’s seismic trade request’, The Athletic, Nov. 2, 2026)

Nikita Kucherov is likely sticking with the Lightning for now, and Dylan Larkin isn’t likely waiving his no-trade clause for the Blackhawks, so that takes them out of the picture for now.

In terms of impactful wingers, beyond Kucherov, there isn’t much on the market. Dmitri Voronkov is listed as No. 6 on Johnston’s list, followed by Jake DeBrusk, Rickard Rakell, and Nino Niederreiter. Are any of them needle-movers? One potential name to watch could be Ivan Miroshnichenko.

For defensemen, they could look at Simon Edvinsson, Alexander Nikishin, or maybe Vince Dunn if the Seattle Kraken can’t figure out an extension.

On top of all of the trade talk, the players held a players-only meeting following the loss to the Hurricanes.

Byram Waiting to See Specific Specialist

After missing quite a bit of time, more questions about Bowen Byram’s absence are being asked.

Head coach Jeff Blashill spoke on Byram’s absence, stating, “Obviously we’d like to have him in the lineup, but it’s not necessarily something that’s concerning. I wouldn’t say that. I started with day-to-day, and it’s been a lot of days. You wish it wasn’t that, but no, I wouldn’t call it concerning.”

Friedman added some information, which he received from Byram’s agent, Darren Ferris.

“The reason Byram has not come back yet is due to his (Ferris’) desire to see a certain specialist. He wouldn’t say what the injury is, or what he wants to look at…that is the reason why Byram has not returned.”