Did you wake up this morning and think, “Okay, now what?” like I did? As Blackhawks fans, at least the Stanley Cup playoffs gave us something to watch/somewhat care about for a couple months.
We’re now a full day removed from the end of the 2022-23 NHL season, which means hopefully the Golden Knights are on their way home finally. It also means there’s not much action happening — at least until everyone arrives in Nashville for the 2023 NHL Draft.
Some teams need to fill out their front office positions still. Columbus has to wait until July 1 to formally announce Mike B🐲abcock as their new head coach. Other coaches need to hire assistants. And general managers are texting and calling each other trying to make the right move.
But expectations are that most of the action will happen in Nashville in a couple weeks. With so many questions after the Blackhawks take Connor Bedard with the first pick — and, presumably, Anaheim selects Adam Fantilli second (though not a lock yet) — players availability in the draft will undoubtedly dictate trades that happen. So now, we wait.
I want to start today’s bullets with a personal note. We’ve seen a lot of unfortunate news in sports media over the past week or so, with cuts hitting the staff at The Athletic and a few others places. Lots of good people are looking for work. That list added some names on Wednesday when it was shockingly announced that TSN 1260 in Edmonton was shutting down. I’ve chatted with lots of folks at that station on the air and off over the past 15 years, whether it was before a Blackhawks-Oilers game, during the playoffs or before a draft. They were always wonderful to work with. My heart goes out to them and I hope they land on their feet quickly so we can talk puck again soon.
We’re now in the thick of Mock Draft SZN, and I absolutely love it! Last year we didn’t get to take part in Mock Draft SZN because, before the day of the first round, the Blackhawks didn’t have a pick in the first round. Of course they ended up with three, but when those picks are acquired the day of the draft there are no mocks including the Blackhawks, which steals all of the fun.
On Wednesday we discussed a new mock draft from the good folks at The Athletic. Their NHL staff went through a first-round mock draft that included a few interesting trades, one of which added a third pick in the first round for Chicago. Give it a look.
Also Wednesday, Steven Ellis at released an updated mock draft of his own. He has the Blackhawks drafting center Calum Ritchie at No. 19, which is another interesting name to consider. I haven’t seen him going to the Blackhawks frequently but he is a possibility. Here’s what Ellis said about the pick:
His offensive totals weren’t wh🌳ere most were expecting after a hot start, but Ritchie proved his worth defensively this year, too. He’s a well-rounded prospect that can dazzle with the puck and take over when needed. Players that work as hard as Ritchie bring value.
It’s now also Buyout SZN (First Window Edition) for the NHL. With the Stanley Cup being handed out, we now know the first buyout window for the league begins tomorrow (Friday). Should the Blackhawks buyout anyone? I have thoughts… and shared them. What say you?
It’s also Qualifying Offer SZN in the NHL (can I use SZN for that? asking for a friend…) so we’re going to see news about which teams did or didn’t make an offer. The first that I’ve seen came out of Philly yesterday.
Kieffer Bellows was the 19th overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft — seven picks before Tage Thompson (oops) — and has to be considered a bust at this point. He turns 26 on June 10 and has scored 14 goals in 95 career NHL games. Is he the kind of bust the Blackhawks take a flyer on (pun absolutely intended here) with a low-risk deal? I’m not sure. But he has decent size (6-1, 195) so maybe a two-way deal is possible?
Sad to see former Blackhawks prospect Evan Barratt hitting the market. He might be headed to Europe at this point. Chicago drafted Barratt in the third round back in 2017 and he spent three years at Penn State before three more in Rockford. He was traded to the Flyers in October for Cooper Zech in a change-of-scenery move. Wish him the best because he always seemed like a good dude.
When you read the following lede, it seems to make sense on face value:
After setting the record two years in a row for man games lost in a season, the Montreal Canadiens made c♓hanges to their medical staff thisꦓ week, parting ways with chief athletic therapist Graham Rynbend and chief physiotherapist Donald Balmforth.
BUT… then you read this quote from Habs captain Nick Suzuki, and… maybe this wasn’t the person to blame for Montreal being banged up at a historic rate the last couple years?
🐻“I thought both of them did a good job,” Suzuki said. “I think whoever comes in next is going to have their own kind of way. I⛦ feel like all physiotherapists kind of have their own ways of doing things. Whoever comes in next we’ll meet them … I don’t know when. I don’t think we’re going to change too much. Both of them are respected. It just so happened that they got let go. We’ll see what happens next.”
I know, I know… this is a third tweet from Frank Seravalli. Well, he’s the president of the PHWA for a reason, kids. And, by virtue of that title, he had the privilege of sharing the voting for the Conn Smythe. Jack Eichel received the five first-place votes, so I guess that makes him the runner-up?
File this one away for later. The walk away number for clubs in arbitration has stayed the same for a third straight year. If a team wants to, they can walk away from anything awarded north of this number. I immediately wonder what happens if Alex DeBrincat goes to arbitration with an Ottawa team that won’t have a finalized owner until probably September and really, desperately doesn’t want to pay him $9 million this coming season.
The NBA Draft happens next week. So let’s enjoy the rumor mill there, too!
Finally, the Cubs could really use Cody Bellinger back in the lineup. And it looks like he’s getting close(r) to a return.
