Make sure to bookmark this page and come back as the moves happen for up-to-the-minute analysis and breakdowns from our friends at 

Date	The-Rink Division	Outgoing Player/Pick	Opposite Team	Player/Pick Received
3/2/2026		Connor Murphy (50% salary retained)		2028 2nd round pick
3/4/2026		Jason Dickinson (50% salary retained) and Colton Dach		Andrew Mangiapane and 2027 1st round pick (top 12 protected)
3/6/2026		Nick Foligno		Future Consideration
3/6/2026		Aidan Thompson		Derrick Pouliot

Trade Analysis/Breakdown:

• • 
    • • • The Edmonton Oilers acquire Connor Murphy (50% retained) from the Chicago Blackhawks for a 2028 2nd round pick.

    

    • • • The Edmonton Oilers acquire Jason Dickinson (50% retained) and Colton Dach from the Chicago Blackhawks for Andrew Mangiapane and a conditional 2027 1st round pick.

      

      • • The Chicago Blackhawks trade Nick Foligno to the Minnesota Wild for future considerations.

      

      • The Chicago Blackhawks acquire Derrick Pouliot from the New York Rangers for Aidan Thompson.

Also, be sure to follow the entire The-Rink staff on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates, as well:

The Rink Official

Chicago Divison
The Rinkcast
Jeff Osborn
Andy Campbell
Eric Andrews
Sean Fitzgerald
Jimmy O’Malley
Andrew Bard
Ray Napientek
Matt Csakai

 

The post Chicago Blackhawks 2026 NHL Trade Deadline Tracker appeared first on The Rink.

Join your fellow Rinkrats below to discuss what the Blackhawks accomplished (or did not accomplish) this year as the market opened.

Player	Pos	Prev Team	New Team	Age	Ht / Wt	Term	Notes
Dominic Toninato	F			31	6’2” / 202	2 x $850k	Two-way contract

These are Blackhawks trades relevant to this offseason.

Date	Outgoing Player/Pick	Opposite Team	Player/Pick Received
6/13/25	Victor Soderstrom		Ryan Mast and a 2025 7th round pick
6/21/25	Joe Veleno		Andre Burakovsky
7/1/25	2026 sixth-round pick		Sam Lafferty

Trade Analysis

• The Boston Bruins acquired Victor Soderstrom from the Chicago Blackhawks for Ryan Mast and a 2025 7th round pick

The Boston Bruins acquired Victor Soderstrom from the Chicago Blackhawks for Ryan Mast and a 2025 7th round pick

• The Chicago Blackhawks acquired forward Andre Burakovsky from the Seattle Kraken in exchange for forward Joe Veleno

The Chicago Blackhawks acquired Andre Burakovsky from the Seattle Kraken for Joseph Veleno

• Chicago Blackhawks acquire Sam Lafferty from Buffalo for a 2026 sixth-round pick

The Chicago Blackhawks acquired Sam Lafferty from the Buffalo Sabres for a 2026 6th round pick

The post Chicago Blackhawks 2025 Real-Time Free Agency Tracker appeared first on The Rink.

Make sure to bookmark this page and come back as the moves happen for up-to-the-minute analysis and breakdowns from our friends at 

Date	The-Rink Division	Outgoing Player/Pick	Opposite Team	Player/Pick Received
3/1/2025		Seth Jones and a 2026 4th round pick		Spencer Knight and 2026 1st round draft pick
3/7/2025		Petr Mrazek and Craig Smith		Joe Veleno
3/7/2025		5th round draft pick in 2026		Shea Weber, Victor Soderstrom and Aku Raty

Trade Analysis/Breakdown:

• • The Florida Panthers acquired Seth Jones and a 2026 4th round pick from the Chicago Blackhawks for Spencer Knight and a 2026 1st round pick
  • The Detroit Red Wings acquired Petr Mrazek and Craig Smith from the Chicago Blackhawks for Joe Veleno
  • The Chicago Blackhawks acquired Shea Weber, Victor Soderstrom and Aku Raty from the Utah Hockey Club for a 2026 5th round pick

Also, be sure to follow the entire The-Rink staff on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates, as well:

The Rink Official

Chicago Divison
The Rinkcast
Jeff Osborn
Andy Campbell
Eric Andrews
Sean Fitzgerald
Jimmy O’Malley
Andrew Bard
Ray Napientek
Matt Csakai

 

The post Chicago Blackhawks 2025 NHL Trade Deadline Tracker appeared first on The Rink.

Join your fellow Rinkrats below to discuss what the Blackhawks accomplished (or did not accomplish) this year as the market opened.

Player	Pos	Prev Team	New Team	Age	Ht / Wt	Term	Notes
Tyler Bertuzzi	LW			29	6'2" / 188	$5.5M x 4	Confirmed
Teuvo Teravainen	RW			29	5'11" / 192	$5.4M x 3	Confirmed
Alec Martinez	D			36	6'1" / 210	$4M x 1	Confirmed
Ben Gaudreau	G	Erie Otters	Rockford IceHogs	21	6'2" / 174	one-year AHL contract	Confirmed
Pat Maroon	LW			36	6'3" / 234	$1.3M x 1	Confirmed
Laurent Brossoit	G			31	6'3" / 203	$3.3M x 2	Confirmed
Craig Smith	RW			34	6'0" / 203	$1M x 1	Confirmed
Joey Anderson	RW			26	6'0' / 207	$800 x 2	Confirmed
TJ Brodie	D			34	6'2" / 187	$3.75M x 2	Confirmed

These are Blackhawks trades relevant to this offseason.

Date	Outgoing Player/Pick	Opposite Team	Player/Pick Received
5/24/2024	2024 1st round pick (#20), 2024 2nd round pick (#54), and a 2024 2nd round pick (#61)		2024 1st round pick (#18) and 2024 2nd round pick (#50)
6/26/24	2027 fourth round pick		Ilya Mikheyev (15% rretained), Sam Lafferty, and a 2027 2nd round pick
6/28/24	2024 2nd round pick (#34), and a 2024 2nd round pick (#50)		2024 1st round pick (#27) - Marek Vanacker
6/29/24	2024 3rd round pick (#92)		2025 3rd round pick

Trade Analysis

• The Chicago Blackhawks acquired a 2024 1st round pick (#18) and 2024 2nd round pick (#50) from the New York Islanders for a 2024 1st round pick (#20), 2024 2nd round pick (#54), and a 2024 2nd round pick (#61)
• The Chicago Blackhawks acquired Ilya Mikheyev (15% retained), Sam Lafferty, and a 2027 2nd round pick from the Vancouver Canucks for a 2027 4th round pick
• The Chicago Blackhawks acquired a 2024 1st round pick (#27) from the Carolina Hurricanes for a 2024 2nd round pick (#34) and 2024 2nd round pick (#50)
• The Chicago Blackhawks acquired a 2024 3rd round pick from the Carolina Hurricanes for a 2025 3rd round pick

The Chicago Blackhawks acquired a 2024 1st round pick (#18) and 2024 2nd round pick (#50) from the New York Islanders for a 2024 1st round pick (#20), 2024 2nd round pick (#54), and a 2024 2nd round pick (#61)

The Chicago Blackhawks acquired Ilya Mikheyev, Sam Lafferty, and a 2027 2nd round pick from the Vancouver Canucks for a 2027 4th round pick

The Chicago Blackhawks acquired a 2024 1st round pick (#27) from the Carolina Hurricanes for a 2024 2nd round pick (#34) and 2024 2nd round pick (#50)

The Chicago Blackhawks acquired a 2024 3rd round pick from the Carolina Hurricanes for a 2025 3rd round pick

The post Chicago Blackhawks 2024 Real-Time Free Agency Tracker appeared first on The Rink.

Date	The-Rink Division	Outgoing Player/Pick	Opposite Team	Player/Pick Received
3/7/2024		Anthony Beauvillier		2024 5th Round Draft Pick

Trade Analysis/Break Down:

• • • The Nashville Predators acquired Anthony Beauvillier from the Chicago Blackhawks for 2024 5th Round Pick

Also, be sure to follow the entire The-Rink staff on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates, as well:

The Rink Official

Chicago Divison
The Rinkcast
Jeff Osborn
Andy Campbell
Ray Napientek
Eric Andrews
Sean Fitzgerald
Andrew Bard
Matt Csakai

 

The post The Rink’s Chicago Blackhawks 2024 NHL Trade Deadline Tracker appeared first on The Rink.

Join your fellow Rinkrats below to discuss what the Blackhawks accomplished (or did not accomplish) this year as the market opened.

Player	Pos	Prev Team	New Team	Age	Ht / Wt	Term	Notes
Nick Foligno	LW			35	6' 0" / 208 lbs	1 year / $4 million	Acquired UFA rights in trade.
Corey Perry	RW			38	6' 3" / 205 lbs	1 year / $4 million	Acquired UFA rights in trade.
Ryan Donato	C/W			27	6’ 0” / 190	2 year / $2 million

These are Blackhawks trades relevant to this offseason.

Date	Outgoing Player/Pick	Opposite Team	Player/Pick Received
6/26/2023	RFA Rights to Ian Mitchell and Alec Regula		Taylor Hall, and UFA rights to Nick Foligno. Foligno was signed to a 1 yr $4M contract for 23/24
6/29/2023	Future Consideration		Josh Bailey and a 2026 2nd round draft pick. Bailey was put on waivers for buyout purposes.
6/30.2023	2023 2nd round pick (51 overall)		2023 6th round pick (#167 overall) and a 2024 2nd.
6/30/2023	2024 7th-round pick		Corey Perry

Trade Analysis

• The Chicago Blackhawks acquired Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno from the Boston Bruins for Ian Mitchell and Alec Regula
• The Philadelphia Flyers acquired a 2023 2nd round pick (#51) from the Chicago Blackhawks for a 2024 2nd round pick and a 2023 6th round pick (#167)
• The Chicago Blackhawks acquired Corey Perry from the Tampa Bay Lightning for a 2024 7th round pick

The post Chicago Blackhawks 2023 Real-Time Free Agency Tracker appeared first on The Rink.

Date	The-Rink Division	Outgoing Player/Pick	Opposite Team	Player/Pick Received
2/22/2023		Future Consideration		Nikita Zaitsev '23 2nd Round Pick '26 4th Round Pick
2/23/2023		Josiah Slavin		Hunter Drew
2/26/3023		Jack Johnson		Andreas Englund
2/27/3023		Jake McCabe (50% retained) Sam Lafferty Conditional '24 5th rd pick Conditional '25 5th rd pick		Joey Anderson Pavel Gogolev '25 1st-round pick (top 10 protected) '26 2nd-round pick
2/27/3023	Rockford IceHogs	Future Considerations	Manitoba Moose	Colin Bilek
2/28/3023	Rockford IceHogs	Adam Clendening	Hartford Wolfpack	Zach Jordan
2/28/3023		Patrick Kane (50% retained) Cooper Zech	via	23 2nd Rd Pick (conditional 1st) 4th Rd Pick Vili Saarijarvi Andy Welinski
3/2/3023		Future Considerations		Anders Bjork
3/2/3023	Rockford IceHogs	Carson Gicewicz	Rochester Americans	Future Considerations
3/2/3023		Max Domi Dylan Wells		25 2nd Rd Pick Anton Khudobin
3/2/3023		Dylan Sikura		Max Golod
3/2/3023	Rockford IceHogs	Future Considerations	San Diego Gulls	Rocco Grimaldi Logan Nijhoff
3/3/3023		Future Considerations		Austin Wagner

Trade Analysis/Break Down:

• • • Chicago Blackhawks acquired Nikita Zaitsev, 2023 2nd Round Pick and 2026 4th Round Pick from the Ottawa Senators for future considerations
    • Chicago Blackhawks acquired Hunter Drew from the Anaheim Ducks for Josiah Slavin.
    • Chicago Blackhawks acquired Andreas Englund from The Colorado Avalanche for Jack Johnson
    • Chicago Blackhawks trade Jake McCabe, Sam Lafferty, a conditional 2024 5th-round pick & a conditional 2025 5th-round pick to Toronto for a 2025 1st-round pick (top 10 protected), a 2026 2nd-round pick, Joey Anderson and Pavel Gogolev.
    • The Arizona Coyotes acquired Patrick Kane from the Chicago Blackhawks for Vili Saarijarvi
    • The New York Rangers Acquired Patrick Kane from the Arizona Coyotes for a 2025 conditional 3rd Round Pick
    • The Chicago Blackhawks acquired 2023 conditional 2nd Round Pick, 2025 4th Round Pick and Andy Welinski from the New York Rangers for Cooper Zech
    • The Chicago Blackhawks acquired Anders Bjork from the Buffalo Sabres for future considerations
    • The Dallas Stars acquired Max Domi and Dylan Wells from the Chicago Blackhawks for Anton Khudobin and 2025 2nd Round Pick
    • The Anaheim Ducks acquired Dylan Sikura from the Chicago Blackhawks for Max Golod

Also, be sure to follow the entire The-Rink staff on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates, as well:

The Rink Official

Chicago Divison
The Rinkcast
Jeff Osborn
Andy Campbell
Ray Napientek
Eric Andrews
Sean Fitzgerald
Andrew Bard
Matt Csakai

 

The post The Rink’s Chicago Blackhawks 2023 NHL Trade Deadline Tracker appeared first on The Rink.

Join your fellow Rinkrats below to discuss what the Blackhawks accomplished (or didn’t accomplish) this year as the market opened.

Player	Pos	Prev Team	New Team	Age	Ht / Wt	Term	Notes
Andreas Athanasiou	C			27	5'10" / 192	1 x $3M
Max Domi	F			27	6'2" / 190	1 x $3M
Alex Stalock	G			34	5'11" / 170	1 X $750K
Colin Blackwell	F			29	5'9" / 190	2 X $1.2M
Adam Clendening	D			29	6'0" / 190	$400K AHL deal	Rockford IceHogs Signing
Luke Philp	F			26	5'10" / 181	2 X $750K	2-way
Brett Seney	F			26	5'9" / 174	2 X $750K	2-way

These are Blackhawks trades relevant to this offseason

Date	The-Rink Division	Outgoing Player/Pick	Opposite Team	Player/Pick Received
7/7/22		Alex Debrincat		'22 First round draft pick (7), '22 second round draft pick (39), a third-round pick in 2024
7/7/22		Kirby Dach		‘22 1st round pick, ‘22 3rd round pick
7/7/22		2022 2nd round draft pick (38)		First round draft pick (25) and goaltender Petr Mrazek
7/8/22		2022 6th round draft pick (167)		Rights to forward Liam Gorman

The post Blackhawks 2022 Real-Time Free Agency Tracker appeared first on The Rink.

Date	The-Rink Division	Outgoing Player/Pick	Opposite Team	Player/Pick Received
3/16/2022		Calle Jarnkrok		'22 2nd round pick (acquired from FLA), '23 3rd round pick, and a '24 7th round pick
3/18/2022		Brandon Hagel, '22 4th round pick, '24 4th round pick		Boris Katchouk, Taylor Raddysh, ‘23 1st round pick, ‘24 1st round pick
3/20/2022		Mark Giordano (50% salary retained), Colin Blackwell		'22 2nd round pick, '23 2nd round pick, and, '24 3rd round pick
3/20/2022		Jeremy Lauzon		'22 2nd round pick
3/20/2022		Mason Appleton		'23 4th round pick
3/21/2022		Marcus Johansson (50% salary retained)		Daniel Sprong, '22 4th round pick, and '23 6th round pick
3/21/2022		Marc-Andre Fleury (50% salary retained)		Conditional '22 2nd (potential 1st) round pick
3/21/2022		Ryan Carpenter		'24 5th round pick
3/21/2022		Future Considerations		Victor Rask

Trade Analysis/Break Down:

• The Calgary Flames acquired Calle Jarnkrok from the Seattle Kraken for 2022 2nd Round Pick, 2023 3rd Round Pick, 2024 7th Round Pick
• The Tampa Bay Lightning acquired Brandon Hagel, 2022 4th Round Pick and 2024 4th Round Pick from the Chicago Blackhawks for 2023 1st Round Pick, 2024 1st Round Pick, Boris Katchouk, and Taylor Raddysh
• The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Mark Giordano and Colin Blackwell from the Seattle Kraken for 2022 second round pick, 2023 second round pick, and 2024 third round pick
• The Nashville Predators acquired Jeremy Lauzon from the Seattle Kraken for 2022 second round pick
• The Winnipeg Jets acquired Mason Appleton from the Seattle Kraken for a 2023 fourth round pick
• The Minnesota Wild acquired Marc-Andre Fleury from the Chicago Blackhawks for a conditional first or second round pick
• The Washington Capitals acquired Marcus Johansson from the Seattle Kraken for Daniel Sprong and draft picks
• The Calgary Flames acquired Ryan Carpenter from the Chicago Blackhawks for 2024 Fifth Round Pick
• The Seattle Kraken acquired Victor Rask from the Minnesota Wild for future considerations

Also, be sure to follow the entire The-Rink staff on Twitter for up to the minute updates, as well:

The Rink Official

Chicago Divison
The Rinkcast
Andy Campbell
Ray Napientek
Eric Andrews
Sean Fitzgerald
Andrew Bard
Matt Csakai
Tommy Gibbons

Seattle Divison
Kraken Hostile Seattle Rinkcast
Jeff Osborn

The post The Rink’s 2022 NHL Trade Deadline Tracker appeared first on The Rink.

(Odds courtesy of BetRivers)

Vegas Golden Knights @ Boston Bruins -110

O/U: 5.5 -122

My pick: Vegas ML -106. The Boston Bruins find themselves shorthanded tonight as they host the Vegas Golden Knights, as forwards Brad Marchand and Craig Smith have entered COVID-19 protocol. Beside that, I like the matchup here, with Robin Lehner getting the nod for the Golden Knights. Lehner has won two of his last three starts and the team has won four of their last five. This game should be close, but I like Vegas to leave the Garden with a win.

New Jersey Devils @ Philadelphia Flyers -124

O/U: 6 -112

My pick: Devils ML +107. Despite the Philadelphia Flyers having won two in a row on the road prior to returning home tonight, I am not sold on them. I know they have changed up their head coach and a new voice can lift the team’s spirit. However, I like the New Jersey Devils here. They have already beaten the Flyers twice in their own barn. The Flyers are also going on a month without winning at home. I will take a shot on their streaky offense.

Los Angeles Kings @ Tampa Bay Lightning -200

O/U: 5.5 +107

My pick: Tampa Bay Lightning Team Total Over 3 -115. This is a pretty big line for a Los Angeles Kings team who has been playing some solid hockey in December. Jonathan Quick is still proving he can be a top goaltender in this league. His 2.04 goals against average ranks sixth in the NHL. However, his last three starts against the Tampa Bay Lightning? Twelve goals allowed. The Lightning sit ninth in the league in goals. I am going to play the track record here of Tampa Bay.

Buffalo Sabers @ Winnipeg Jets -250

O/U: 6 +102

My pick: Winnipeg -1.5 -104. The Buffalo Sabers turned some heads at the start of the year after going 5–2 to open the season. However, they then fell off a cliff. They had three wins in the entire month of November and have currently lost seven in a row. The Winnipeg Jets should cruise to victory.

Make sure to follow me on Twitter, @ThomasGibbons_3, for my bonus play at 5 p.m. CST.

Happy gambling, and remember, always ride the Tommy Train.

Basics of hockey betting Money line — Winning team Puck line — Team wins by at least two goals (-1.5 when placing a bet) Three-way line — Team wins in regulation  Over/under — Total goals scored during a game including overtime but not a shootout  Parlay — A combination of two or more bets

The information contained on this website is for entertainment purposes only. Please confirm any wagering regulations in your jurisdiction, as they vary from state to state, province to province and country to country. Using this information to contravene any law or statute is prohibited. The Rink is not associated with or endorsed by any professional league, association or team.

The post Tommy’s Puckline Picks — Dec. 14, 2021 appeared first on The Rink.

I have three plays tonight to get our weekend started.

(Odds courtesy of BetRivers)

Pittsburg Penguins @ Washington Capitals -148

O/U: 5.5 -117

My pick: First period under 1.5 -104.  Both teams are on three days rest coming into tonight’s tilt at our nation’s capital. However, I like both defensive groups and goaltending. I think this will be a low-scoring game.

Winnipeg Jets @ Vancouver Canucks -137

O/U: 5.5 -118

My pick: Over 5.5. The Winnipeg Jets travel to Vancouver tonight after playing last night in Seattle. As for the Vancouver Canucks, their organization is going through a lot of change. As for their on-ice play, they are in the top 10 in most goals allowed this season. Meanwhile, the Jets sit in the top half of the league in goals. Play the stats here and take the over. I would even think about putting a little cash on Jets’ money line at +118.

Philadelphia Flyers @ Vegas Golden Knights -240

O/U: 6 -118

My pick: Vegas team total over 3.5 -130. The Philadelphia Flyers are another team seeing a change in the coach behind the bench. They have lost 10 in a row and I do not see them breaking that tonight in Vegas. Opponents have scored four or more in eight of Philadelphia’s last 10 games. This should be a nice handout for us.

Make sure to follow me on Twitter, @ThomasGibbons_3, for my bonus play at 5 p.m. CST.

Happy gambling, and remember, always ride the Tommy Train.

Basics of hockey betting Money line — Winning team Puck line — Team wins by at least two goals (-1.5 when placing a bet) Three-way line — Team wins in regulation  Over/under — Total goals scored during a game including overtime but not a shootout  Parlay — A combination of two or more bets

The information contained on this website is for entertainment purposes only. Please confirm any wagering regulations in your jurisdiction, as they vary from state to state, province to province and country to country. Using this information to contravene any law or statute is prohibited. The Rink is not associated with or endorsed by any professional league, association or team.

The post Tommy’s Puckline Picks — Dec. 10, 2021 appeared first on The Rink.

Three plays tonight for the Tommy Train passengers. Remember, pick up your food voucher at the station and $1 Busch lights on the drink cart tonight.

(Odds courtesy of BetRivers)

Nashville Predators -125 @ Detroit Red Wings

O/U: 5.5 +110

My pick: Red Wings ML +108. We got a matchup of old conference foes in Detriot tonight. I really like the Detroit Red Wings as home underdogs here. They are 9–2 in their own barn and four of their five wins on the win streak have come at home. This pick holds great value. No need to overthink. Ride the Wings.

Columbus Blue Jackets @ Toronto Maple Leafs -250

O/U: 6 +100

My pick: Maple Leafs three-way -157. Road games have not been good to the Columbus Blue Jackets in recent weeks, losing four straight and being outscored 18–6. Elvis Merzlikins gets the start between the pipes and his road goals against average is 4.32. The Toronto Maples Leafs should have no problem taking care of business tonight at home.

Minnesota Wild @ Edmonton Oilers -122

O/U: 6.5 -134

My pick: Over 6.5 -134. Two teams here who can flat out score. The Minnesota Wild ride a six-game win streak into Edmonton tonight, so their ML at +106 is something I would consider as well.

Make sure to follow me on Twitter, @ThomasGibbons_3, for my bonus play at 5 p.m. CST.

Happy gambling, and remember, always ride the Tommy Train.

Basics of hockey betting Money line — Winning team Puck line — Team wins by at least two goals (-1.5 when placing a bet) Three-way line — Team wins in regulation  Over/under — Total goals scored during a game including overtime but not a shootout  Parlay — A combination of two or more bets

The information contained on this website is for entertainment purposes only. Please confirm any wagering regulations in your jurisdiction, as they vary from state to state, province to province and country to country. Using this information to contravene any law or statute is prohibited. The Rink is not associated with or endorsed by any professional league, association or team.

The post Tommy’s Puckline Picks — Dec. 7, 2021 appeared first on The Rink.

There is not a big slate of games today, but I will hand out two plays for us to start the week off right.

(Odds courtesy of BetRivers)

Anaheim Ducks @ Washington Capitals -210

O/U: 6 +105

My pick: Capitals team total over 3.5 +107 (Regular time). John Gibson gets the start in net tonight for the Anaheim Ducks. In opposing barns this season, his goals against average is 3.44! I think BetRivers giving us this at plus money is a steal. Let’s ride Alex Ovechkin and the boys.

Pittsburg Penguins -120 @ Seattle Kraken

O/U: 5.5 -122

My pick: Kraken ML +102. Seattle has shown us something in the past two weeks. They have some impressive wins over Washington, Carolina, Florida and Edmonton and are 5–2 in their last seven. Something good is in the fish market over in Seattle, so we will ride them tonight.

Happy gambling, and remember, always ride the Tommy Train.

Basics of hockey betting Money line — Winning team Puck line — Team wins by at least two goals (-1.5 when placing a bet) Three-way line — Team wins in regulation  Over/under — Total goals scored during a game including overtime but not a shootout  Parlay — A combination of two or more bets

The information contained on this website is for entertainment purposes only. Please confirm any wagering regulations in your jurisdiction, as they vary from state to state, province to province and country to country. Using this information to contravene any law or statute is prohibited. The Rink is not associated with or endorsed by any professional league, association or team.

The post Tommy’s Puckline Picks — Dec. 6, 2021 appeared first on The Rink.

I really like the board today and got three picks for you all tonight. Grab your complimentary Lay’s Barbeque Chips and hop on board the Tommy Train!

(Odds courtesy of BetRivers)

Vegas Golden Knights (+155) @ Colorado Avalanche (-182)

O/U: 6 -105

My pick: Avalanche puck line -1.5 +138. The Vegas Golden Knights are in rough shape injury-wise. Until they get healthy, their lineup is going to struggle, especially against superior opponents. Let’s ride the Colorado Avalanche at home with great value on the puck line. You have to wonder if this game could get out of hand.

Tampa Bay Lightning (-127) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (+108)

O/U: 5.5 -120

My pick: Over. On paper, this matchup screams take the Tampa Bay Lightning money line, puck line, any way you can. However, this beat-up Pittsburgh Penguins team beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 7–1 the other night with a roster depleted by injury. Anything can happen any given night in the NHL. That example is one reason I will take stay away from a side here and take the total. Both teams are giving up a lot of shots. I was a bit shocked I was able to get this at 5.5. Let’s ride it!

Minnesota Wild ( -124) @ Vancouver Canucks (+108)

O/U: 5.5 -122

My pick: Canucks ML. I really like the Vancouver Canucks tonight. They have won two games in a row, on the road, and are coming back to their barn in what should be a good game. Thatcher Demko will handle the netminder duties for the home squad. If you want to add a prop for this game to make it interesting, Connor Garland is +285 to score a goal. He has a point in every game this season and three goals in his last four games.

Happy gambling and remember, always ride the Tommy Train.

Basics of hockey betting Money line — Winning team Puck line — Team wins by at least two goals (-1.5 when placing a bet) Three-way line — Team wins in regulation  Over/under — Total goals scored during a game including overtime but not a shootout  Parlay — A combination of two or more bets

The information contained on this website is for entertainment purposes only. Please confirm any wagering regulations in your jurisdiction, as they vary from state to state, province to province and country to country. Using this information to contravene any law or statute is prohibited. The Rink is not associated with or endorsed by any professional league, association or team.

The post Tommy’s Puckline Picks — Oct. 26, 2021 appeared first on The Rink.

I got two picks for tonight to get the Tommy Train back on track. Let’s get into it.

(Odds courtesy of BetRivers)

Washington Capitals (-125) @ New Jersey Devils (+108)

O/U: 6 -122

My pick: Over 6. The Capitals did not lose to the Devils last season. Dominance on the ice. And no Jack Hughes for the home team tonight is not good news to break that streak. The Capitals seem like the no-brainer pick but I’ll ride the slightly better odds with the total. The Capitals should mainly cover it but the Devils still have plenty of guys who can rip some twine. Take the Over and do not look back!

Colorado Avalanche (+112) @ Florida Panthers (-130)

O/U: 6.5 -122

My pick: Avs ML. This is some great value for Nathan MacKinnon and the Avalanche. Gabriel Landeskog has served his suspension and will be back in the lineup tonight. This is going to be one heck of a game. Stars all over the ice. Avalanche ends their two-game skid and stop the Panther’s perfect start to the season in Sunrise.

BONUS PARLAY

Ducks/Jets Over 5.5 + Oilers/Coyotes Over 6.5 +274

Happy gambling and remember, always ride the Tommy Train.

Basics of hockey betting Money line — Winning team Puck line — Team wins by at least two goals (-1.5 when placing a bet) Three-way line — Team wins in regulation  Over/under — Total goals scored during a game including overtime but not a shootout  Parlay — A combination of two or more bets

The information contained on this website is for entertainment purposes only. Please confirm any wagering regulations in your jurisdiction, as they vary from state to state, province to province and country to country. Using this information to contravene any law or statute is prohibited. The Rink is not associated with or endorsed by any professional league, association or team.

The post Tommy’s Puckline Picks — Oct. 21, 2021 appeared first on The Rink.

First off, here is a resource that I check daily when making my picks.

There are a lot of good games in the NHL tonight. I have three plays for the Tommy Train passengers, so here we go.

(Odds courtesy of BetRivers)

Colorado Avalanche (-124) vs. Washington Capitals (+108)

O/U: 6 -120

My pick: Capitals ML. While Nathan MacKinnon tested negative and will play tonight in the nation’s capital, I still like the Washington Capitals tonight. One thing to note: The Colorado Avalanche have had their share of penalties of late, 21 minutes through two games. The Capitals’ power play was third in the NHL last season and is already off to a hot start this season. If the Avs cannot stay out of the box, the Capitals will take advantage. Another home dog opportunity, so let’s jump on it.

Dallas Stars (+110) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (-129)

O/U: 5.5 -107

My pick: Dallas ML. The Dallas Stars have played in three close games to open this season, but a 1–2–0 record to show for it. The Pittsburgh Penguins are 2–0–1 without some of their best players. But, I have a feeling the Stars pull out a win tonight. Their scrappy play will lead to scoring chances. I like Braden Holtby in the net tonight. I could see this game being decided in the final minutes. Ride the Stars and do not look back.

Columbus Blue Jackets (+104) vs. Detroit Red Wings (-121)

O/U: 5.5 +100

My pick: Over 5.5. I like both of these teams’ offenses so far this year, both averaging more than four goals per game. I think Vegas giving us plus odds is a gift here. Who does not like high-flying offense! If you want more action on this one, both teams to score a goal in the first period is +195 on BetRivers.

Happy gambling and remember, always ride the Tommy Train.

Basics of hockey betting Money line — Winning team Puck line — Team wins by at least two goals (-1.5 when placing a bet) Three-way line — Team wins in regulation  Over/under — Total goals scored during a game including overtime but not a shootout  Parlay — A combination of two or more bets

The information contained on this website is for entertainment purposes only. Please confirm any wagering regulations in your jurisdiction, as they vary from state to state, province to province and country to country. Using this information to contravene any law or statute is prohibited. The Rink is not associated with or endorsed by any professional league, association or team.

The post Tommy’s Puckline Picks — Oct. 19, 2021 appeared first on The Rink.

Two straight winnings days for Tommy’s picks! Let’s get the puck to go our way again tonight.

I have two plays for tonight’s slate. Let’s dive in!

(Odds courtesy of BetRivers)

Seattle Kraken (+116) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (-134) 

O/U: 6 -103

The Seattle Kraken earned their first win in franchise history last Thursday in a 3–2 road win in Nashville. They followed it up with an overtime loss in Columbus on Saturday. Former Pittsburg Penguin Brandon Tanev has been the highlight, scoring three goals in the last two games. Seattle’s opponent Monday night, the Philadelphia Flyers, dropped their season opener to Vancouver 5–4. Joel Farabee tallied two goals in the loss.

My pick: Flyers three-way. Seattle looks to be finding their game a bit. However, I will take the experienced group in the Flyers tonight. Carter Hart is in the net, and I am expecting them to bounce back in a big way. I may even sprinkle a little money on the Flyers team total of over three goals in regular time as well.

St. Louis Blues (-180) vs. Arizona Coyotes (+155) 

O/U: 5.5 -112

It is going to be a rough year in the desert. They will be atop the league in goals allowed and especially shots against. Carter Hutton is in net tonight for the Arizona Coyotes, and his season debut did not go well: Eight goals allowed. The St. Louis Blues will likely be one of the top teams in the Western Conference. They opened the season with an impressive win in Colorado. I am a fan of Jordan Binnington. His journey to become a full-time NHL goalie was a long and tough road. The Blues bolstered their offense in the offseason with Pavel Buchnevich and Brandon Saad. If they get hot, they will be tough to stop.

My pick: Blues -1.5 +143. Some nice action here. The Blues outclass the Coyotes in every category. If they start how they did against Colorado, Arizona will not be able to match their play.

Happy gambling and remember, always ride the Tommy Train.

Basics of hockey betting Money line — Winning team Puck line — Team wins by at least two goals (-1.5 when placing a bet) Three-way line — Team wins in regulation  Over/under — Total goals scored during a game including overtime but not a shootout  Parlay — A combination of two or more bets

The information contained on this website is for entertainment purposes only. Please confirm any wagering regulations in your jurisdiction, as they vary from state to state, province to province and country to country. Using this information to contravene any law or statute is prohibited. The Rink is not associated with or endorsed by any professional league, association or team.

The post Tommy’s Puckline Picks — Oct. 18, 2021 appeared first on The Rink.

Huge slate of games today. Let’s dive head first into my picks:

Dallas Stars (+148) vs. Boston Bruins (-175)

O/U: 5.5 +107

The Bruins’ home opener in TD Garden should be electric hockey. The “perfection line” of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak are back and ready to dominate the NHL. I like Boston’s forward depth and their defense is solid. The only question is how their goaltending will fair with Rask still recovering from offseason surgery. 

Dallas beat the Rangers on Thursday night in overtime. Call me out if you want, but I’ve never been a fan of Dallas’ forward group. It feels like they are missing a piece. But their blue line is legit and can shut teams down. 

My pick: Bruins 3-way -106. The Bruins have plenty of scorers up and down the lineup. If they run the score up, I don’t see Dallas closing the gap

New York Rangers (-108) vs Montreal Canadiens (-108)

O/U: 6 -107

Neither team has had the start to the season each was looking for. The Canadiens have been run out of the building in their first two, allowing seven goals while only netting just one in each contest. For their opponent, the Rangers responded after their loss in Washington in the season opener. They played the Stars tough and picked up a point. 

My pick: Rangers ML. Their offense is far and above better than the Canadiens, at least on paper. Goaltending is going to be a concern in Montreal until Price can return. The Rangers pick up their first win Saturday night. 

Calgary Flames (+118) vs Edmonton Oilers (-137)

O/U: 6.5 -109

Offense, offense, and more offense! There are a ton of goal scorers on both benches in this one. No need for a long explanation here. 

My pick: O 6.5. Pucks will be flying off sticks at a high rate in this one, with two teams who want to play fast and skate around or through you to light the lamp.

I will have a bonus play at 4:30 p.m. CDT on my Twitter, @ThomasGibbons_3.

Happy gambling and remember, always ride the Tommy Train. 

Basics of hockey betting Money line — Winning team Puck line — Team wins by at least two goals (-1.5 when placing a bet) Three-way line — Team wins in regulation  Over/under — Total goals scored during a game including overtime but not a shootout  Parlay — A combination of two or more bets

The information contained on this website is for entertainment purposes only. Please confirm any wagering regulations in your jurisdiction, as they vary from state to state, province to province and country to country. Using this information to contravene any law or statute is prohibited. The Rink is not associated with or endorsed by any professional league, association or team.

The post Tommy’s Puckline Picks — October 16, 2021 appeared first on The Rink.

• 1–4 in featured picks. WSH three-way only winner
• Parlay was busted from the start with Leafs not hitting the over
• 0–3 in props 

We keep going today, though. It was a rocky start, but it is only the beginning. Let’s get into my picks for Thursday night.

(All odds courtesy of BetRiversIL)

Arizona Coyotes (+138) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (-162)

O/U: 5.5 -112

The Arizona Coyotes gutted their team. Darcy Kuemper is in Colorado, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Conor Garland were traded to Vancouver and Christian Dvorak wound up in Montreal. There was a lot of shakeup in Arizona as the focus turns toward the youth. 

On the other side, the Columbus Blue Jackets want to make some noise. Their forward group is solid, led by Patrik Laine and Oliver Bjorkstrand. They have invested in Elvis Merzlikins to tend the pipes, and new head coach Brad Larsen was hired after eight years as an assistant in Columbus. Their defense will have a chip on its shoulder, as there is plenty to prove. 

My pick: Columbus three-way -103 

New York Islanders (+108) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (-124) 

O/U: 5.5

The New York Islanders play a style that suffocates their opponent. Barry Trotz is one of the best coaches in the league. As many say, they bore you to sleep, but they get the job done. Anders Lee is back. They re-signed Kyle Palmieri, who is a perfect fit for their style of play. Zach Parise was added for forward depth. In addition, Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock may be the best defensive pairing in the NHL. I had them in a future bet to win the Stanley Cup last season, but they fell just short to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the semifinals. 

The Carolina Hurricanes are a loaded squad, too. While losing Dougie Hamilton was not ideal, Ethan Bear should help pick up the slack. And, they snagged Jesperi Kotkaniemi from Montreal. They should run the tables this year. 

My pick: Islander ML. Hard to get against Mathew Barzal and the boys. Ride the Isles. 

I will have a bonus play at 5:30 p.m. CDT on my Twitter, @ThomasGibbons_3.

Basics of hockey betting Money line — Winning team Puck line — Team wins by at least two goals (-1.5 when placing a bet) Three-way line — Team wins in regulation  Over/under — Total goals scored during a game including overtime but not a shootout  Parlay — A combination of two or more bets

The information contained on this website is for entertainment purposes only. Please confirm any wagering regulations in your jurisdiction, as they vary from state to state, province to province and country to country. Using this information to contravene any law or statute is prohibited. The Rink is not associated with or endorsed by any professional league, association or team.

The post Tommy’s Puckline Picks — Oct. 14, 2021 appeared first on The Rink.

I have become more invested in sports gambling over the past year or so. How invested, you may ask? Last week, I was refreshing the box score to a KHL game in my Uber on my way home from a night out with friends. I love the entertainment and the opportunity to earn some spending money. 

Basics of hockey betting

Money line — Winning team 

Puck line — Team wins by at least two goals (-1.5 when placing a bet)

Three-way line — Team wins in regulation 

Over/under — Total goals scored during a game including overtime but not a shootout 

Parlay — A combination of two or more bets 

Last night, the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the defending champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning, in extravagant fashion, 6–2. The Penguins were the underdogs, and playing their money line at plus odds would have been a sweet win. The over also hit (5.5). For the nightcap, the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Seattle Kraken by a score of 4–3. That over (5.5) also hit, however, the Golden Knights, the favorite, did not cover the puck line by only winning by one goal. 

Tonight, we have five games on the slate. Let’s dive into my picks.

(All odds courtesy of BetRivers IL)

Montreal Canadiens (+160) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (-186)

O/U: 6

In terms of how I make my picks, everyone has their strategy. For me, it is a mix of gut and research. 

Both teams are missing arguably their best players tonight in Carey Price for the Montreal Canadiens and Auston Matthews for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Canadiens are also without defensemen Shea Weber for the entire year and Joel Edmundson will miss the start of the regular season. Forwards Paul Byron and Mike Hoffman are also on long-term injured reserve. It is a banged-up Canadiens team traveling to Toronto. Mitch Marner is also a game-time decision, but I would expect him to play. 

My pick: Over 6. The Maple Leafs have the firepower on offense even without Matthews in the lineup, and the Canadiens have their own sharpshooters in Cole Caufield and Tyler Toffoli. I think goals come early and often tonight in Toronto. 

New York Rangers (-107) vs. Washington Capitals (-109) 

O/U: 6.5

One thing to note. O/U 6.5 means there must be at least seven goals for the bet to settle as a win. As for the Maple Leafs-Canadiens game, the O/U is set at 6, which also means there must be at least seven goals for a win. However, without the .5, if the game finishes with six total goals, it would be considered a “push” and you get your wagered money back. 

First off, neither team have plus odds. I would consider this a toss-up. So, if you would want plus odds on either one of them, you could play the three-way line or the Washington Capitals are -1 at +160. A $10 wager would win $16 and the payout would be $26. 

The New York Rangers are locked and loaded. They are healthy and ready to go to battle with their slew of assistant captains. I really like their roster. They made several additions in Barclay Goodrow, Ryan Reaves and former St. Louis Blues forward Samuel Blais. Their back end is solid, led by Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox and Jacob Trouba. And, their goaltending duo of Igor Shesterkin and Alexandar Georgiev gives new head coach Gerard Gallant options.

As for the Capitals, there are plenty of familiar faces. They will be without Nicklas Backstrom tonight and for the foreseeable future. Vitek Vanecek will tend the pipes tonight, and the Capitals will be ready to prove they are capable of another run at the Cup. 

My pick: Capitals three-way +145. I will ride the Capitals on home ice tonight. The building will be electric and Alex Ovechkin will shine on the first regular-season game broadcast on TNT. 

Chicago Blackhawks (+170) vs. Colorado Avalanche (-200) 

O/U: 6.5 

Even with no Nathan MacKinnon tonight after testing positive for COVID-19, the Colorado Avalanche are the heavy favorite at home. It is not shocking considered the Avs are one of the favorites to win it all this year. Their roster is loaded with stars all over the place. This is a team that will be entertaining all year and favored in the majority of their contests. 

The Chicago Blackhawks are running out a new-look squad headlined by goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and defensemen Seth Jones. Jonathan Toews is back after missing all of last season with an illness. The rebuild was short-lived in Chicago, and, at least on paper, General Manager Stan Bowman has put together a playoff-contending roster.  

My pick: Hawks ML +170. Homer pick? Absolutely. There is plenty of excitement coming into this season, and I am going to ride it on opening night. Fleury will keep them in the game and give them the chance to pull out the victory.

Vancouver Canucks (+160) vs. Edmonton Oilers (-186)

O/U: 6.5 

I had to think about this game for a bit. There were a lot of angles I was looking into. First off, I liked the over until I saw Mike Smith was 4–0 with a .937 save percentage for the Edmonton Oilers against the Vancouver Canucks last season. This one is tough. I feel that the Oilers are a deeper team offensively, but I lean toward the Canucks’ defense. But, I had to settle on something to try and win some cash for the weekend shenanigans. 

My pick: Oilers three-way -121. Conor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are one of the best duos in the NHL. In March of last season, The two have combined on an NHL-best 197 goals since 2016–17. Insane! Riding these guys tonight is the safe bet. 

Winnipeg Jets (-132) vs. Anaheim Ducks (+112) 

O/U: 5.5 +100

It is always hard to pass up an O/U at plus odds, so think about it. 

Hey, a road favorite! The Winnipeg Jets have had a winning record on the road for the past five seasons. It is a balanced roster and is destined to finish near the top of the Central Divison. As for the Anaheim Ducks, their roster is nothing special. They have finished toward the bottom of the league the past three seasons. Trevor Zegras will be the highlight of the team this season, as he will be in the race for the Calder Trophy with Cole Caufield and Spencer Knight. Maybe they surprise some people, but right now it does not look like it.

My pick: Jets -1.5. I think they win comfortably. John Gibson is the likely starter in the net for the Ducks, and while he is not a bad goalie, I do not like the defense in front of him. Ride the Jets into the night.

I would parlay:

— Leafs O 6/Jets -1.5 +425

Props I like:

— Canadiens team total including overtime over 2.5 -115

— Toews to have a point +105

— Zegras to score +310

Let’s start off the year with a bang! Happy gambling!

The post Tommy’s Puckline Picks — Oct. 13, 2021 appeared first on The Rink.

Date	The-Rink Division	Outgoing Player/Pick	Opposite Team	Player/Pick Received
4/2/21		Brad Morrison		Vince Hinostroza
4/8/21		Lucas Carlsson, Lucas Wallmark		Brett Connolly, Riley Stillman, Henrik Borgstrom, 7th round draft pick
4/9/21		2022 conditional seventh round pick		Riley Nash
4/9/21		2022 fourth-round selection		Patrik Nemeth
4/9/21		Greg Pateryn		Devan Dubnyk
4/10/21		David Savard and Brian Lashoff thru		2021 NHL Draft and a 2022 third-round pick
4/11/21		David Rittich		2022 third round pick
4/11/21		Nick Foligno and Stefan Noesen thru		2021 first round pick, 2021 fourth round pick and 2022 fourth round pick
4/12/21		Adam Gaudette		Matthew Highmore
4/12/21		2021 2nd and 2022 3rd round draft pick thru		Mattias Janmark and 2022 5th round draft pick
4/12/21		Josh Dickinson and Ryder Rolston		Carl Soderberg
4/12/21		2021 4th round draft pick		Madison Bowey and a 2021 fifth round draft pick
4/12/21		Antti Suomela		Alexander Barabanov
		Ben Hutton		2022 fifth round draft pick

Trade Analysis/Break Down:

• • • • Chicago Blackhawks acquired Vinnie Hinostroza from the Florida Panthers for Brad Morrison
      • Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Riley Nash from the Columbus Blue Jackets for a 2022 conditional seventh round pick
      • Colorado Avalanche acquired Patrik Nemeth from the Detroit Red Wings for a 2022 fourth round pick
      • Columbus Blue Jackets/Detroit Red Wings/Tampa Bay Lightning 3-way trade:
        • Tampa Bay Lightning acquired Brian Lashoff from the Columbus Blue Jackets for 2021 first round pick and 2022 third round pick
        • Tampa Bay Lightning acquired David Savard from the Detroit Red Wings for a 2021 fourth round pick
        • Detroit Red Wings acquired David Savard from the Columbus Blue Jackets for Brian Lashoff
      • Colorado Avalanche acquired Devan Dubnyk from the San Jose Sharks for Greg Pateryn and 2021 fifth round pick
      • Columbus Blue Jackets/San Jose Sharks/Toronto Maple Leafs 3-way trade:
        • San Jose Sharks acquired Nick Foligno from the Columbus Blue Jackets for Stefan Noesen
        • Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Nick Foligno from the San Jose Sharks for 2021 fourth round pick
        • Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Stefan Noesen from the Columbus Blue Jackets for 2021 first round pick and 2022 fourth round pick
      • Toronto Maple Leafs acquired David Rittich from the Calgary Flames for a 2022 third round pick
      • Chicago Blackhawks acquired Adam Gaudette from the Vancouver Canucks for Matthew Highmore
      • Chicago Blackhawks/San Jose Sharks/Vegas Golden Knights 3-way trade:
        • San Jose Sharks acquired Mattias Janmark from the Chicago Blackhawks for Nick DeSimone
        • Vegas Golden Knights acquired Mattias Janmark from the San Jose Sharks for 2022 fifth round pick
        • Vegas Golden Knights acquired Nick DeSimone and 2022 fifth round pick from the Chicago Blackhawks for 2021 second round pick and 2022 third round pick
      • Colorado Avalanche acquired Carl Soderberg from the Chicago Blackhawks for Josh Dickinson and Ryder Rolston
      • Vancouver Canucks acquired Madison Bowey and 2021 fifth round pick from the Chicago Blackhawks for 2021 fourth round draft pick
      • San Jose Sharks acquired Alexander Barabanov from the Toronto Maple Leafs for Antti Suomela
      • Toronto Maple Leafs acquire Ben Hutton from Anaheim in exchange for a 2022 fifth-round selection

Also, be sure to follow the entire The-Rink staff on Twitter for up to the minute updates, as well:

The Rink Official

Chicago Divison
The Rinkcast
John Jaeckel
Ray Napientek
Eric Andrews
Sean Fitzgerald
Eric Johnson

Colorado Divison
Aaron Goldschmidt
Marie Sexton
Owyn Cooper
Craig Jones
Karen Cherrett

Seattle Divison
Kraken Hostile Seattle Rinkcast
Jeff Osborn

Toronto Divison
Cristina Caruso

Columbus Divison

The post The-Rink.com 2021 NHL Trade Deadline Tracker appeared first on The Rink.

Until Crawford himself gives an in-depth interview, his decision to hang up his skates will be a bit of a mystery to both Blackhawks and Devils fans.

There are several factors that may have led to his surprise announcement. While he showed in the bubble that he can still play the game at a very high level, he has endured several injuries in the last five years. Most recently, he was diagnosed with COVID-19 prior to the Blackhawks’ bubble playoff run. The injury, or illness, that probably affected him the most were his two concussions in 12 months and eventual post-concussion symptoms which kept him out of action for several months in 2017 and 2018.

Long-haul post-COVID-19 symptoms could have led to his decision as well.

A third factor to consider is that moving his wife and children to New Jersey for the next two years may have just been too much stress on the family. Crawford’s wife, Kristy, gave birth to the couple’s second child in April. Kristy is also a Chicago native and that may have figured into the decision. It is reported that Crawford had his heart set on re-signing in Chicago, but Blackhawks General Manager Stan Bowman indicated that he was not interested in offering the veteran goalie more than a one-year deal just days before free agency was set to open.

Whatever the case, Crawford had a magnificent career with the Blackhawks, which spans back to the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. The young goalie out of Châteauguay, Quebec, was picked 52nd overall, just six slots before current Blackhawks Head Coach Jeremy Colliton (58th overall to the New York Islanders). Crawford was the second goalie taken in that 2003 draft, after first-overall selection Marc-Andre Fleury.

Underdog to NHL starting goalie

Following the NHL Entry Draft, he continued his junior career with his Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) team, the Moncton Wildcats, for both the 2003–04 and 2004–05 seasons. Crawford still holds the Moncton team record for the lowest goals against average in a season (2.47), most wins in a season (35) and is tied for most shutouts in a season (six).

Crawford’s pro career started in the fall of 2005 when he was assigned to the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals, who were the Blackhawks’ AHL affiliate at the time. Crawford later made his NHL debut in January of 2006 in relief of Adam Munro. He also made his first NHL start in 2006, but did not get his first NHL win and shutout until 2008.

It seemed as though Crawford was finally going to take over as an NHL backup in 2008–09, but then-Blackhawks General Manager Dale Tallon chose to sign free agent goaltender Cristobal Huet to split time with incumbent veteran Nikolai Khabibulin. It seemed again like Crawford would make his full time NHL debut in 2009–10, but he lost a tight camp battle with a little-known Finnish free agent named Antti Niemi.

It took Niemi asking for too much money on the free agent market and the Blackhawks finally walking away from Huet for Crawford to finally get an honest shot at playing in the NHL. This time, though, summer free agent signing Marty Turco stood in Crawford’s way, but, luckily, Turco turned in disappointing results.

Crawford took over the Blackhawks crease in late 2010 and never looked back.

Crawford’s final NHL game was a 35-save, 4–3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, in the bubble, on Aug. 18, 2020. So much happened in the decade from 2010 to 2020, though.

Known as “Crow” by his teammates, Crawford began a decade-long run in the crease for the Blackhawks on Oct. 11, 2010, and there were so many great memories he was a part of. Unfortunately, injuries ate into a good portion of his career in the final seasons.

His first notable injury occurred Dec. 1, 2014, while attending a Rise Against concert at the House of Blues in Chicago. As a result, he missed several weeks with a foot injury. The season ended on a much happier note, as the netminder won his second Stanley Cup championship and culminated with this slightly less legendary speech.

Almost two years to the day prior to their game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Dec. 3, 2016, the team surprised everyone with the news that Crawford had undergone an emergency appendectomy and would be unavailable for an undetermined amount of time. This event led to the now famous Eric Semborski game where a local Philadelphia emergency backup goalie was forced to dress and back up Scott Darling.

Oddly enough, this later became the less famous emergency goalie saga in Blackhawks lore.

Again, almost another year later to the day (Dec. 1, 2017), Crawford was put on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, but was able to return after three games. His return only lasted seven games, though. There has been some debate as to when the concussion was sustained, but, whether it was against the Dallas Stars or his final game of that season against the New Jersey Devils, he missed the rest of the season. It was evident that Crawford was not himself in either game.

In a somewhat controversial move, the Blackhawks flew Crawford to Arizona to try and have him rejoin the team in their game against the Coyotes, but on Feb. 12, 2018, he had a setback and was shelved for the rest of the season. After missing 10 months and 52 games, Crawford made his return to the Blackhawks. It was later disclosed that he suffered from post-concussion symptoms.

It was this concussion that ultimately led to the “more famous emergency goalie” incident. With Crawford on the shelf, then-starter Anton Forsberg was injured in a pre-game warmup routine and rookie Collin Delia was forced into action. As a result, Chicago had to call their scheduled emergency backup into action, Scott Foster, to back up Delia against the high-flying Winnipeg Jets. Leading the game 4–1 in the third period, Delia was forced to leave with severe cramps and turn the game over to Foster, who saved all seven shots he faced to help secure the win.

Just two months later, in December once again, Corey sustained another concussion. This time the injury was at the hands of his teammate Dylan Strome pushing San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane into Crawford. This resulted in the oft-injured backstop missing two months of the regular season, leaving offseason signee Cam Ward and Delia behind the struggling Blackhawks team.

His final injury saga was prior to returning from the COVID-19 pause when it was announced that Crawford contracted the virus and was recovering. He returned and played admirably behind a mediocre Blackhawks team, leading them past the Edmonton Oilers. Ultimately, his effort was not enough and Chicago bowed out with a whimper to the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Ice Crow

Despite not being offered a contract to his liking by Bowman and the Blackhawks in the offseason, the veteran ended up playing all his NHL games with Chicago. He ranks in the top echelon of all-time Blackhawks goaltenders:

— Third in all-time games played (488)
— Third in all-time wins (260)
— Third in all-time saves (12,778)
— Second in save percentage (.918)
— Third in goals-against average (2.45)
— Seventh in shutouts (26)
— Two-time Stanley Cup winner (2013 and 2015)
— NHL All-Rookie Team (2011)
— Two-time Jennings Trophy winner (2013 with Ray Emery, 2015 with Scott Darling)
— Two-time NHL All Star

There is no disputing that Crawford struggled at times in his first couple of seasons, but he was able to overcome his struggles to become one of the most reliable goalies in the NHL.

His time with Chicago did not come without threats to his net, either. Darling, Emery, Antti Raanta and Robin Lehner all posed significant risks to his starting job at various points in the last decade.

Ultimately, he overcame all of them.

The legend of Corey Crawford

Is Corey Crawford a Hockey Hall of Famer?

In short, maybe.

He was never the top goalie in the NHL, which should be the first question asked. That said, he was top 10 for more than five years and was a top-five goalie for several years. If the group of potential inductees turns out to be less than sensational one year, you may see him get enough votes. Crawford is not a slam-dunk selection, however.

If the “Hall of Very Good” held selections, he would be in.

Should his number be retired?

Probably. He belongs in the top four of Blackhawks goaltenders with Glenn Hall, Tony Esposito and Ed Belfour. Hall and Esposito have their numbers already retired by the Blackhawks and there is an argument for Belfour as well.

A couple of factors may keep Belfour’s No. 30 from ever getting retired. First, his number is the most popular number for goalies. Second, despite his early success and awards, Belfour played less than half of his total NHL games with Chicago and never won a Stanley Cup with the organization.

Crawford’s No. 50, on the other hand, is a relatively unpopular number for players and he is the only goaltender in franchise history to win more than one Stanley Cup championship. His case is solid.

We should all consider ourselves lucky to have witnessed Crawford’s success and all of us at The Rink wish him and his family well. Congratulations, Corey, and thanks for the memories.

The post Blackhawks legend, but is Corey Crawford a Hockey Hall of Famer? appeared first on The Rink.

Per Friedman’s report the NHL is beginning plans with four teams as part of a first-ever two-game, two-day “Outdoor Weekend” showcase at Lake Tahoe. More specifically the events will be held at Edgewood Tahoe Resort, home of the popular celebrity golf tournament, and will be played around the 16th, 17th and 18th holes of the course.

Fans will not be in attendance, as the number of attendees will be limited to about 400. This will all but be taken up by the teams’ traveling parties and staff needed to run the events. The lack of fans will give TV coverage some unique opportunities to broadcast the games like, possibly, more drone cameras.

More news will follow, but the games featured are the Colorado Avalanche vs the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday, Feb 20, and the Philadelphia Flyers vs the Boston Bruins on Sunday, Feb 21. These games were the only two scheduled for the targeted weekend, which suggests this event was part of the NHL’s plan all along.

Four teams — Boston, Colorado, Philadelphia and Vegas — are headed to Lake Tahoe in February: https://t.co/GDFc633pVD

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) January 1, 2021

The post BREAKING: NHL to play two outdoor games in Lake Tahoe in February appeared first on The Rink.

This process begins with the opening of training camps and the NHL regular season as well as the divisional layouts. With the season beginning in just over three weeks, formal training camps will begin on Jan. 3. The seven teams that did not participate in the 2019–20 Return to Play will be permitted to open their training camps as early as Dec. 31. There will be no preseason games as teams get ready to jump into what will surely be a chaotic schedule.

The @NHLPA and @NHL have announced an agreement to play a 2020-21 regular-season schedule of 56 games beginning on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. https://t.co/2on0oStnMd pic.twitter.com/aggYeVMjfj

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 20, 2020

To make traveling easier, the NHL temporarily restructured the divisions. Teams like Colorado, Minnesota and St. Louis head west while Columbus, Detroit and Tampa Bay move into the new Central Division. The new Canadian North Division, created to avoid teams having to cross the US/Canada border, is made up of Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg.

Teams will play each division foe eight times with the exception of the North Division, who will play each other either nine or 10 times. Playoffs will return to a more traditional format of 16 teams, with the top four in each division qualifying.

TSN’s Pierre LeBrun laid out several key season dates including the Seattle Expansion Draft and NHL Entry Draft as well.

So, to recap:
Puck drop: Jan. 13
Trade deadline: April 12
End of reg season: May 8
Expansion draft: July 21
NHL draft: July 23-24
Free-agent Frenzy: July 28
July 29: LeBrun goes to cottage https://t.co/um2EkAIOc6

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) December 20, 2020

According to Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman, the there is a Dec. 24 opt-out deadline for non-playoff teams, and Dec. 27 for playoff teams. Group II RFAs must be signed by Feb. 11 to play this season. Players on one-year deals can extend on March 12. These are a few more details that Friedman laid out:

• Entry-level contract slide for rookies drops from 10 games to 7
• Training camps will include 36 skaters and an unlimited number of goalies
• No-movement clauses extended through July 28, which means that any player with one will have it through the expansion draft

#NHL/#NHLPA Agreement: 23-man roster with $81.5 million salary cap.

This includes creation of 4-6 man taxi squad. All 29 players (max) will travel and practice with NHL team. Taxi squad is paid full AHL salary. CBA has been expanded to include for more flexible emergency recalls

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) December 19, 2020

As far as the Seattle Kraken are concerned, the expansion draft will be July 21, 2021. Pick submissions and interview periods are as follows, according to <ahref=”https://twitter.com/reporterchris/status/1340693553215905793?s=20″>Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston:

Clarification: This applies to RFA’s and UFA’s left unprotected. Those players can be signed by Seattle before the July 21 expansion draft, which would then have them be designated the selection from their former club.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) December 20, 2020

The post NHL announces 2021 season plans appeared first on The Rink.

Join your fellow Rinkrats below to discuss what the Blackhawks accomplished (or didn’t accomplish) this year as the market opened.

Player	Pos	Previous Team	Age	Ht / Wt	Term/Dollars	Notes
Malcolm Subban	Goaltender		26	6'2" / 215	2 years / $870K AAV
Dominik Kubalik	Forward		25	6'2" / 179	2 years / $3.7M AAV	RFA - extended
						---

These are Blackhawks trades relevant to this offseason

Team	Departing Assets	Incoming Assets	Notes
	Dylan Sikura	Brandon Pirri
	Olli Maatta	Brad Morrison

The post Blackhawks 2020 Real-Time Free Agency Ticker appeared first on The Rink.

NHLPA membership has ratified the new CBA with the NHL and the resumption of the 2019-20 season: https://t.co/GPJlQ6ivXz pic.twitter.com/Eu0jHv5REs

— NHLPA (@NHLPA) July 10, 2020

NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis highlighted some key bullet points of the new CBA, Friday, and the most interesting ones are as follows:

• The upper limit of the salary cap will be frozen at $81.5 million for 2020-21 and remain until HRR (hockey-related revenue) hits $3.3 billion.
• NHL players will participate in the 2022 (Bejing) and 2026 (Milan) Olympics, pending negotiations with the IOC.
• All no-trade and no-movement clauses will travel with the player in a trade, even if a player is moved before the clause begins.
• The minimum salaries will remain at $700,000 for 2020-21, then increase to $750,000 for 2021-22 and 2022-23 and will jump to $775,000 for the remainder of the agreement.
• The six-day negotiating window for pending unrestricted free agents leading up to the free agency signing period has been removed.

Along with the new CBA, the postseason play-in round schedule and hub cities were also formally released. Toronto will be the hub city for the Eastern Conference and Edmonton will be the hub city for the Western Conference. According to the posted schedule, there will be up to three games per day at each hub arena.

Beginning August 1 (Phase 4), the following three play-in games will take place at Scotiabank Arena for the Eastern Conference teams:

• New York Rangers vs. Carolina Hurricanes
• Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders
• Montreal Canadiens vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

In Edmonton, the following games will also be played at the Rogers Place for the Western Conference teams:

• Chicago Blackhawks vs. Edmonton Oilers
• Winnipeg Jets vs. Calgary Flames

The full schedule is as follows:

The #StanleyCup Qualifiers are going to be an exciting 10-day stretch of hockey. https://t.co/IErZJ2hifT pic.twitter.com/Ya2wwxuhSs

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) July 10, 2020

Immediately after the play-in round and round-robin seeding games have been completed, the second part of the NHL draft lottery will be held on August 10, followed by the first round of the playoffs on August 11. All statistics accumulated in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers (round robin and qualifying rounds) are considered part of the 2020 postseason and will be valid in the NHL archives.

As far as the Blackhawks are concerned, potential games will be played at the following dates and times:

• Game 1 — Saturday, August 1
• Game 2 — Monday, August 3
• Game 3 — Wednesday, August 5
• Game 4 — Friday, August 7 (if necessary)
• Game 5 — Saturday, August 8 (if necessary)

Chicago will begin phase 3 by opening their formal training camp on July 13, followed by traveling to Edmonton on July 26 in preparation for an undetermined amount of exhibition games on July 28-30, and their first game against the Oilers on August 1.

Give us your thoughts and feelings below!

The post Game on, as NHL and NHLPA ratify CBA extension appeared first on The Rink.

The full dates for the current NHL season are as follows:

As Frank notes, some of these dates have already moved. Camps scheduled to open on July 13; travel to Hubs scheduled for July 26; Qualifying round scheduled to begin Aug. 1, for example. https://t.co/vc2Zu3DWAS

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) July 8, 2020

Critical dates for the 2020-21 season are as follows:

Tentative dates listed in #NHL and #NHLPA Memorandum of Understanding:

Later of Oct. 9 or 7 days after Cup Final ends is opening of #FreeAgentFrenzy

Nov. 17: Opening of training camps for 2020-21

Dec. 1: Opening of 2020-21 regular season

All subject to change.

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) July 8, 2020

Also, tentative date for 2020 #NHLDraft is Oct. 6. It must follow the end of the Stanley Cup Final and precede the free agent signing period.

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) July 8, 2020

TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported on his Insider Trading segment, today, the NHL’s daily schedule for games will be at 12:00 PM, 4:00 PM, and 8:00 PM local time at both of the Phase Four Secure Zones. This would mean that there would be six games in roughly a 15 hour window. Needless to say, this tight time frame will have to be very fluid, and it also begs to question what kind of toll the number of games in such a condensed period of time will have on the players, especially the older ones.

Teams like the Blackhawks could potentially play up to 32 games to complete this season, participate in the NHL entry draft days later, free agency, and start training camp approximately three weeks after the Stanley Cup is hoisted with full 82 game 20-21 regular season and Stanley Cup playoff to follow. This means that a team from the qualifying round could play up to 132 games from August 1 of this year to July 1, 2021.

If you recall, the players that competed in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey indicated that the extra games prior to the season took a physical toll on them when the playoffs eventually commenced. This Return to Play plan would be even worse because all the games would be played within a condensed schedule and could last much longer.

The NHL will first need to ensure the remainder of this season goes smooth and with minimal COVID-19 fallout, though.  Give us your thoughts below.

The NHL’s Return to Play bracket. (courtesy of sportsnet.ca)

The post REPORT: Critical dates for completion of ’20 and start of ’21 NHL seasons announced appeared first on The Rink.

Late Sunday afternoon, the army of insiders released the proposed information regarding the plans for the NHL’s proposed playoff plans.  They also indicated that, in conjunction with the return-to-play memo of understanding, both parties are determined to agree to an extended collective bargaining agreement, which would avoid a labor-related work stoppage for the first time in Gary Bettman’s tenure.

NHL and NHLPA have finalized tentative agreement on RTP Phase 3/4 protocols but are continuing to work on finalizing the details of the CBA MOU.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) July 5, 2020

NBCSC’s Charlie Roumeliotis outlined several of the top points in the memo of understanding, which includes how the league will handle players who opt out of the return-to-play playoff tournament:

• Any player that opts out of Phases 3 and 4 will not be penalized in any way, but they must notify their NHL teams in writing three days after the ratification vote is complete.
• There will be a limit of 30 skaters and an unlimited number of goalies in Phase 3, and only players eligible to play in the 2019-20 season resumption are permitted to skate. A maximum of 52 personnel members — a minimum of three coaches and a maximum of 31 players — will be allowed to travel for Phase 4.
• Each of the 24 NHL teams in Phases 3 and 4 must submit its list of participating players by Thursday. Formal training camps are expected to open on Monday, July 13.
• Players must undergo a pre-participate medical exam, and if both the doctor administering the exam and the team’s infectious disease expert determine that a player is at “substantial risk of developing a serious illness,” the player will be deemed unfit to play. The player will, however, be allowed to seek a second opinion.
• If a player who tests positive for COVID-19 or develops symptoms in either Phase 3 or 4, the team is not permitted to share that information with the media or public, absent prior approval from the NHL, in consultation with the NHLPA.
• If an individual leaves the bubble environment in the two respective hub cities without permission, the individual may be subject to consequences up to and including removal. In addition, violations could result in significant financial penalties for the club and/or loss of draft choices, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
• Players’ families will be allowed to join the players for the Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Final, which will be hosted by Edmonton.

This announcement comes on the heels of more players in Major League Baseball testing positive, including two Chicago White Sox players who tested positive during the initial intake process.

As far as the CBA negotiations are concerned, a huge point of contention is the salary escrow that the players will be subjected to. Friedman also noted that noticeable changes in the new agreement are regarding Olympic participation, strengthening no-movement clauses, 35-plus contract relaxation, and the elimination of conditional draft picks for players re-signing or not re-signing with the target teams.

More news should be released in the coming days.

NHLPA, NHL Reach Tentative Agreement on Return to Play Plan, CBA Extension; Set Dates for Resumption of Play https://t.co/QKnu4L2jWV pic.twitter.com/6ClJWYhQwH

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) July 6, 2020

The post REPORT: NHL and NHLPA reach tentative agreement on phase 3-4 protocols appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com writers John Jaeckel, Jeff “El Gatekeeper” Osborn, Mario Tirabassi, Juliana Nikac, Lucas Rozell, Marie Sexton, Eric Andrews, Matt Csakai and Sean Fitzgerald get together again on Facebook live to lightheartedly discuss the lack of hockey during this pandemic.

• Can the NHL really restart in July?
• Ian Mitchell and Michal Teply sign entry level deals
• Juliana talks about NWHL news
• Mario talks about the Rockford Icehogs and Gate hits him with an Ian McCoshen scouting request
• Lucas brings us up to date about the Avalanche / Ryan Graves and Marie gives us the lowdown with the Colorado Eagles.
• Some ancient video game talk.
• We talk about great (or not so great) Canadian food.
• We wrap up with what each of us has been doing to keep sane.
• If you are interested in writing for The Rink for any division, email writefor@the-rink.com

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air. Follow and listen on these platforms:

Also, please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

Watch the entire Facebook live here!!!!

Are you a RinkRat who also owns a business? Our data shows RinkCast listeners are (like you) affluent, discerning, and want to patronize like-minded brands. As part of our growth, we’re looking for an exclusive advertiser, at a VERY low cost.  Email podcast@the-rink.com for more details

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 3, Episode 17 – Video Roundtable Pt 2 appeared first on The Rink.

The NHL is suspending the season, The Post has learned. Call at 1pm to start on some details, and teams told to work with their buildings for dates into July. More info, here: https://t.co/QMyGAf4Q8f

— Brett Cyrgalis (@BrettCyrgalis) March 12, 2020

The NHL season has officially been suspended. No surprise. There is hope to resume.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) March 12, 2020

This announcement follows suit with the NBA swift action last night as well as a growing number of overseas leagues, college tournaments, and north american major junior leagues (including the USHL). The AHL and ECHL are expected to follow similar protocal, as well. The verbiage used by most of the leagues is hiatus, postponed, or suspended (rather than cancelled) which leaves opportunities to resume operations when the virus has been contained to a more safe level for the public.

USHL to Suspend Season Due to COVID-19 pic.twitter.com/CiV6mT8WUk

— USHL (@USHL) March 12, 2020

Statement from the Western Hockey League regarding COVID-19.

STATEMENT | https://t.co/K5Qb2M1fEJ pic.twitter.com/VSXYdyn7OD

— The WHL (@TheWHL) March 12, 2020

Several universities and school have also gone to remote or virtual learning models (where applicable) to try and hopefully avoid the rapid spread of the virus through the student body.

The NCHC Tournament has been cancelled

Very sad dayhttps://t.co/GRpLLs7EKv

— The NCHC (@TheNCHC) March 12, 2020

#ECACHockey has cancelled the remainder of the 2020 men’s tournament.

https://t.co/uG9dMUAUps pic.twitter.com/I4QNFDMQ56

— ECAC Hockey (@ecachockey) March 12, 2020

More details will be added as they are released.

The NHL pauses the 2019-20 season. pic.twitter.com/bCi776ZFqX

— NHL (@NHL) March 12, 2020

The post BREAKING: NHL postpones remainder of season due to Cononavirus scare appeared first on The Rink.

Date	The-Rink Division	Outgoing Player/Pick	Opposite Team	Player/Pick Received
2/19/20		Mason Marchment		Denis Malgin
2/19/20		Aaron Luchuk and a conditional 2021 6th round draft pick		Max Veronneau
2/22/20		Miikka Salomaki		Ben Harpur
2/24/20		Michael Hutchinson		Calle Rosen
2/24/20		Erik Gustafsson		Third round draft pick
2/24/20		Vladislav Namestnikov		2021 fourth round pick
2/24/20		Part 1 Robin Lehner		Malcolm Subban, Slava Demin and a 2nd round pick
2/24/20		Part 2 Robin Lehner and Martins Dzierkals		2020 5th round draft pick
2/24/20		Nathan Noel		TJ Brennan
2/24/20		Markus Hannikainen		conditional 2020 seventh round pick
2/24/20		Sonny Milano		Devin Shore
2/24/20		Jordan Schmaltz		Matt Lorito

Trade Analysis:

• Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Denis Malgin from the Florida Panthers for Mason Marchment
• Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Max Veronneau from the Ottawa Senators for Aaron Luchuk and conditional 2021 sixth round pick
• Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Ben Harpur from the Nashville Predators for Miikka Solomaki
• Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Calle Rosen from the Colorado Avalanche for Michael Hutchinson
• Colorado Avalanche acquired Vladislav Namestnikov from the Ottawa Senators for a 2021 fourth round pick
• Chicago Blackhawks trade Erik Gustafsson to the Calgary Flames for a third round pick
• Chicago Blackhawks trade Robin Lehner to the Vegas Golden Knights for Malcom Subban, and a second round pick.
• Chicago Blackhawks trade Nathan Noel to the Philadelpia Flyers for T.J. Brennan.
• Arizona Coyotes acquired Markus Hannikainen from the Columbus Blue Jackets for a conditional 2020 seventh round pick
• Columbus Blue Jackets acquired Devin Shore from the Anaheim Ducks for Sonny Milano
• New York Islanders traded Matt Lorito to Toronto Maple Leafs for Jordan Schmaltz

Also, be sure follow the entire The-Rink staff on Twitter for up to the minute updates, as well:

The Rink Official

Chicago Divison
The Rinkcast
Jeff Osborn
John Jaeckel
Mario Tirabassi
Ray Napientek
Juliana Nikac
Eric Andrews
Matt Csakai
Ron Luce
Sean Fitzgerald
Lenny Arquilla
Eric Johnson

Colorado Divison
Aaron Goldschmidt
JJ Seaward
Lucas Rozell
Marie Sexton

Toronto Divison
Cristina Caruso

Columbus Divison

The post The-Rink.com 2020 NHL Trade Deadline Tracker appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts “Gatekeeper” and “JJ” are back at it to discuss the Blackhawks’ spiral downward and glaring mistakes.

• Thank you for the new review, Darth Hawkey
• We have (not one) but TWO new chapters opening up.  Colorado and Columbus.
• We take a few minutes to address the Marc Crawford/Bill Peters situation.
• The Blackhawks lose badly to the Avs twice and the Blues last night
• What can the Blackhawks do as an organization to fix this endless loop of mediocrity?
• Who is untouchable?  Is anyone untouchable?
• We wrap with the Rinkrat PuckBag segment.

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

Also, please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

The Rinkcast is brought to you by the Overtime Podcast Network

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 3, Episode 6 – Blackhawks reality check appeared first on The Rink.

Saad — Toews — Nylander

DeBrincat — Dach — Kane

Kubalik — Kampf — Shaw

Smith — Carpenter — Highmore

Keith — Gustafsson

De Haan — Seabrook

Maatta — Murphy

Crawford

First period

The Stars got off to a good start against the Blackhawks, putting pressure on Crawford and generally controlling the puck for the first couple of shifts. They continued to press, sending the puck back to the d zone and then back up again. Zack Smith recorded a great opportunity off a steal in the offensive zone, but was stopped by the Stars’ Anton Khudobin. Denis Gurianov got in a good chance on Crawford, but was ultimately shut down and was unable to get much on the shot. Crawford continued to stay sharp, stopping a barrage of shots from Dallas.

Both teams kept things moving, trading chances back and forth, and not allowing really any stoppages in play. Jonathan Toews got a blast in on Khudobin on a pass from Alex Nylander, but that was turned aside as well. Off the face off, Erik Gustafsson took a shot that was redirected by Brandon Saad, who was left all alone in front of the net and redirected the puck past Khudobin for a 1–0 Blackhawks lead.

Brandon Saad's 100th goal with the #Blackhawks was a BEAUT! pic.twitter.com/U9DvVdxZky

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 27, 2019

Just after, the Stars got a good chance with Corey Perry driving to the net, but that was turned aside by Crawford. After that, there was more back and forth, with some big hits being dished out both ways until both sides got some good chances, with Esa Lindell drawing a penalty on his drive to the net, putting the Blackhawks on the penalty kill for the first time in the game. Ryan Carpenter gave him a whack trying to keep him from being able to get a good shot off.

The Blackhawks killed that off without much issue, but with some nice saves made by Crawford. Khudobin had to make a last second save on Andrew Shaw, but did so to keep the score at 1–0 Blackhawks.

Second period

The Stars got off to the same start that they did in the first period, controlling much of the play and getting many shots in on Crawford, even having one go off of the post. Then, things got going back and forth more and more, with few stops for the first few minutes of the period. The Blackhawks got a good chance in front of the net off of a steal by Patrick Kane, but the Blackhawks could not get anything in on goal. Afterward, Alex Radulov got going through the center of the ice and was taken down by Shaw, giving the Stars their second powerplay of the game. Crawford came up with some sensational stops as the Blackhawks were able to kill off the penalty.

The Stars kept the pressure on after that, though, getting more shots on the Blackhawks’ goaltender. Just after the 10-minute mark of the period, the Blackhawks were able to get a couple of good chances from Dach and Kubalik after that which did not get past Khudobin. Calvin de Haan saved a goal for the Blackhawks after Crawford dove to make a stop with the puck sitting behind him without him realizing it. De Haan knocked the puck away, playing goalie with Seabrook to protect the net with Crawford drawn out of it.

The C in Calvin stands for CLUTCH! pic.twitter.com/x8FBWnEiIw

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 27, 2019

Khudobin had to be on his game to keep a Shaw chance out, followed by a DeBrincat chance at around the 15:30 mark of the period. The Blackhawks kept the pressure up, taking the puck away in the offensive zone and allowing for some good scoring opportunities on Khudobin that were turned aside. There was a lot of action, but no more goals to be had. The game went into the intermission with the score still being 1–0 Blackhawks.

Third period

The Stars came out with fire as they had the last couple of periods, stealing some chances and getting a good amount of play in the offensive zone. That is until DeBrincat took the puck down the ice to get a puck in on Khudobin. Shaw and Gustafsson got a couple of good chances in on the Dallas net that were turned aside by Khudobin with some great saves.

Then, there was more back and forth as there was the whole game, with the Blackhawks and Stars trading chances on one side of the ice and then the other. Crawford managed to keep out a flurry of Dallas chances out of the net. The Blackhawks continued to press to add on to their lead, but were stymied by Khudobin with a couple of big saves against the fourth line. Around the nine-minute mark, Crawford answered back on the other end, and then Khudobin would answer at his end of the ice.

Shortly after, Radulov gave the Blackhawks their first power play of the night when he got a stick up high that caught Toews right in the face. DeBrincat started a crazy sequence on the power play, with the puck eventually finding its way to Kane, who waited until some traffic had cleared in front of the net to wrist it past Khudobin, making it 2–0 Blackhawks.

The point streak continues! That's 13 straight games for Showtime pic.twitter.com/5p8iYAaCOG

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 27, 2019

The Stars pulled their goaltender at the 16:27 mark of the period in an attempt to get back into the game, but that backfired when the Stars tried to block a clear from Connor Murphy, which ended up bouncing and rolling down the ice and into the empty net, making it 3–0 Blackhawks. That is how things would finish, with the Blackhawks getting Crawford his first shutout of the year.

The Blackhawks will be heading into a tougher stretch of their season, with back-to-back matchups with the Avalanche on Friday and Saturday night. The first of those two games is on Friday at 3 p.m. CST on NBC Sports Chicago.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks extinguish Stars 3–0 appeared first on The Rink.

We talked about the very bad Blackhawks, what is wrong with them, and what needs to change.  You can forward to the interview at the 1:00:00 mark.

The post Rink On The Air: Gate Talks Blackhawks With Shawn (Minus Maya) In The Morning appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts “Gatekeeper” and “Double J” are joined by staff member and Chicago Steel head writer  Ray Napientek to talk about the first two games of the Blackhawks regular season.

• The Blackhawks lay an egg in Prague.
• Some roster moves happen, including Carl Dahlstrom moving to balmy Winnipeg.
• Mario Tirabassi gives us another award winning #Warpigs report.
• The three old guys talk about the Blackhawks loss to San Jose.
• We also discuss Corey Crawford, Robin Lehner, Brendan Perlini, Erik Gustafsson, Dominik Kubalik and much more
• We wrap with Rinkrat PuckBag segment.

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

Also, Please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

The Rinkcast is brought to you by the Overtime Podcast Network

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 3, Episode 2 – The regular season begins appeared first on The Rink.

It was clear to most that Stan Bowman was envisioning a future goaltending battery of Lehner and Collin Delia. Many fans and media members, though, continue to hang on to the delusion that Corey Crawford is ageless and unaffected by at least two major concussions. As a result (and to my surprise), there have been mentions of potentially extending Crawford when his contract is up July 1, 2020.

This would prove to be a huge mistake.

I should not have to preface this, but I have been a huge Crawford apologist for years. Ever since he arrived on the scene in 2010–11, I was a vocal leader of the Crawford support group and fought the good fight for No. 50. I felt like he never truly got the recognition he deserved, even after winning two Stanley Cup championships. People would poke holes in his accomplishments because Scott Darling, Ray Emery and Antti Raanta played well behind him. While Raanta has been a good NHL starter, none of those backups were able to go on and accomplish what Crawford has done with the Blackhawks.

This was because Crawford was quite simply a better goalie.

I love the guy, but this is the time to start planning for life without him as the Blackhawks’ primary starting goalie.

No smart general manager commits to a 35-year-old athlete with a history of serious head injuries, especially when they just signed a younger (and better) player. This would just be nostalgia clouding basic common sense. I have seen people attempt to bring up that Tim Thomas had success at a later age. Thomas was an anomaly. You are better off betting that lightning will strike the same tree twice.

Thomas did not even make the Bruins full time until he was 31 years of age. His last truly successful year was in 2011–12 when he was 38 years old. He burned hot and bright for seven seasons, but faded away quickly. Crawford, on the other hand, took over the Blackhawks crease at 25 years of age, which means he has six more seasons of wear and tear on top of his concussion problems.

No goalie in the modern NHL has been re-signed at the age of 35 and had long term success. It just does not happen. While Crawford had a decent season last year, until he was injured again, his statistics were considerably lower than the “top 10” goalie that everyone remembers. He was playing behind a very porous defense, but his even strength save percentage (.913) was the lowest of his career and his overall save percentage (.908) was below league average. It could be argued that he will start a steep decline in ability soon, if he has not begun already.

There is this strange “walking on eggshells” mentality surrounding Crawford that also complicates the situation. We have heard things like “I have not talked to Corey about the goaltending situation,” which is highly unusual. Each of the past two summers, it has been widely reported that no one from the organization, short of Jimmy Waite, has had any contact with Crawford. He just simply disappears. He was a guest at the 2018 fan convention, but that was largely a public relations stunt to keep fans from mass panic since he had not been seen nor heard from for the equivalent of a full-term pregnancy. I cannot put my finger on the issue, specifically, but this is not normal behavior between an organization and one of their alleged leaders.

Seriously, though, who is running this Mickey Mouse operation? Corey Crawford or Stan Bowman?

Shifting gears, Bowman just signed a very successful, considerably younger goalie to a $5 million contract in July and (despite the nonsense the public has been spoon fed) it was not to be Corey Crawford’s backup. Lehner is in Chicago to audition for the starting spot next fall and he deserves every chance to seize the opportunity. Like Crawford, he did not blossom until his mid-20s, which means he is in the prime of his career rather than riding off into the sunset. Lehner proved that he could be an NHL starter in Buffalo, and followed it up by proving he could be a top-tier level netminder with the Islanders last season. He has that Scott Darling “feel good” comeback story and comes with a high pedigree. He is primed and ready for the Chicago spotlight. This is not some unproven fringe AHL kid. This guy has 275 NHL games and 101 wins to his credit. Why is everyone completely dismissing this? The only two possibilities are ignorance or denial.

Also lost in this whole situation is my guy, Collin Delia. There is no question that he is ready to be, at minimum, an NHL backup. He is young, affordable and now long overdue. Is he ready to be a full-time starter? Probably not. He has paid his AHL penance and deserves an honest shot at being and NHL player for a full season, though. If not, then send him somewhere that he can get an honest shot, instead of this shroud of uncertainty. Wasting this kid’s potential because the organization cannot make up their mind is borderline criminal.

In short, unless Robin Lehner spirals into some kind of Anton Forsberg–type downfall, Stan Bowman needs to find a way to extend Lehner before he hits free agency and start preparing everyone for a Lehner-Delia duo to start the 2020–21 season. Corey Crawford has been a warrior and will go down as a Blackhawks legend, but his expiration date has been approaching for quite some time.

The post ANALYSIS: Time for the Blackhawks to focus on the Robin Lehner era appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com host “Gatekeeper” is joined by staff members Mario Tirabassi, Aaron Goldschmidt, Eric Andrews, Juliana Nikac and Ron Luce to talk in-depth about Blackhawks prospects.

• The Blackhawks sit at 2-1-1 with two preseason and an exhibition game remaining.
• Roster is not finalized but is starting to shape up.
• We take a long look at the six prospect tiers and why the writers rated players the way they have.
• Don’t miss the hot takes.
• We wrap with Rinkrat PuckBag segment.

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

Also, Please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

The Rinkcast is brought to you by the Overtime Podcast Network

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 3, Episode 1 – Prospect tier wrap special appeared first on The Rink.

Our series continues today with tier four, defined as a prospect seen as a bottom-six or extra forward, third-pairing or extra defenseman or fringe goalie.

As explained in the introduction piece, each eligible prospect in the system was rated by our staff panel before ultimately being debated to agree on a tier. Each prospect’s original rating average is listed in parentheses after their name, along with a brief synopsis of why they fell in the tier they did.

Players are listed in order of original rating average, with any ties being sorted alphabetically by last name.

Evan Barratt (3.5)

The 2017 third-round pick was one of the players our panel had the hardest time coming to a consensus on. Some felt Barratt is capable of converting his offensive firepower at the collegiate level to the professional ranks for a middle-six role, while some felt he will be nothing more than a serviceable depth piece in the NHL. Either way, Barratt brings a combination of skill and sandpaper the Blackhawks could use in their lineup down the road. The Bristol, Pennsylvania, native will return to Penn State in 2019–20, where he ignited for 43 points in 32 games last season.

Evan Barratt will return to Penn State for the 2019–20 season. (Photograph courtesy of Penn State Athletics)

MacKenzie Entwistle (3.667)

Since being acquired in the infamous trade that saw Marian Hossa’s contract dealt to Arizona, Entwistle has established himself as one of the Blackhawks’ most solidified prospects in terms of their future role. The 2017 third-round pick of the Coyotes has embraced the idea of being a bottom-six player at the NHL level and has adjusted his game to suit that role. After winning back-to-back OHL championships on the Hamilton Bulldogs and Guelph Storm and enjoying a breakout showing at the World Junior Championships, Entwistle will turn pro in 2019–20 to join what will likely be a youthful Rockford IceHogs lineup.

Guelph Storm forward MacKenzie Entwistle (left) battles for a puck at the Memorial Cup. (Photograph courtesy of Vincent Ethier / CHL Images)

Aleksi Saarela (3.833)

Saarela joins the Blackhawk organization this season after spending the last two in Carolina’s system. Originally a 2015 third-round pick of the New York Rangers, Saarela was part of the trade that saw Eric Staal leave the Hurricanes at the 2016 trade deadline. Since then, Saarela has spent the majority of his time playing for the Charlotte Checkers in the AHL, where he and his team won the Calder Cup last season. Saarela’s big shot helped him score 30 goals in 2018–19, but he likely will not reach a level like that in the NHL. If Saarela wants to have a lengthy NHL career, it will likely need to be in a depth role. Saarela will be given a chance to crack Chicago’s opening night lineup, but is more likely to start the season in Rockford to adjust to the Blackhawks’ system.

Aleksi Saarela joins the Blackhawks organization for 2019–20 after winning the Calder Cup with the Charlotte Checkers. (Photograph courtesy of Patrick Gorski / Icon Sportswire

Josiah Slavin (3.833)

Slavin was another polarizing player among our panel members. With votes as high as tier two, he clearly is a player who has quickly grabbed the attention of some panelists despite being a seventh-round pick in 2018. Slavin’s rise in the USHL over the last two seasons and showings at the Blackhawks’ development camps have led some to feel he has the tools needed to be a legitimate contributor at the NHL level, playing a simple, but effective, pro-style game. Slavin, who is the younger brother of Carolina’s Jaccob Slavin, possesses a strong work ethic and displays leadership on and off the ice, which have helped his development thus far. The Erie, Colorado, native will head to play at Colorado College, where he will likely spend at least two years before turning pro. While he still has some developing to do, Slavin could very well turn out to be a diamond in the rough and have a successful NHL career, whether as a middle-six player or a depth option.

Josiah Slavin heads to Colorado College after splitting the 2018–19 season between Lincoln and Chicago in the USHL. (Photograph courtesy of Brad Repplinger)

Dennis Gilbert (4)

Gilbert is a perfect representation of a few players who our panel feels can be a solid NHL player, just likely not in a Blackhawk sweater. The Notre Dame product provides the physicality Chicago’s blue line pipeline lacks, but very well might not have a clear path to NHL ice time with all of the other young defensemen in the system who have higher upsides. Drafted in the third round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Gilbert turned pro in 2018–19 after three seasons with the Fighting Irish. The Buffalo, New York, native played in 63 games for Rockford, where he racked up 14 points, to go along with one game for the Blackhawks. Our panel was in full agreement Gilbert has the tools to be a reliable and rugged stay-at-home defenseman in the NHL, but most felt that would be elsewhere.

Dennis Gilbert tallied 14 points for the Rockford IceHogs in 2018–19. (Photograph courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

Matthew Highmore (4)

Highmore is a bit of an interesting player in the group because of his circumstances. Most of our panel feels he has the tools needed to be an everyday bottom-six center in the NHL. However, injuries have hampered Highmore thus far in his career, washing out the majority of his 2018–19 season. The undrafted free agent signing played in 13 games for the Blackhawks in 2017–18, but managed just 12 games in 2018–19, all with Rockford. Despite his injury issues, Highmore has proven to be an effective scorer at the AHL level, posting 52 points in 76 games over two seasons with the IceHogs. Hopes are 2019–20 can be a fresh start for Highmore, but he will need to earn a spot in Chicago, as there is a slew of other players who could very well beat him out for depth roster spots.

Matthew Highmore enters 2019–20 looking to rebound from his injury-shortened 2018–19 campaign. (Photograph courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

Kevin Lankinen (4)

The undrafted free agent signing came over to play in North America for the first time in 2018–19, splitting time with Indy in the ECHL and Rockford in the AHL. While he posted decent numbers with the IceHogs (2.50 goals against average and a .910 save percentage in 19 games), Lankinen took the world by storm for his native Finland in the World Championships, backstopping the Finns to the gold medal with sparkling numbers of a 1.50 goals against average and a .942 save percentage. His efforts quickly caught the attention of many in the Blackhawks’ fanbase, but he needs to show that ability on a consistent basis for an extended period of time for our panel to place him in a higher tier. Lankinen is expected to return to Rockford for 2019–20, where he will get a chance to show if he is truly the lights-out goaltender he was at the World Championships or if his heroics were just a flash in the pan.

The 2019–20 season will give Kevin Lankinen an opportunity to show if his heroic performance at the 2019 World Championships was his true self or just a flash in the pan. (Photograph courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

Niklas Nordgren (4)

The 2018 third-round pick of the Blackhawks is an intriguing prospect because of his ability to score. However, his size is a bit of a question mark, as is his skating, which will definitely need to be improved if he wants to translate his production to the game’s highest level. Unlike the majority of prospects in the system, Nordgren has been limited in his participation in prospect camp over the past two summers, as he was injured early in the 2018 camp before being an off-ice participant in 2019. Nordgren has split time between HIFK’s main Liiga men’s team and the organization’s U20 team over the last two seasons. The Helsinki native tallied 26 points in 28 games between the two teams in 2018–19 and will return to HIFK for 2019–20. Nordgren’s development will be worth keeping an eye on, as he could become a scoring threat in the NHL if he pans out.

Niklas Nordgren combined for 26 points in 28 games in the HIFK organization in 2018–19. (Photograph courtesy of AOP)

John Quenneville (4)

The cousin of longtime Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville, John was one of three prospects to receive an identical rating from each member of our panel. Acquired earlier this summer in exchange for John Hayden, Quenneville will enter camp looking to earn a full-time job in the NHL for the first time. The 2014 first-round pick of New Jersey played in 33 games for the Devils in his time with the organization, spending the majority of that time playing for the Albany Devils in the AHL. After racking up 39 points in 37 AHL games last season, Quenneville appears ready to take the next step, but might have a hard time grabbing a roster spot in Chicago. Regardless, Quenneville should be able to be a decent depth piece at the NHL level in the future.

John Quenneville joins the Blackhawks organization after being acquired from New Jersey this summer. (Photograph courtesy of Ed Mulholland / USA TODAY Sports

Michal Teply (4)

Teply will be another intriguing prospect to keep an eye on as his career progresses. Selected in the fourth round this June by the Blackhawks, the noted playmaker will come to North America to join the Winnipeg Ice for 2019–20 after being chosen fourth overall by the Ice in the CHL Import Draft. The Czech Republic product posted 21 points in various Czech leagues in 2018–19 before racking up six points in four playoff games for the Bili Tygri Liberec U19 team. Teply has been a mainstay on the Czech Republic’s international teams growing up, representing his country in various tournaments in each of the past three seasons. The big-bodied winger will need to work on his skating and adjust to the North American game, but, if he can do those things, seems like he can be a depth contributor in the NHL.

Michal Teply will head to North America for 2019–20 to play for the Winnipeg Ice. (Photograph courtesy of the IIHF)

Lucas Carlsson (4.167)

The 2016 fourth-rounder made the transition to North America in 2018–19, playing 69 games with Rockford and tallying 33 points, after a lengthy career in the Brynas organization in Sweden. While generally known to be an offensive defenseman, Carlsson is capable of holding his own in his own end. Of course, being part of an impressive blue line pipeline in the Chicago system, Carlsson might have a hard time cracking the Blackhawks’ lineup in the future. Multiple members of our panel believe he has the tools needed to be a regular depth defenseman in the NHL, but would likely only be able to realize that potential in a different organization. As one panelist noted, Carlsson feels a bit like Ville Pokka in the sense he might be too good for the AHL but never be able to make it in the NHL given the situation he is in. The Swede is expected to return to a stacked blue line in Rockford in 2019–20.

Lucas Carlsson posted 33 points for Rockford in 2018–19. (Photograph courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

Tim Soderlund (4.167)

Soderlund’s skill set lends itself to a bottom-six role, which is likely what he would need to be in order to have an NHL career. While Soderlund has looked good at both ends in his time playing in Sweden’s SHL over the last three seasons, he has not stood out much at Chicago’s prospect camps since being selected in the fourth round in 2017, though that is not an end-all, be-all setting. Soderlund will join Rockford for 2019–20, where he will get his first taste of the North American game. Sometimes compared to fellow Swede Viktor Arvidsson, Blackhawks fans should be cautiously optimistic about Soderlund’s future. If he can translate his game to North America, he should have a chance to establish himself as a reliable depth player capable of chipping in offensively from time to time.

After spending his whole career in Sweden, Tim Soderlund will come to North America for the 2019–20 season. (Photograph courtesy of Ola Westerberg / Bildbyrån)

Alexandre Fortin (4.333)

Once the “golden boy” of the Blackhawks’ prospect camps, Fortin has a well-known story that has led him to the professional ranks. Unfortunately for Fortin, it sometimes seems like he just is not getting the opportunity he needs to establish himself at the NHL level. After struggling with injuries in his first professional season in 2017–18, the undrafted free agent signing split time between Chicago and Rockford in 2018–19, posting consistent numbers at both levels. Fortin tallied three goals and three assists in 24 games for the Blackhawks and doubled his totals in 47 games with the IceHogs. Fortin has speed to burn, but the rest of his game will need to catch up to his feet in order to put it all together. Though there is still time for Fortin to earn himself a regular NHL job, he might be passed over for other options as time progresses. Fortin is another player who may be better off starting fresh in another organization to get the most out of his career moving forward.

Alexandre Fortin will look to grab a full-time roster spot in Chicago in 2019–20. (Photograph courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

Stay tuned as The-Rink progresses up the ladder in its Blackhawks prospect pyramid: Blood, sweat and tiers.

The post The-Rink’s Blackhawks prospect pyramid: Blood, sweat and tiers, part three appeared first on The Rink.

After another season of hockey, the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and July’s development camp for the Blackhawks, The-Rink has assessed where each prospect in the system stands in terms of their ability to make an impact moving forward.

Many outlets piece together a prospect rankings list to show who may be next in line for NHL stardom. However, The-Rink believes a mere rankings list proves inadequate of truly judging a prospect’s ability to make a mark at the game’s highest level. As such, The-Rink has developed a system of placing prospects into tiers based on their potential.

To be clear, this project has been a group effort. Six of The-Rink’s staff members most in tune with prospects—Eric Andrews, Aaron Goldschmidt, Ron Luce, Ray Napientek, Juliana Nikac and Mario Tirabassi—poured many hours of thought, discussion and compromise into the development of the tiers.

The process began with determining which players would be eligible. After some debate, The-Rink settled on skaters 24 and under with 40 or less NHL games played and goaltenders with 10 or less NHL games played.

From there, tiers needed to be established to place the eligible prospects in. Again, after some debate, The-Rink decided on six different tiers, ranging from high-end NHL players to minor league depth players. The complete list of tiers is as follows:

Tier one = First-line forward, top-pairing defenseman, elite goalie

Tier two = Top-six forward, No. 2 or 3 defenseman, starting goalie

Tier three = Middle-six forward, second-pairing defenseman, backup goalie

Tier four = Bottom-six forward, third-pairing defenseman, fringe goalie

Tier five = Fringe forward, fringe defenseman, AHL goalie with a chance to play in the NHL

Tier six = Organizational depth player or goalie with little to no chance to play in the NHL

The six staff members involved in the project then placed the prospects into the tiers they felt were most appropriate. Of course, each staffer’s ratings varied, resulting in the necessity to debate where players belonged. In fact, just three players received an identical rating from each of the six staffers involved—those players will be denoted when their tier is released. The final tiers reflect the agreed-upon consensus following a debate about each player.

In the coming weeks, The-Rink will be unveiling its prospect tiers along with a brief synopsis of each player and why they fell into the tier they did, starting with tier six and building up to tier one.

Stay tuned to see how each prospect fared in The-Rink’s prospect pyramid: Blood, sweat and tiers.

The post Introducing The-Rink’s prospect pyramid: Blood, sweat and tiers appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts “Gatekeeper” and “JJ” step back into the dusty Rink podcast studio to discuss the prospect camp and the Blackhawks fan convention with staff writers Mario Tirabassi and Aaron Goldschmidt.

• Blackhawks traded Artem Anisimov to Ottawa for Zack Smith
• Thoughts on Development camp
• Fan convention came and went.
• Chris Kunitz retires and joins the Blackhawks player development staff
• New jersey leak?
• Ian Mitchell corner, Brent Seabrook’s trial, Gus’s garage, Sekac street.
• We are only scratching the surface.  Many good things and guests to come!!!!
• We wrap with The-Rink #RinkratPuckBag segment.

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

Also, Please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

The Rinkcast is brought to you by the Overtime Podcast Network

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 56 – Gus bus to Camp Colliton appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts “Gatekeeper” and “JJ” rush to the The-Rink podcast studio to discuss the big trade today, the Andrew Shaw trade, and the UFA signings on July 1st.

• Now that the Andrew Shaw trade has marinated, what do we think?  You might be surprised…or not.
• What happened with the Blackhawks and Henri Jokiharju?
• Is this trade as bad as first thought?  Can Alex Nylander help the Blackhawks?
• Following JJ’s revelation that the Blackhawks might swing big on the goalie market they did just that.
• A hearty thank you to the Rink fans and our amazing staff for a great year.
• We are only scratching the surface.  Many good things and guests to come!!!!

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

Also, Please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

The Rinkcast is brought to you by the Overtime Podcast Network

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 55 – UFA/Nylander Trade Reactions appeared first on The Rink.

When the Blackhawks went off the “script” in at the NHL draft a few weeks ago, the fan base was a bit surprised. With all the coverage and endless mock drafts it would be hard to say any of us were truly shocked, but surprised is a safe label. Most of the people who cover the team were fairly certain that it was mostly a two-horse race between Bowen Byram and Alex Turcotte, while Kirby Dach was the long-shot making a late push.

As we all saw, the Blackhawks selected Dach.

Honestly, I much preferred that they pick a forward. They have enough higher-end defensemen in the pipeline and no quality forwards. Sure, they might not have a Byram-type defenseman, but they have a pretty close version in last year’s top pick, Adam Boqvist. The bottom line is that no one they picked was a slam dunk to make the roster, and, even if they do/did, an 18-year-old kid is not moving the needle for this organization for 2019–20.

This brings me to this latest silly notion that if Dach does not play the entire season with the Blackhawks, Stan Bowman somehow failed and is due to be fired. That is complete and utter nonsense. If he blows the doors off the United Center this fall and makes the team, that would be wonderful. It is very likely, though, that Dach could land back in Saskatoon even after a potential nine-game NHL trial period…and that is alright.

In last year’s draft class, only eight first round picks played in the NHL and just five of those played more than 10 games: Rasmus Dahlin (BUF), Andrei Svechnikov (CAR), Jesperi Kotkaniemi (MTL), Brady Tkachuk (OTT) and Isac Lundestrom (ANA). Of those first four players, they all played over 70 games and had over 34 points. Lundestrom played only 15 games at the beginning of the season and had only two assists before being sent to Sweden and eventually to the AHL.

The previous year, it took eventual 2019 Calder Trophy winner Elias Pettersson (No. 5 overall) and Calder finalist Miro Heiskanen (No. 3 overall) a full year of development before making the NHL. The fourth overall pick, Cale Makar, spent the entire last season in college and made his NHL debut in the final days of the regular season.

You can see where I am going here.

Do not be surprised if Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko are the only players from this draft that play in the NHL this season. Despite all the media hoopla and comparisons surrounding Byram, he is still only an 18-year-old defenseman that might take some time to adjust. Going back to the WHL could only help him. Alex Turcotte is already committed to Wisconsin and will spend at least one season playing there before taking the ice for the Los Angeles Kings.

Even Jonathan Toews, who could possibly be the best center in franchise history, went back to college for a year when he was selected third overall. So, imagine saying Dale Tallon should have been fired because Toews did not play in the NHL in 2006, or calling for the heads of Jim Nill or Jim Benning because Heiskanen or Pettersson took an additional year to develop.

By all accounts, none of those players are busts and have bright NHL futures ahead. Racing a teenager, used to playing against other teenagers, into the NHL against men just to prove some kind of convoluted point is just irresponsible and anyone advocating that should be embarrassed.

Let the Blackhawks develop the players on the timeline best for the player. When Bowman eventually gets fired (and he will because no GM stays forever), it should be because of more than one draft pick not being forced to flip a switch and go from teenager-to-man in three months.

Feel free to comment and discuss below.

The post ANALYSIS: Blackhawks need to let Dach develop at his own pace appeared first on The Rink.

Join your fellow Rinkrats below to discuss what the Blackhawks accomplished (or didn’t accomplish) this year as the market opened.

Player	Pos	Previous Team	Age	Ht / Wt	Term/Dollars	Notes
Ryan Carpenter	C		28	6' 194 lbs	3 yrs/$3M	---
David Kampf	C		24	6'2" 194 lbs	2 yrs/$2M	---
Robin Lehner	G		27	6’4” 240 lbs	1 yr/$5M	---

These are Blackhawks trades relevant to this offseason

Ryan Carpenter

David Kampf

Robin Lehner

The post Blackhawks 2019 Real-Time Free Agency Ticker appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts “Gatekeeper” and “JJ” are joined once again by The-Rink NHL draft guru Bill “Wiz” Placzek to wrap up the draft.

• We discuss the trade for Olli Maatta
• We discuss the trade for John Quenneville
• The crew reconvenes to go through the Blackhawks draft picks, some #WordsOfWizdom, and the trade for Calvin de Haan.
• Some opinions on what might happen with the goalies this next season
• Some vintage #GateRage
• We answer some listener and reader questions along the way
• We say thank you and best of luck to a Rink writer, and a potential HUGE podcast guest coming.

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

Also, Please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

The Rinkcast is brought to you by the Overtime Podcast Network

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 54 – Draft/Trade wrap with Bill “Wiz” Placzek appeared first on The Rink.

We talked about the NHL draft, what is upcoming and much more!

If you’d like to listen to the entire show (and we highly suggest it) check it out right here:

The post Rink On The Air: Gate Talks Blackhawks With Shawn (Minus Maya) In The Morning appeared first on The Rink.

“We are very excited to have Doug join the Fuel organization,” team owner Jim Hallett said in a press release. “We were overwhelmed by the number of applicants during our extensive search for the next head coach. The top qualities we looked at were leadership, experience and the ability to recruit top talent. With Doug’s experience both as a winning coach in Manchester and his ability to build relationships with players while serving as Director of Recruitment for the USHL, we are confident he will build a victorious tradition in Indy and serve as a pillar in the community.”

Christiansen was the head coach of the now defunct Manchester Monarchs last season, going 39-29-4 and making it to the second round of the ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs. The Monarchs were eliminated by the eventual Kelly Cup Champion Newfoundland Growlers in six games. Fuel fans will recall that key scorer Kevin Dufour was traded to Manchester in the latter half of last season. It will be interesting to see if Christiansen lures Dufour back to Indy.

“I am thrilled to join the Indy Fuel and Chicago Blackhawks organization,” Christiansen said in a press release. “The Fuel have a tremendous foundation from which to grow. Jim Hallett and the front office are committed to bringing a winner to Indy and I am thankful for the opportunity to coach the Fuel.  I am looking forward to building a winning culture that will bring exciting hockey to the Indiana Farmers Coliseum.”

Prior to joining Manchester, Christiansen coached for four years in the U.K. with the EIHL. While there, he was a two-time EIHL Coach of the Year, won a league championship in 2012 with the Belfast Giants, and won a conference championship with the Giants the following year.

Season-ending rosters are due to the ECHL league office on June 15 at 3 pm ET. The opening day of the ECHL free agency period is June 16, which is when Christiansen will begin his tenure.

The post Doug Christiansen named third head coach in Indy Fuel history appeared first on The Rink.

Brown joined the Fuel in a trade that sent former Fuel forward Quentin Shore to the Wichita Thunder for his ECHL rights. At the time, the 25-year-old defenseman was under contract with the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage, the AHL affiliate of the Thunder.

The Winnipeg native appeared in just one game with the Rampage in the 2018-19 season, while spending the majority of his time in the ECHL with the Thunder. Brown then appeared in 29 games with the Wichita club, tallying ten goals and 19 points in that span.

A power-play specialist, Brown joined the Fuel defensive corps in the latter half of the season, recording 13 points in 17 games. Out of his 32 total points in the season, 18 of them came on the power-play, including nine goals.

Many questioned the trade that sent Shore to the Thunder and brought Brown to Indy, as Shore was a quality point-producer for Indy, racking up close to a point-per-game, but was unable to appear in many games due to injury.

Although Brown only appeared in a short stint with Indy, he was able to silence doubters as he made his presence know with the Fuel. His offensive prowess was crucial and something the Fuel have lacked since the days of Mathieu Brisebois.

Not only was he effective on the attack, but his defense was solid as well, finishing his time with the Fuel with a +1 rating. Brown also had an edge to his game that sparked the team in key moments, especially with enforcer Anthony Collins out at the end of the year due to suspension. He was the league’s top defenseman on the man advantage and scored many key goals, including Indy’s only two goals in a 2-1 win at the end of the season against the Kalamazoo Wings, a division rival.

The post JUST IN: Indy Fuel Defenseman Travis Brown Headed to Denmark appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts “Gatekeeper”, “JJ” and staff prospect writer Eric Andrews are joined by The-Rink NHL draft guru Bill “Wiz” Placzek and hold a mock draft.

• After a short hiatus, the crew convenes to go through the first round of the upcoming draft and some #WordsOfWizdom.
• John drives the short bus for this episode.
• Eric, Gate and Wiz plead their case for the Blackhawks pick with JJ.  Does it work?
• Gate throws the whole thing off the rails with one of his picks.
• Wiz takes us through picks 11-32
• Koekkoek extended, IIHF World Championships end with some Blackhawks players winning gold.
• The-Rink is expanding with four new writers, a potential BIG podcast guest coming, and a promising new season.
• We answer some listener and reader questions along the way

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

Also, Please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

The Rinkcast is brought to you by the Overtime Podcast Network

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 53 – Mock Draft with Bill “Wiz” Placzek appeared first on The Rink.

If you have not checked out previous videos please take a look:

Highlight video of Victor Ejdsell
Highlight video of Dominik Kahun
Highlight video of Lucas Carlsson
Highlight video of Jacob Nilsson
Highlight video of Kevin Lankinen
Highlight video of Adam Boqvist

In the second video this spring, feature writer Jeff Osborn worked long and hard to bring you a highlight video of one of the Blackhawks’ top forward prospects, Dominik Kubalik.

The 6-foot-2, 187-pound Czech-born left wing had a breakout year in the the Swiss National League with HC Ambrì-Piotta (25 goals, 32 assists) in 50 games, where he was also the team’s top scorer. He continued his success in the Swiss Cup playoffs, scoring five points (four goals, one assist) in three games. He also played in the 2019 IIHF World Championships, scoring 12 points (six goals, six assists) in 10 games. On January 24, 2019, Kubalik’s rights were acquired by the Blackhawks from the Los Angeles Kings for a fifth-round pick in the 2019 NHL entry draft.

EDIT – On 5/29, The Blackhawks announced they had officially signed Kubalik to a one-year $925,000 entry level contract

Please enjoy our highlight reel, share with your friends on social media and feel free to let us know if you enjoy this kind of content.

You can find all of our video material or our exclusive YouTube channel.  Please subscribe to be notified as each of our new videos are released.

The post Chicago Blackhawks prospect spotlight: Dominik Kubalik (VIDEO) appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts “Gatekeeper” and “JJ” are joined by staff writer Ray Napientek to chat about the few things abuzz in Blackhawks speculation.

• Blackhawks potential suitors for Ilya Mikheyev
• Kris Versteeg returns to Rockford
• Derek King named Rockford head coach
• Mark Eaton discussed Hawks defensive prospects
• Just what IF the Blackhawks draft Bowen Byram?
• Kane officially a nominee for Ted Lindsay Award
• Don Granato and the Blackhawks mutually part ways
• A little Chicago Steel talk at the end
• We answer some listener and reader questions

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

Also, Please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

The Rinkcast is brought to you by the Overtime Podcast Network

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 52 – School’s out for Summer appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John “Double J” Jaeckel are joined by The-Rink Junior / Chicago Steel writer Ray Napientek to talk about the Blackhawks and the Steel.

• We have a new review (thanks Mark from Algonquin)
• The Blackhawks are basically eliminated “officially” from the postseason
• Chad Krys and Jack Ramsey enter the organization
• More talk about what the team needs to do this summer
• What is going on with the Chicago Steel?
• Stan Bowman talk, Dylan Sikura talk
• We answer some listener and reader questions

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

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The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 49 – Steel Deal appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John “Double J” Jaeckel are joined by surprise guest Mark Lazerus, formerly of the Chicago Sun-Times and currently of The Athletic, as the Blackhawks roll into the final ten games of the season.

• We open up with the statistical breakdown of the week.
• What kind of player are the Blackhawks rumored to go after in the offseason?
• Mario Tirabassi gives us a War Pigs report.
• We open up with Laz about the great Erik Gustafsson
• Are the Blackhawks a playoff team?
• The unrealistic “wish” that will never die, Artemi Panarin
• We talk about reality of the “vocal minority” on Twitter and dealing with them
• We answer some listener and reader questions
• We wrap up with some random Blackhawks fodder.

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The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 48 w/ The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com host Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn goes solo and is joined once again by NHL Radio Blackhawks Correspondent Al Cimaglia to discuss the suddenly hot (again) Blackhawks.

• Blackhawks sign draft pick Philipp Kurashev this week
• Rockford signs college free agent Dylan McLaughlin today
• Dylan Sikura and Brendan Perlini talk
• Who do Gate and Al think the Blackhawks may target this summer
• We wrap up by answering some listener and reader questions

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The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 47 w/ Al Cimaglia appeared first on The Rink.

We talked about the fall back down to earth, Coach Colliton, what they need this summer, the goaltending and much more!

If you’d like to listen to the entire show (and we highly suggest it) check it out right here:

The post Rink On The Air: Gate Talks Blackhawks With Shawn (Minus Maya) In The Morning appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John “Double J” Jaeckel are joined by The-Rink NCAA expert Aaron “A-A-Ron” Goldschmidt and convene to talk about the Blackhawks west coast road trip.

• Once again, we start off with the positives (we know, we’re shocked too)
• What happened on the road trip?
• Suddenly the mainstream media is reporting some very familiar sentiments
• John has some Blackhawks rumors!!
• The NBCSN poll.
• Evan Miller gives us an indy report
• Ward hurt, Delia recalled
• We wrap up by answering some listener and reader questions

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The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 46 – Fading Slowly Away appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John “Double J” Jaeckel wrap up an uneventful Blackhawks trade deadline.

photoshop creation by @Wm_J_Lepetomane on Twitter

• The Blackhawks drop 2 to division rivals.
• Are we happy with Stan Bowman standing pat?
• WHY DID UNT DA HOCKS TRAYD FER DAT STONE AN DA BRED GUY?
• Corey Crawford is back but, once again, temper expectations
• Are we now the Statler and Waldorf of the Official Stan Bowman fan club?
• Our homage to the Daily Herald’s John Dietz.
• We wrap up by answering some listener and reader questions

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The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 45 – Trade Deadline Wrap appeared first on The Rink.

Trade Analysis:

Darren Raddysh for Peter Holland

Peter Holland – Center – 6’2″ 210lbs – 28-years-old

Jeff – This is a very minor depth trade that looks a lot like the deal last year that brought Chris DiDomenico to the Icehogs for the stretch playoff run. Raddysh wasn’t going to get much playing time outside of Rockford with the glutton of defensemen in the system, and the Hogs desperately need scoring help.  Holland is a UFA this summer while Raddysh has another year left on his deal.

Matheson Iacopelli for Spencer Watson

Jeff – Super minor deal. Swap of ECHL players that weren’t working out in their current situations.

Also, be sure follow the entire The-Rink staff on Twitter for up to the minute updates, as well:

The Rink Official
Jeff Osborn
John Jaeckel
Mario Tirabassi
Aaron Goldschmidt
Eric Andrews
Marc Paprzyka
Brian Foran
Ray Napientek
Evan Miller
Ron Luce
Stephen Douglas
Seth Johnson
David Schauer
The Rinkcast

The post Chicago Blackhawks 2019 Trade Deadline Tracker appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John “Double J” Jaeckel are joined by returning Rinkcast guest Tyler Cameron aka Justin Lowe from www.HockeyBuzz.com to talk about the Blackhawks latest streak and the trade deadline.

• The triumphant return of the Warpigs report with Mario Triabassi.
• Let’s start off with some positive thoughts.
• The Blackhawks made a small trade.
• We go through Tyler’s bold and not-so-bold predictions.
• Crawford might be back soon, now what?
• Carl Dahlstrom hate?
• Gate brings up Jesse Puljujärvi, as a wild swing
• We wrap up by answering some listener and reader questions

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

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The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 44 w/ Justin Lowe from HockeyBuzz appeared first on The Rink.

We talked about the recent winning streak, where to go with the goaltending, and what they need to do to stay the course.

If you’d like to listen to the entire show (and we highly suggest it) check it out right here:

The post Rink On The Air: Gate Talks Blackhawks With Shawn And Maya In The Morning appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John “Double J” Jaeckel are joined by the great Forklift from www.HockeeNight.com to discuss what is going on with this Blackhawks franchise and their 5 game winning streak.

• • Fork tells some HockeeNight history, has many quips in the middle and a tells a few stories at the end.
    
  • Has the 5 game winning streak made a difference in where the Blackhawks should be looking long term?
  • Why these silly theories are just that; silly theories.
  • Erik Karlsson and Artemi Panarin.
  • We answered some great listener and reader questions

New for 2019, the Rinkcast is also available on YouTube

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The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 43 w/ Forklift From HockeeNight appeared first on The Rink.

I’ve read the articles about how they’re only five points back of a playoff spot but what some writers fail to tell the fans is that the Blackhawks have played 1-3 more games than the six teams between them and that last spot. That is a lot of teams to leapfrog over considering their foes could amass as many as six points in those three games in hand.

A more telling story is how the team sits 14 out of 15 teams in the Western Conference and are tied for the 5th least amount of points in the entire NHL. Creeping, backdooring or limping your way into the playoffs is never something a team wants to do but that’s how the Blackhawks would make the playoffs.

The Blackhawks made the playoffs in 2016 and 2017 with statistically more balanced and overall better teams than this season but were subsequently eliminated both years. They didn’t make the playoffs in 2018 but the previous two seasons were no less disappointing than that. That leads them right back to the same situation they’re looking at right now.

If fans want to see the team just make the playoffs then the Blackhawks might as well start putting banners up for that. Because we’re just headed down that road year after year.

Mathematically it’s still possible but they’re also mathematically playing themselves out of a potential lottery pick. The chance to draft a player like Jack Hughes who has drawn comparisons to Patrick Kane or Kaapo Kakko who has been compared to Patrik Laine becomes less likely the more the Blackhawks win.

There is no guarantee that these players will live up to the hype but the Blackhawks do have a good track record of drafting number 1 overall. What they do not have is a solid track record of drafting and developing any other first round draft picks.

Kyle Beach, Dylan Olsen and Mark McNeill never made any impact with the Blackhawks. Kevin Hayes decided to head to free agency instead of signing with the organization while Philip Danault, Teuvo Teravainen, Ryan Hartman and Nick Schmaltz were all traded for various reasons and are solidly contributing to their current teams.

Some would say that Stan Bowman and his regime are unfit for a complete rebuild but that’s a topic for another day. Be on the lookout for an article by our own John Jaeckel.

Currently the organization has three first rounders in Henri Jokiharju, Adam Boqvist and Nicolas Beaudin who may develop into great defencemen but they are a few years off from really contributing. Jokiharju has already showed growing pains in his first NHL season and has been reassigned to Rockford.

Time is not on Jonathan Toews or Patrick Kane’s side and players that can contribute immediately are in demand. This doesn’t mean that the organization should go out and blow all of their cap space on one player. It would be much more desirable to hit the lottery with Hughes or Kakko especially if they are as advertised. They could add depth to an extremely top-heavy scoring team and would also carry a relatively small cap hit leaving them with room to bolster their horrific team defense.

There have been some highs and more lows but either way they’re destined to disappoint long-term with the current team makeup. Kane, DeBrincat, Toews, Saad and Gustafsson have combined for 107 of the team’s 166 goals and the team is giving up an average of .50 more goals than they’re scoring per game.

The team has had bright spots and have gotten better under Coach Colliton but their mediocrity is leading them into no man’s land for now and into the future. The goal is to be consistently good but that hasn’t been the case this season so they might as well be consistently bad. If they continue along their current path they’ll be back in the same position for years to come.

Follow @Pappy_Hour on Twitter for more Blackhawks and general hockey musings.

This is why I want the #Blackhawks to rebuild. I want the organization to be strong, consistent and not meddle in mediocrity like they are doing right now. #LoseForHughes #CrappoForKaapo pic.twitter.com/ioEGMKckQx

— MLP (@Pappy_Hour) February 5, 2019

The post Mediocrity Is Killing The Blackhawks Future appeared first on The Rink.

They talked about the recent powerplay explosion, line combinations, thoughts on Stan Bowman, Artemi Panarin talk, defensive prospects and expectations, Corey Crawford and the goaltending, and can they make the playoffs?

On today’s Stebbins Sports 60: @tim_stebbins rants about Sunday’s NFC and AFC Championships and Tuesday’s Baseball Hall of Fame announcements. @Mario_Tirabassi joins the show at 1:30 to talk NHL. Tune in live on https://t.co/rnMBA7KlOB at 1 pm!

— Radio DePaul Sports (@rdpsports) January 23, 2019

The post Rink On The Air: Mario Talks Blackhawks With Radio DePaul Sports appeared first on The Rink.

We talked about the recent offensive explosion, where to go with the goaltending, what to take from coach Jeremy Colliton, and what the future may hold.

If you’d like to listen to the entire show (and we highly suggest it) check it out right here:

The post Rink On The Air: Gate Talks Blackhawks With Shawn And Maya In The Morning appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John “Double J” Jaeckel are joined by NHL Network Radio Blackhawks correspondent Uncle Al Cimaglia to discuss what we can expect from this Blackhawks franchise.

• • There is actually some positivity (contrary to some beliefs)
  • More “Gus”. (We know, we’re sick of it too)
  • We cover the Blackhawks from stem to stern with Uncle Al for almost an hour!
  • NCAA head writer Aaron Goldschmidt comes on to discuss his much maligned Patrick Kane trade article
  • We answered some great listener and reader questions

New for 2019, the Rinkcast is also available on YouTube

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

Also, Please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 42 w/ Al Cimaglia appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John Jaeckel are joined by HockeyBuzz Blackhawks writer Tyler Cameron aka Justin Lowe to discuss the team’s return to earth.

• • The Blackhawks trade Jan Rutta and a pick to Tampa for Slater Koekkoek and a pick
  • The roast of Erik “future Norris Trophy winning Defenseman” Gustafsson
  • We discuss some draft ideas
  • Who should and shouldn’t the Blackhawks target via trade or free agency?
  • The Panarin thing will not go away.
  • Some goalie talk
  • We answered some great listener and reader questions

New for 2019, the Rinkcast is also available on YouTube

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The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 41 w/ Justin Lowe appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John Jaeckel get together to talk about the  Blackhawks and their happenings over the holidays.

• Our Indy Fuel beat writer Evan Miller gives us the first Indy Fuel report.
• The Blackhawks lose to Boston in the 2019 Winter Classic.
• Blackhawks trade Manning and Norell to Edmonton for Caggiula and Garrison
• Where does Caggiula fit in the lineup?  Does anyone get sent down or waived?
• Goalie talk with the Gatekeeper
• We answered some great listener and reader questions

As a new year gift, we close out with “On My Side” from The-Rink friend and huge Blackhawks fan Patrick Judge with his bandmates in Demon Hunter.

New for 2019, the Rinkcast is also available on YouTube

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The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 40 – Winter Classic appeared first on The Rink.

The big piece of the deal for the Blackhawks is Caggiula, and Garrison will slot in with the plethora of bottom pair defenseman that they are carrying. The benefit to essentially acquiring Garrison for Manning, though, is that Garrison only makes $650,000 for the remainder of this season as opposed to Manning’s $2.25M salary cap hit for next season, as well..

The 24-year-old Caggiula was signed by the Oilers as a free agent out of North Dakota (teammate of Nick Schmaltz) in the summer of 2016, and signed a 2-year $3M extension this past summer, according to Puckpedia. He has amassed 49 points (27G, 22A) in 156 National Hockey League games.

Garrison is a 6’1” 218lbs, 34-year-old veteran defenseman that was signed as a free agent on October 2, 2018. He has played 17 games with the Oilers and scored one goal.

The Blackhawks signed Brandon Manning as (potentially) their biggest free agent acquisition, in July. Manning’s slow foot speed eventually led to healthy scratch situations and, ultimately, falling out of favor with former coach Joel Quenneville and current coach Jeremy Colliton.

Robin Norell is a familiar name for fans of the Rockford Icehogs. The 23-year-old Swedish defenseman played 136 games with Rockford and collected 18 points (3G, 15A). Norell signed a 3-year entry level deal with the Blackhawks in 2016, but wasn’t able to secure a long term position in Rockford.

After losing favor in the organization, the frustrated Swede elected to go back home to play for Djurgårdens IF this season (originally reported by The-Rink in August)

The post BREAKING: Blackhawks Acquire Caggiula, Garrison for Manning appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn, John Jaeckel and The Rink Feature NCAA Writer Aaron Goldschmidt get together to talk about the latest developments in Blackhawks land heading into the holidays.

• Corey Crawford is out with another serious concussion
• Marcus Kruger joins him as the walking wounded increase
• Collin Delia, Dylan Sikura, Carl Dahlstrom and Luke Johnson all get recalled
• The Gustafsson delusions
• Addressing the Panarin nonsense again.
• We answered some great listener and reader questions

As a special holiday gift, we close out with “On My Side” from The-Rink friend and huge Blackhawks fan Patrick Judge with his bandmates in Demon Hunter.

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

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The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 39 – Injuries Aplenty appeared first on The Rink.

There are many schools of thought on this, and most are (at least partly) valid.

Blackhawks fans have been extremely fortunate and certainly need to take that into account. Outside of the 90s Bulls, this has been the most successful era for a Chicago sports franchise, IN HISTORY. Most teams would gladly trade with the Blackhawks to have three cup wins in less than a decade.

All that success ended in the spring of 2016, though, when the Blackhawks were swept by the Nashville Predators after amassing one of the best regular season records in the team’s history. They have gone steadily downhill and most of their moves have been washes, at best. To compound the issue, the front office continues to blatantly lie and deny.

That brings me to my little theme. After listening to The Fixx’s “One Thing Leads to Another” on the radio, it struck me that the lyrics could be plugged into the State of the Blackhawks organization so, without further ado…

The deception with tact, just what are you trying to say?
You’ve got a blank face, which irritates
Communicate, pull out your party piece
You see dimensions in two
State your case with black or white
But when one little cross leads to shots, grit your teeth
You run for cover so discreet, why don’t they…

Last spring, when the Blackhawks brass trotted out in front of the media, team president John McDonough told the media and the fan base that they stood behind Stan Bowman and Joel Quenneville, but proclaimed that everyone would be held accountable for missing the playoffs. Bowman then followed up with his (now famous) #WeLikeOurTeam.

On the surface, Stan Bowman certainly looked like he believed their dull lifeless #WeLikeOurTeam mantra. It was almost like he was taken into a back room, hypnotized and told that his first response to every question would now be #WeLikeOurTeam.

They conveniently forgot to mention that by “standing behind” Joel Quenneville they were waiting to stab him in the back after 15 games and use him as the fall guy.

Not only that, but he handed the team over to a very raw head coach that probably wasn’t ready to be an NHL coach.  I have said it several times before, Bowman pulled the pin out of a grenade and dropped it in Colliton’s lap.  Much like they have done with several young prospects.

We will get to that later, though.

Just prior to the NHL draft, Bowman did absolutely nothing to put the organization into position to improve. The Blackhawks held the 8th overall pick and Nashville’s 27th overall pick (thanks to the dumping of Ryan Hartman). There were quite a few high end forwards at the top, and some potential generational defensemen that the organization could have moved up to pick. They stuck to their position and made their picks.

No trades; nothing.

When their number was called at the draft, the organization took a gamble with smallish project Adam Boqvist. If they were happy with Boqvist (and by all accounts they were), Bowman could have potentially packaged up the 27th pick to unload a big contract and clear up some cap room for the pending free agent period.

They didn’t accomplish that either and picked Nicolas Beaudin. This is all fine and well, but do the Blackhawks really need half a dozen clones? Apparently they were swallowing that #WeLikeOurTeam charade, themselves, which has proven to be a huge mistake.

As training camp opened, the only moves they made were to bring in an over-the-hill forward in Chris Kunitz, an over-the-hill goalie in Cam Ward, and a pair of third pair defensemen in Brandon Manning and Brandon Davidson. If they truly believed in this team, they are awful at their jobs because just about everyone with a set of eyes knew this team had huge holes to fill.

Do what they say, say what you mean, and baby
One thing leads to another
You told me something wrong, I know I listen too long but then
One thing leads to another

Are the Chicago Blackhawks in a full rebuild? Label it however you would like, but this transition they are in the middle of is a rebuild. Not “rebuilding on the fly.” Not “reloading.”

Full blown rebuild.

Stop lying and treating the fans like a bunch of shaved chimps. Enough is enough. John McDonough treats the fans like it is 1995 before most had readily available access to the internet. When the team could just shovel loads of nonsense to the beat writers and the fans were forced to consume it. It is almost 2019 and fans have more information at the tips of their fingers than libraries of books and newspapers. Independent websites and media outlets (like this one) have a voice to point out the nonsense.

The excuse of “Well, what else are they supposed to say?” simply is not valid. It is a lazy cop out response. Several sports franchises have been open and honest with their fans about the necessity to rebuild. SEVERAL!

Fans bought in and, in most situations, the teams came out of the other end of the meat grinder and had success. THAT is what the “public relations genius” John McDonough should be saying. All he has to do is look at his former employer across the city to see how that works.

While the outrage is somewhat misdirected, a prime example is the way the team handled the firing of Joel Quenneville. Fans realized that the Quenneville was the sacrificial lamb and the results since then support that. What we’re seeing is a fan base backlash against Bowman.

While he certainly has his hand in this mess, Stan Bowman is a John McDonough “yes man.” Firing Bowman will not change much of what is going on at 1901 W. Madison. McDonough will just hire another obedient muppet that he can smear his fingerprints all over. This back office needs a full extermination.

The impression that you sell
Passes in and out like a scent
But the long face that you see comes from living close to your fears
If this is up then I’m up but you’re running out of sight
You’ve seen your name on the walls
And when one little bump leads to shock miss a beat
You run for cover and there’s heat, why don’t they

The contract issues started as far back as the signings of Marian Hossa, Brian Campbell and Cristobal Huet. Two of the three players ended up being albatrosses that Bowman had to creatively discard, which has been common theme during the Bowman tenure.

I realize that Tallon signed those players, but they have John McDonough’s greasy stink all over them.

Making a contract disappear is part of being a professional sports executive, but taking losses (many times significant) in almost every instance should not be acceptable.

I digress, though. Huet was completely unnecessary at the time, and that is on Dale Tallon. If you look back, ten years ago, Huet was signed for the same salary that two time cup winning goalie Corey Crawford currently makes. The move reeks of a John McDonough public relations stunt.

Even though the Blackhawks had a young, fresh Corey Crawford ready to dip his toes in the NHL waters, Tallon ran out and grossly overpaid Huet to compete with incumbent Nikolai Khabibulin. Huet failed to beat out Khabibulin in his first year and then lost his job to Antti Niemi the following season. Eventually, Bowman was forced to loan Huet to a team in Switzerland (might as well been Siberia) to make the mistake disappear.

Hossa and Campbell worked much better at the time, but it was only three years into Campbell’s eight year $57 million deal that Bowman was forced to trade him to Florida and their old pal Dale Tallon for a bag full of bricks named Rostislav Olesz. A bag of bricks that Bowman would eventually be forced to use one of his two compliance buyout allowances to dispose of. You might label that a loss.

This was just the beginning of a laundry list of questionable moves that systematically forced the Blackhawks to give up valuable assets in exchange for teams to take on their messes.

In 2010, they were forced to trade Dustin Byfuglien (among others, because they couldn’t afford him) to Atlanta for Marty Reasoner, Joey Crabb, Jeremy Morin and two draft picks that resulted in Kevin Hayes and Justin Holl. This move still stings nine years later.

That same summer they traded Andrew Ladd (because they couldn’t afford him) to Atlanta for Ivan Vishnevskiy and a draft pick that resulted in AHL lifer Adam Clendening.

In 2011, they traded the rights to Troy Brouwer (because they couldn’t afford him) for a draft pick that resulted in Phillip Danault (whom they never fully developed and were forced to part with later) to Washington.

In 2014, they traded Nick Leddy (because Bowman waited to long to address serious cap issues until they were forced to scramble) the New York Islanders for T.J. Brennan, Ville Pokka and Anders Nilsson. Brennan is an AHL lifer, they never developed Pokka and were forced to trade Nilsson away.

Do what they say, say what they mean
One thing leads to another
You told me something wrong, I know I listen too long but then
One thing leads to another, yeah, yeah, yeah
One thing leads to another

As I alluded to earlier, the biggest question is how did the Blackhawks get to this terrible state so fast? Questionable player contracts.

The biggest issues this organization currently face are the salaries of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Brent Seabrook. Those three, alone, account for $28 million against the salary cap. With that kind of structure, they will never be able to sign more than one high end free agent like they need. Why are these players (and several before them) overpaid? Because “hard driving, cap expert” Stan Bowman was tossing extra millions (and no movement clauses) around like they were nickels.

In theory, rewarding the players that brought you three championships is a commendable act. If that act doesn’t restrict you from future success.

Some of these contract snafus can be smoothed out by just taking into account that Duncan Keith, Niklas Hjalmarsson, and Corey Crawford were underpaid for years. The problem with this is that a true “cap guru” should be able to sprinkle a few bargains with tightly negotiated, reasonable contracts. Something we are all watching in Toronto. You should not have a need to make excuses for people that are at the top of their respective profession.

Unless those snafus were a result of Bowman’s boss meddling in hockey decisions.

It would not be hard to imagine McDonough directing Bowman to re-sign Bryan Bickell as a public relations move, when most of the fan base had come to terms with the forward pricing himself out of Chicago.

Then it’s easy to believe
Somebody’s been lying to me
But when the wrong word goes in the right ear
I know why you’ve been lying to me
It’s getting rough, off the cuff I’ve got to say enough’s enough

The last issue that has led to the Blackhawks demise is the back office falling in love, and failing to develop mediocre prospects.  Selling the fans a huge bag of nonsense disguised as a well developed, NHL ready player that will make a difference, nightly.  As a result they cast unrealistic expectations on a young (many times fragile) hockey mind that takes them years to overcome.

The most recent example is Dylan Sikura.  He’s a fine player.  A raw, physically underdeveloped player, though.  Last winter Stan Bowman (with a straight face) told the Blackhawks fanbase that (essentially) they didn’t need to make a trade deadline acquisition because Sikura would fill the role.  They made sure that they signed him as fast as possible and threw him to the wolves.  He came out and had three assist (two of which were secondary) in five games.

Maybe it they were honest with the fans and convey the fact that Sikura was coming from playing at a level several steps below the NHL, he is physically underdeveloped and it might take him some time to adjust the fans wouldn’t have been on #SikuraWatch for the first 3 months of the season, and they would accept him developing in the AHL.

Instead, the team and the media throw out this ridiculous public relations hype that makes the casual fan think Dylan Sikura is the next Patrick Kane.  He’s not and never will be.  Let him develop.  What has rushing a player ever accomplished?  For every Alex DeBrincat that jumps right into the lineup (even though his first 20 games were a struggle), there are five Marko Danos or Bill Sweats or Akim Alius or Kyle Beaches or Mark McNeills.  BE PATIENT AND STOP BLENDING YOUNG KID’S MINDS UP!

Remember the hype about Wouter Peeters being the next Blackhawks goalie and how they were very carefully developing him in the USHL?  This was just over 12 months ago.  Since then, he had a decent first USHL season and has essentially disappeared from existence.  Three games this fall and disappeared from the Lincoln Stars roster after October 5th.

Bigger the harder he falls
But when the wrong antidote is like a bulge on the throat
You run for cover in the heat why don’t they

Do what they say, say what they mean
One thing leads to another
You told me something wrong, I know I listen too long but then
One thing leads to another, yeah, yeah
One thing (one thing) leads to another………

The moral of the story is that the lying and delusions in this back office are now crippling this organization. John McDonough has created a culture that is full of self aggrandizing nonsense above all else. It is time that Rocky Wirtz stopped buying into this hype and hired some real hockey architects rather than a bunch of public relations clowns running around the front office patting themselves on the back.

The post Blackhawks Analysis: One Thing Leads to Another appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John Jaeckel get together to talk about the Blackhawks’ sinking ship.

• The Blackhawks have officially dropped to last place and lost 8 in a row.
• Blackhawks recall Dylan Sikura and Carl Dahlstrom, while sending down Alexandre Fortin
• Warpigs Report from Mario Tirabassi
• Early take-a-ways from the Schmaltz/Strome trade appear even
• Who needs to stay and who needs to go?
• We answered some great listener and reader questions

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

As a special perk, listen to Jeff talk with the Shawn and Maya in the Morning about the Blackhawks at the 2:33:00 mark, from Wednesday morning:

Also, Please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 38 – Taking On Water appeared first on The Rink.

This team stinks.

It stinks because of several bad decisions by the front office.

And it will continue to stink as long as those aforementioned fans continue to buy in to the “spin” of the front office/marketing/pr monster at 1901 W. Madison.

Those who used to read me over at hockeybuzz will recall, perhaps, my “myth exploding” blogs. This will be one of those. The first myth:

“Bowman won 3 Cups.”

Sure, Bowman was the titular GM for all three Cup wins in 2010, 2013 and 2015. But the fact is, Gordie Clifton, the Official 2^nd Rate Lounge Singer of The-Rink.com, could have served as GM and won at least one Cup after inheriting Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Marian Hossa, Brent Seabrook, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Dustin Byfuglien, Brian Campbell, and Dave Bolland.

In fact, while Bowman deserves some credit for tinkering around the edges to optimize his rosters (trades for Michal Handzus and Antoine Vermette before the 2013 and 2015 trade deadlines), the 2013 and 2015 Cup do not happen without the aforementioned core of players that was assembled by previous GMs Mike Smith and Dale Tallon. No, Bowman sank 2-3 relative gimme putts after Smith and Tallon drove the green.

Here’s another myth:

“Tallon couldn’t manage the cap—so he got fired.”

While there may be an element of truth in that, it skirts the larger reason. Team President John McDonough wanted a “company man” in the role of GM. He said as much at the time.

Around that time, the Hawks also clarified a job description for former Norfolk Admirals GM Al McIsaac as McDonough’s “personal adviser” on hockey matters, a sort of “hockey whisperer” to inform a guy who basically knew (and still knows) very little about the game. Or are you forgetting his incisive scouting of once future great Drew Leblanc via “youtubes?”

Later, McDonough would explain to the media how he wanted to “understand” every move of any significance Bowman made—before he made it. Essentially, he wanted to approve any important move, ostensibly with the help of his “hockey whisperer,” McIsaac.

This, I have been told by sources within the Hawk organization and outside as well, made it next to impossible to do “value for value” trades with the Hawks. Certainly, Bowman has done a few of those (with McDonough’s stamp of approval—don’t kid yourself), but they’ve been driven largely by the salary cap or impending free agency (Brandon Saad to Columbus in 2015, Artemi Panarin for Saad in 2017, Niklas Hjalmarsson to Arizona in that same year), and they haven’t turned out very well.

Oh, finally, who was the assistant GM in charge of the cap during Tallon’s tenure as GM? Right.

Next myth:

“Bowman has drafted well.”

That’s somewhere between debatable and flat out inaccurate. Many fans (and writers) have jumped to point out that Bowman drafted Saad at 43^rd overall in 2011 (the same year he took Mark McNeill at 18^th). And many of these same fans now also rush to point out how Saad is “ a bum,” because “he don’t score no goalsss.” Another metric used in support of Bowman’s “shrewd” draft moves was grabbing Alex DeBrincat at #46 overall in 2016. Meh, ok.

But just for the sake of comparison, Columbus took an arguably slightly better version of DeBrincat, Cam Atkinson (he’s much faster, and just as much a scorer), in the 6^th round in 2008.

The point being, in the 10 years Bowman has been running the Hawks draft, he has not drafted a single elite player, and most of his 1^st round picks are either on other teams or no longer in the NHL. And all those players picked with selections gained during the great talent sell-off of 2010? Pffffffft.

The big myth this year:

“We still think this is a playoff team.”

This was the myth that Bowman and McDonough floated when they made Hall of Fame head coach Joel Quenneville the fall guy for their abject failure as NHL executives, and replaced him with 33 year-old Jeremy Colliton. It’s since been embraced and amplified by Hawk ticket reps. Leave it to McDonough to completely miss on the gravitas necessary to coach storied veterans with all kinds of achievements in the pro game, in favor of hiring a guy with 5 years of pro coaching experience, 4 in Europe and 1 in the AHL. And this is not an indictment of Colliton, who was clearly put in position to fail. But the calculus that getting decent production out of a team of 21 year olds would translate to the 2018-19 Chicago Blackhawks was just plain stupid. Remember, it was McDonough and Bowman who made the call—and who felt Colliton was the right guy to optimize the performance of their veteran-laden roster.

Another half-truth:

“Bowman needs to go.”

Bowman needs to go, but so does McDonough. Because anyone McDonough hires to “replace” Bowman will just become another extension of the crowded, dysfunctional management apparatus at the top of Hawk hockey operations. I am not a betting man by nature, but I would not hesitate to put several thousand dollars on a wager that, if the Hawks continue to suck the exhaust of the rest of the NHL this season, Bowman’s will be the next body McDonough throws on the fire. But it won’t change anything, unless you believe McDonough can recognize how his style and his choices have contributed to this mess. Don’t bet on that.

Another myth:

“You can’t deal any of these big contracts.”

You can, but it won’t be easy or cheap or popular. It may mean parting with other assets you wanted to keep. It may mean retained salary. It definitely means—as an NHL exec suggested to me a few weeks ago—a new, objective leadership team that isn’t trying to force old narratives, cover their past moves, and delude a fanbase into buying a sub-standard product..

The last myth. Wait, no it’s a mentality.

“But if you trade (insert name here), there goes our (insert function here)”

This is what is keeping this team in the Land of Make Believe—“we can still make the playoffs,” “next year will be better when all our young (tiny, fragile, bad in their own end) defensemen magically matriculate from the NCAA and junior.” Did you watch the Winnipeg Jets absolutely blitzkrieg the Hawks in the first period last night before setting it on cruise the rest of the way? The Jets had to go through a few years of stinking—and drafting a raft of exciting young talent (Josh Morrissey, Nikolaj Ehlers, Patrik Laine, etc) to get where they are now—big, fast, talented, dangerous.

This last bit is also not a myth.

Having been a fan of this team since the mid-70s, I have seen how front office dysfunction, massive egos, bad personnel decisions, and dishonesty with fans can ensure mediocrity—not just year after year but decade after decade.

The Chicago Blackhawks, led by Chairman Rocky Wirtz, need to bite the bullet and clean house from the top down. Soon.

Bring in a Team President who is either a legitimate hockey person, or possessive of an ego that will allow him to get out of the way and let hockey people do their jobs. Followed by a GM with a scouting/playing background. And the right head coach for the roster. In the end, maybe that is Colliton. Maybe not.

Regardless, the chain of decisions and the decisions themselves need to be made the right way, for the right reasons, with painstaking honesty. Or expect things to get worse and stay that way for a long time.

Comment below.

The post Opinion: The Emperor Has No Clothes appeared first on The Rink.

When NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced that the salary cap could allow as much as $3.5 million of room for teams to patrol the free agent market this coming summer, Blackhawks fans (with a little help from recent mainstream articles) all jumped on their internet devices and filled their Christmas shopping carts with Artemi Panarin sweaters.

Not realistic but, then again, when have sports fans ever been realistic or rational?

As we sit today, according to Puckpedia.com, the Blackhawks stand to have an estimated $20.8 million in cap space if the cap were to rise as speculated. Granted, this is with only 15 of the currently rostered players signed. Marcus Kruger, Chris Kunitz, Andreas Martinsen, Jan Rutta, Brandon Davidson and Cam Ward potentially all fall off the roster as unrestricted free agents while David Kampf, Brendan Perlini, and Gustav Forsling will be restricted free agents.

Other restricted free agents that will need to be addressed are Dylan Sikura, Blake Hillman, Victor Ejdsell, Anthony Louis, Jacob Nilsson, Matheson Iacopelli, Luke Johnson, Carl Dahlstrom, Anton Forsberg and Collin Delia. A couple of these names might affect the NHL roster, but most should not be of concern. AHL vets Jordan Schroeder, Andrew Campbell, and Tyler Sikura will become unrestricted free agents but, again, probably don’t figure into the pro roster.

What could an additional $3.5 million do for this franchise that is slowly drowning in a murky swamp of indecision and denial? It certainly should mean that they will make a big splash in the market, but it has been a long time since they went out and made a significant addition through free agency.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but, despite what the pundits have been feeding you, the free agent market is not as plentiful as you might think. If free agency were to start today, it would look like a sea of big names, but that is not how NHL free agency works. Most big name free agents in the prime of their career re-sign with their team or get traded and sign extensions with their new team almost immediately.

The biggest names to potentially hit the market are Columbus Russians Sergei Bobrovsky and Artemi Panarin, Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson, Senators forwards Mark Stone and Matt Duchene, Jordan Eberle, Buffalo’s Jeff Skinner down to players like Wayne Simmonds and Jacob Silfverberg. I agree that all of these names sound enticing but I would be surprised if half of them hit the true open market.

For this exercise, let’s assume that David Kampf, Brendan Perlini, and Gustav Forsling all re-sign and eat up around $4 million between them. Simple math brings you to about $16 million in cap space, their general manager cannot unload a contract or two.  This is where I need to spit some truth. While spending $10 million a season for the next seven seasons on Artemi Panarin is logistically possible, it is not reasonable nor is it smart.

If Panarin is (reportedly) playing hardball with the Columbus Blue Jackets because he is not sure that is the city where he wants to spend the next eight years, he is certainly not interested in taking a “discount” to return to a team that is a shell of the one he left two years ago.

“But, Jeff, He has such great chemistry with Patrick Kane”

Sure, he did have that chemistry. He has chemistry with players in Columbus, too. He will have chemistry in his next city, as well. That is what dynamic star players do. Since his chemistry with Kane, he was blindsided by a surprise trade to a much smaller market, where he then blossomed into a bonafide NHL star and has (reportedly) decided that (despite playing for a team much closer to the Stanley Cup than the Blackhawks), he is not interested in hitching his camper to Columbus.

Did I miss anything?

It is pretty safe to assume that taking less money and coming back to a terrible Chicago organization to play second fiddle to Patrick Kane (who could potentially be here for almost the entirety of Panarin’s next contract deal) is not exactly ideal. He clearly wants to be a top 10 NHL star on his own. Say, for argument’s sake, that he was to take less money and gamble his future on this mess of a franchise.

Artemi Panarin does not take this team from basement dwellers to Stanley Cup potential. No one player does. Several layers need to be stripped off the onion to begin to build the team back up. Next season may, in fact, be just as bad as this one is going.

“But, hey! We got da bread man back guys!”

What does that John Tavares recruiting video look like? Do the Blackhawks add Panarin in on the stage, announcing the first overall pick at the 2020 NHL Entry Draft? Attending the draft lottery as the Blackhawks representative while Bill Daly announces, “The first overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft goes to…the Los Angeles Kings?”

Back to the most important question, though. Who is helping to keep the puck out of the net? Top four defensemen cost premium dollars. If the fantasy rings true, Stan Bowman spends (at least) $9 million on Panarin and then has to spend almost all of his remaining cap money on ONE defenseman. Probably an overpaid, serviceable, top four defenseman, because no one is getting Erik Karlsson or Jacob Trouba (whom you’d have to acquire through trade, or give an insanely high offer-sheet plus draft compensation) for $6 million a year.

If the Blackhawks are going to blow money on players, blow it on the filling the gaping holes in the lineup. Replace a few of the 5-6-7 level defensemen with some actual adults that can hold their own on both ends of the ice.

“We have Boqvist, Beaudin and Ian Mitchell. They are the future!”

Thank you, Whitney Houston, but those are all very young, very raw, smallish, offensive minded defensemen. Not a single team in this league is winning the Stanley Cup with four of their top six defensemen having one year or less of NHL experience, much less all of them being the same type of player to varying degrees. This is not a video game. The Blackhawks will be extremely lucky if just one of those three potential rookies can hold his own in the NHL next season.

This brings us all the way back to the remaining “clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right” now currently playing musical chairs in front of Corey Crawford. Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Erik (no “D” in) Gustafsson, Gustav Forsling, Brandon Manning, Henri Jokiharju, Connor Murphy. Someone in this Mickey Mouse club has to go.

In fact, two or three need to go. This is what happens when you stockpile a bunch of very similar assets.

Obviously, Henri Jokiharju was drafted and hyped by the front office to remain in Chicago. Connor Murphy might “seem” bad but he is a young, versatile, cost controlled, relatively physical defenseman that will not get you killed in your own end. Dennis Gilbert might be able to develop into that type of player, eventually, but he is still trying to navigate the AHL.

Unless Stan Bowman can find a functional idiot of a GM, he is not going to be able to move Seabrook or Manning without sweetening a deal with a Dylan Sikura type player. Opinions of Sikura aside, the Blackhawks have a history of giving decent NHL players away for almost nothing, which is another annual event that needs to stop happening.

This leaves Keith, Gustafsson and Forsling. Try and find a dance partner for Keith at the deadline and get anything you can for the other two. These are the type of hard decisions that need to be made. If Stan Bowman is not the type of GM that can make this kind of shift in the organization happen, then he can hop on the plane with them to outer Mongolia, manana.

The post Analysis: How Does The Potential Salary Cap Jump Affect The Blackhawks? appeared first on The Rink.

The custom designed helmets are in for our Crazy Hat Night game November 30, presented by @SchoolofArtChi. You’ll be able to bid on these exact helmets the Steel will wear during the game, with proceeds going to the Alyssa Alvin Foundation! #WeAreSteel pic.twitter.com/CCp0J7Waus

— Chicago Steel (@ChicagoSteel) November 20, 2018

The Steel will become the first known team at any level of organized hockey to take the ice wearing 25 different individually painted helmets. The unique helmets were painted by local amateur artists as a tribute to children and young adults fighting cancer. Following the game each helmet will be auctioned off to raise money for the Alyssa Alvin Foundation for Hope.

The local artists include area elementary schools, Cub Scouts, and nonprofit organizations, whom were invited to paint the team helmets with the goal of showcasing the fighting spirit of children and young adults battling cancer.

“I’ve been fortunate to have been a part of many innovative sports promotions, but I’ve never been a part of something like this that combines art and sport to raise money for charity in such a grassroots way,” said Dan Lehv, President of the Chicago Steel. “We believe this to be a first in hockey history, but it’s being able to contribute to a great cause that has excited our players and staff.”

The Alyssa Alvin Foundation for Hope provides an opportunity for young cancer patients to explore their interests in music and visual arts, and helps provide art supplies to cancer patients. More information regarding the foundation can be found at: https://www.alyssaalvinfoundationforhope.org

To purchase tickets by November 29, 2018 go to:
https://tickets.chicagosteelhockeyteam.com
or
https://www.steelgroups.com and enter the password “Alyssa“.

The post Chicago Steel to Host Benefit For Young Cancer Patients appeared first on The Rink.

I touched on this at the end of last night’s Blackhawks Rinkcast, but it needs to be reinforced and probably will be for quite a while. In this culture, with all the outrage, we need to reel this back in, come together as Blackhawks fans and agree on one thing:

Don’t take your anger out on Jeremy Colliton.

Regardless of your opinion on the move, how it was handled or whether the right guy was turfed, one thing is undisputed; None of this is Jeremy Colliton’s fault.  It just isn’t.

It is going to be very easy for us as fans (myself included) to fall into the lazy behavior of criticizing any move Colliton makes (or doesn’t make), to validate your anger or disappointment in the coaching move. If you want to be mad and lash out, blame John McDonough.

This is a move that was made at the top of the organization and Stan Bowman was forced to abide by it. Joel Quenneville was Bowman’s security blanket. He masked many of Bowman’s questionable moves, or lack of moves, with his solid reputation as a head coach.

Was it perfect? Of course not!

Joel Quenneville was very frustrating, at times, to the outsiders.  Infuriating, even.

Nothing against Colliton, but Stan Bowman will be exposed very blatantly if he continues to do his job (or more specifically not do it) the way he has recently. He cannot hide behind a 33-year-old rookie head coach that has been coaching in North America for under 18 months. Colliton will have his own challenges.

This brings me to my original point. As fans of this team, like Colliton, we were all dealt this bad hand. The best thing we can do is rally behind him. If he fails (and he certain might) he will write this chapter of his career. We cannot write this chapter for him, before he has coached a single NHL game.

Remember, this is the same team that slam-dunk future Hockey Hall of Fame coach Joel Quenneville could not mask the problems of. Colliton is inheriting the same non-playoff team that was performing like a non-playoff team. In firing Joel Quenneville, Stan Bowman did not also acquire a couple of top four defenders, or a Thunderdome tough center that can win draws and is a bloodhound defensively.

AGAIN, THIS IS NOT JEREMY COLLITON’S FAULT.

So, as we celebrate the launch of the Winter Classic sweaters later today and we then watch the Blackhawks take on the Carolina Hurricanes in game one of Colliton’s NHL coaching career, remember one thing:

It starts at the top. Blame this corporate meddling mastermind

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

The post ANALYSIS: Resist The Urge to Blame Jeremy Colliton appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John Jaeckel get “very dude” and discuss the Blackhawks success, and their failures with Rink staff writer Marc-Louis Paprzyca.

• The Blackhawks go 2-2.  Impressive wins vs Columbus and Anaheim, but pretty bad games vs Tampa Bay and Arizona.
• Corey Crawford is back, and looks surprisingly well.
• Anton Forsberg heads to Rockford.  What do they do with all these goalies?
• Some good discussion about Alexandre Fortin
• Gustav Forsling and Connor Murphy will be back, then what?
• We wrap up the episode with some great listener/reader questions.
• Also, Let’s talk a little about #SmokingNickSchmaltz (You heard it here first!)
  

  photoshop creation by Marc-Louis Paprzyca @pappy_hour

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

Also, Please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 34 w/ Pappy Hour appeared first on The Rink.

7:30pm Central, 5:30pm Mountain

United Center

TV/Radio: NBCSCH, FS-A/WGN

PROJECTED GOALIES:

Chicago:

Corey Crawford (.000 SV%, 0.00 GAA)

Arizona:

Antti Raanta (.903 SV%, 2.22 GAA)

Team statistics:

Power Play

Chicago (11.1%, T-24)

Arizona (13.3%, 23)

Penalty Kill

Chicago (64.7%, T-28)

Arizona (91.7%, 5)

Shots for/against per game

Chicago (36.8, 3 – 34.6, 26)

Arizona (35.6, 5 – 24.2, 1)

Shooting%

Chicago (12.0%, 8)

Arizona (1.7%, 31)

Faceoff%

Chicago (49.0%, 21)

Arizona (54.9%, 2)

Avg. height/weight

Chicago

6’1” 195lbs

Arizona

6’1” 196lbs

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS:

Chicago

DeBrincat – Toews – Kahun

Saad – Schmaltz – Kane

Kunitz – Anisimov – Hayden

Kruger – Johnson – Kampf

Keith – Jokiharju

Gustafsson – Seabrook

Manning – Rutta

Arizona

Panik – Stepan – Keller

Perlini – Strome – Fischer

Grabner – Richardson – Hinostroza

Crouse – Cousins – Archibald

Ekmann-Larsson – Demers

Goligoski – Hjalmarsson

Connauton – Oesterle

Analysis:

If there is a team for the Chicago Blackhawks to feast on at this pint in time, it is the Arizona Coyotes.  The Coyotes have potted a measly three goals in five games, while the Blackhawks have averaged surrendering 34.6 shots per game.

Is this the game the Blackhawks finally give up less than three goals, or the game that the Coyotes finally break their slump?

Arizona’s inept offense should allow Corey Crawford, making his first start since December, a chance to get comfortable in net. Crawford’s presence behind a shaky defense could be a breath of fresh air. However, ten months without game activity can be difficult for any player, especially a netminder.

Joel Quenneville teased healthy scratching a struggling Brandon Saad at practice on Tuesday, but it looks like this was all a motivational tactic.

Antti Raanta starts in goal for the Coyotes. The 29-year old Raanta was part of the 2015 Stanley Cup team in Chicago.

Comment below in our live game thread tonight!

And look for the internet’s most robust recap of the game later tonight or early tomorrow on the-rink.com. 

The post Preview/Game Thread: Coyotes at Blackhawks appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John Jaeckel discuss the unexpected Blackhawks success, and discuss the newest, most robust NHL salary cap website, PuckPedia, with its founder, Hart Levine.

• The Blackhawks lose to the Wild and beat the Blues……both in overtime.
• Fans will be happy to hear that we point out several Blackhawks positives
• The Blackhawks are also, technically, undefeated and winless…in regulation.
• The newest saga with Brandon Saad
• Will Corey Crawford play Thursday?
• What is PuckPedia, and why is it different than all the others?
• We discuss things like the complexities of LTIR and IR with Hart.
• We wrap up the episode with some great listener/reader questions…
• ….and a trolling review.

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

Also, Please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 33 w/ PuckPedia appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John Jaeckel discuss the start to the Blackhawks regular season.

• A new podcast review from JDofNations
• 2-0-1 is about as good as it gets for the start of the season
• Is it sustainable?
• The Corey Crawford inaccuracies.
• Toews is back, Kahun looks good
• Alex Fortin makes his NHL debut as we record
• Chris Kunitz stinks and so does the powerplay
• John is always wrong and ruins everything, maaaaaan
• We wrap up the episode with some great listener/reader questions.

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

Also, Please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 32 – Parade Planning appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John Jaeckel discuss the Blackhawks pending start of the regular season with Rink Rockford Icehogs writer Mario Tirabassi .

• Blackhawks finish the preseason
• The Corey Crawford saga continues
• The opening night lineup, what are our thoughts?
• What happens now?
• We have added a “@Pappy_Hour” to The-Rink’s coverage
• We wrap up the episode with some great listener/reader questions.

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

Also, Please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 31 – Season Preview appeared first on The Rink.

One of the more common misconceptions of, not just hockey, but sports organizations in general, is that “our team’s prospects are more valuable than the other organization’s prospects, thus we cannot trade them away.”  As a result, just the contemplation of trading “player x” for “player z” spins the casual masses into a mouth foaming frenzy.  This fallacy has lulled fans into an inflated sense of loyalty and value.

This exaggerated sense of “hypervaluation” is not just limited to current players. The irrationality extends to players not even drafted into the respective organizations yet. Draft picks.

Not all is doom and gloom, though. Even just ten years ago, the casual fan knew little about prospects in the system of their favorite team. There was very little video to see, and it was hard to find any credible information on a player not immediately in the team’s zeitgeist. Today, there are several websites you could pull stats from, and YouTube has made it very easy to pull highlights of just about any player you want to learn about. All wonderful things.

The problem is that the casual fan (and even sometimes the serious fan) often times fails to weigh all the evidence properly. This leads to an inflated sense of value.

This leads me to Blackhawks fans. I give them credit, they are trying to become more familiar with the depths of the prospect pool. That should be commended and applauded. The desire to learn is not bad.

The unintended consequence is that fans (and even the team) become far too attached to players that are, quite frankly, more likely to flop than succeed. For every Alex Debrincat, there is a Bill Sweatt or Ludvig Rensfeldt. For every Brandon Saad, there is a Kyle Beach or Mark McNeill (or three). Simple reasoning will tell you that, more often than not, players will fail register as significant pro players and, even more likely, not even reach the NHL.

There are very few prospects that will actually pan out or make you look back on a trade and regret dealing a player away. Look around the league. How many former Blackhawks prospects can you realistically regret dealing? Not established NHL players like Artemi Panarin, Teuvo Teravainen or even Dustin Byfuglien.

Philip Danault?
Stephen Johns?
Tyler Motte?

All nice players, but more supporting cast than the next wave of dominating NHL players. Granted, they would be nice to still have, but they do not automatically put the Stanley Cup back on United Center ice.

My point being, if the Blackhawks had given up on Dylan Olsen (1st round, 28th overall) in 2010 or traded the second round pick (36th overall) in 2011 that became Adam Clendening, to bring in a depth player that could have filled an immediate need, would the complexion of the franchise have been forever tarnished?

Absolutely not!

You might have a case if the players are drafted in the top 15 slots. Generational game breaking players are most often drafted in those positions. Otherwise, you can acquire depth players through trades or free agency.

One might might say, “Jeff, the Blackhawks could have had ‘x,y,x’ player if they didn’t trade this pick away.” Certainly a valid point. What picks have the Blackhawks traded away that turned out to be accomplished NHL players? Have any?

These are just the first, second or third round picks that the team has traded away since 2010.

Brock Nelson? (2010, 1st round, 30th overall)
Xavier Ouellet? (2011, 2nd round, 48th overall)
Zach Sanford? (2013, 2nd round, 61st overall)
JC Lipon? (2013, 3rd round, 91st overall)
Nikolay Goldobin? (2014, 1st round, 27th overall, turned into Nick Schmaltz)
Justin Kirkland (2014, 3rd round, 62nd overall)
Nick Merkley? (2015, 1st round, 30th overall)
Jeremy Bracco? (2015, 2nd round, 61st overall)
German Rubtsov? (2016, 1st round, 22nd overall)
Wade Allison? (2016, 2nd round, 52nd overall)
Jake Oettinger? (2017, 1st round, 26th overall, turned into Henri Jokiharju)
Keith Petruzzelli? (2017, 3rd round, 88th overall)

Brock Nelson is a nice depth center (playing top minutes on a depleted Islanders team) and the two picks they acquired in that deal were busts (Rensfeldt and Kent Simpson), but is this a deal that set back the Blackhawks?

I would argue, not a chance.

The moral of this story is that the next time you read or hear about a potential trade, or a trade actually happens involving some third round prospect (or second round draft pick, for that matter), take a breath, open your mind and break it down logically.

The Blackhawks are more likely to improve by trading for a known NHL quantity than the “hopes and dreams” of some kid who might just only be the next Akim Aliu.

The post Are Prospects and Draft Picks Overvalued? appeared first on The Rink.

Predictably is the operative word in that heading.

After having the misfortune of seeing in-person a good projection of the quality of hockey we as fans can count on in the upcoming season Tuesday night at the United Center, I can’t help but find myself up late wrestling with the possibility that there might be some sort of reason for the current mess the organization finds itself in.

All summer following a playoff-less season casual fans and experts alike agreed that the Hawks’ lineup as-is was simply not good enough to perform at a high level. Big moves involving some serious re-structurizing around the team’s previous winning model were anticipated. Huge names like Erik Karlsson, Max Pacioretty, and Matt Duchene were thrown around.

No players of note actually came.

Instead, a half-hearted acknowledgement that the Corey Crawford problem was as serious as many feared came in the form of Cam Ward. With him, came Brandon Manning (see last night’s effort), and a talented, but raw, long-term prospect in Adam Boqvist. You would have been hard pressed to find a hockey fan anywhere in the universe who would have told you that the Blackhawks did what was necessary this summer to get back to competitive, high-level hockey.

With that said, the next logical conclusion to draw has been that the Chicago Blackhawks will have yet another less than stellar run this year.  While we have not seen enough yet to definitively make that leap, it would be an even bigger leap to make any type of argument that involves the Blackhawks playing meaningful hockey deep into April this year. The fact is, most serious fans should be anticipating a long year; and for good reason.

Unfortunately, it feels like the effort Tuesday night is an embodiment of everything this team will be about in the upcoming season, and to tell you all anything different would be disingenuous.

See The-Rink’s Blackhawks/Wings recap from Ron Luce for more specifics on last night’s ugly finish.

First and foremost, Cam Ward, regardless of the (somewhat) revival year he is coming off, is not and will never be Corey Crawford.  This year, the Chicago Blackhawks are going to need Corey Crawford more than they ever have. Even less assuring is that, despite what the overly optimistic conventional minds will strut out on social media, Crawford is not anywhere close to game ready. In fact, I don’t imagine a scenario in which he is playing on a regular basis and at a level that even mimics that of which he was at this time a year ago until at least Christmas, which could be a generous estimation. This is the unfortunate reality surrounding the Crawford situation, regardless of whatever big brand Twitter personality threw on your timeline as they sipped their mocha frappe last week inside MB Ice Arena whilst watching Jimmy Waite fling ankle high muffins at Crawford for 25 minutes or so.

So, as more about Crawford’s somewhat controversial absence is brought into the light, and a better long-term outlook becomes visible, do Stan Bowman’s summer acquisitions (or lack thereof) begin to make more sense?

I can’t help but wonder as I become more and more certain the Blackhawks will have a less than stellar year, did Stan Bowman know his team would likely be without Corey Crawford for a sizable chunk of the upcoming season? Did that make this season futile from the start? Is he thinking even longer-term than we as fans may have realized? Nobody would have had a better, more accurate, honest assessment of Crawford’s condition than Stan Bowman all summer—and it would make sense for him to have hinged his willingness to really shake things up on whether or not Crawford would be ready to go this fall because, as we saw in the second half of last season, without their number one goalie this team is not playoff caliber.

I am beginning to think perhaps in our frustration we have underestimated Stan’s ability to read his own forecast. Could there be a more subtle reason that a recent “dynasty” of a team in a market that now demands success with urgency addressed almost none of its significant needs over the summer? Could Stan Bowman be purposely angling for a better draft pick? Is he, in a way,  “mailing it in” this season from the start?

This is a team with almost 7 million dollars in cap space to open a season. A team with realistically only 2 top-four defensemen, and only two dependable centermen. A team that seemingly “lost” every big sweepstakes this summer for free agents (or never even entered in he running). This is an unpopular proposal, and I am not certain this is the case.  I am simply stating that, at this point, this seems like the only explanation for the front office’s strange behavior during the summer, other than pure incompetence and laziness.

This theory would also mean that the Hawk GM is relatively positive that he will outlast Joel Quenneville once the heads begin to roll on another disappointing season.