These are fascinating days around the NHL. Some teams (Vegas especially) have enjoyed terrific starts to their seasons while others who had playoff hopes (stares at Seattle, Washington (two teams, not city and state)) have struggled to get their act together. There are lots of early-season trade winds blowing right now as teams try to create cap space and fix what’s glaringly wrong with their club already. I’m going to focus our bullets this morning on more Blackhawks-only stuff because there’s enough going on Around the NHL to ci🎃rcle back later this mornin𓃲g with some thoughts on everything else.
For our players of “Chel” out there, EA Sports dropped their first update for the season to NHL24 and guess who’s now available? CONNOR BEDARD! He starts his career with an 83 rating as one of the rookies to make their debut in the game this season. Do you think 83 his high enough? Too low?
I know I’ve praised Alex Vlasic a lot lately — he deserves it — but I enjoyed this piece from Scott Powers from yesterday on the Blackhawks’ rookie defenseman. With all of the attention Connor Bedard has been getting, it feels like Vlasic has flown under the radar… if that’s possible when you’re 6-foot-6.
“I think, could be one of my best for sure. I think just taken the next step as the season’s gone on, I’ve been able to progress. And I’m definitely going to have ups and downs, but I think as long as I’m hea🎃ded in an upward trajectory, I should be in good shape.”
Anybody else out there watch the first four Blackhawks games this season and think “holy $#!+ our goaltending is awesome!” Well, it has been. Arvid Söderblom and Petr Mrazek have both been phenomenal thus far; the Blackhawks have a chance to finish the road trip over .500 in large part because of their netminders. You already know I’m not someone to over-extrapolate success in a small sample size into a big picture if I can avoid it, but this season-opening road trip is a gauntlet from hell against really good teams. The fact the the Blackhawks crapped the bed in Montreal against the worst team on the trip is frustrating, but even in that game Mrazek was solid.
I got a text message yesterday asking if Söderblom’s .955 save percentage was sustainable. Of course it isn’t going to stay there all year; he’s human and that number would be historic. But then I took a moment and realized he’s stopped 67 of 70 shots IN BOSTON and TORONTO to start his season. And neither of those games was an easy one where he was getting good, clean looks at a lot of rubber. So a little more
Something not many people saw coming: Corey Perry (1 goal, 3 assists) is a point-per-game player for the Blackhawks thus far. According to the fine folks at the NHL, Perry has started his season with 4 in 4 only one other time – as a 20-year-old rookie with Anaheim in 2005-06. Anaheim won the Stanley Cup that year.
Perry’s goal against Toronto was the game-winner. He now has a game-winning goal on his ledger with five different franchises. Not bad! Does that make him… a Hall of Famer?
When I appeared on NHL Network Radio on Sirius/XM this past Saturday, I was asked about the ice time Bedard is averaging early in his career. He “only” skated 18:35 in Toronto, but he still leads all rookie forwards in ice time per game thus far (21:13). As this piece from the fine folks at NBC Sports Chicago points out, “since the NHL began tracking players’ average time-on-ice in 1997-88, the all-time rookie record belongs to Alex Ovechkin, who clocked 21:27 minutes per game in 2005-06.” I have no doubt there will be games like the one in Toronto where, given the right situations, the Blackhawks’ coaches will find ways to cut him a couple minutes here and there. But as long as he’s producing and games are close/competitive, he’ll want to be out there. Remember: he likes hockey.
Finally, I’m a big fan of Ayo Dosunmu. Bought my middle son his shirsey for Christmas last year. Love his approach to the game. So this one from Eli yesterday made me smile. I’m hoping for a big year for the entire Bulls’ backcourt, but especially 12.
