Youth Center (chicago)

Since the turn of the calendar, Strome has registered 19 points (9 goals, 10 assists) in 24 games. While Dach has had much lower productivity with only 8 points (3 goals, 5 assists), he's been focusing on his play without the puck to not only defend but also perform in a shutdown role.

Unless there's a deal on the table that Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson would be crazy not to pull the trigger on, Dach is a shoo-in to return with a new contract with what should be reasonable terms. A possible renewal could be in the range of 2-3 years at $1.5-$2.5M AAV.

However, Strome is a different story. His resurgence has been more pronounced than Dach's yet he also has a history of reverting to complacency that renders him invisible for long stretches. Has Strome purged that version out of his system and on the verge of being a true top 6 center?

If the former is true, now is the time to sell high on Strome as the trade deadline draws near on March 21. Getting a 1st rounder in return is still lofty but a 2nd rounder may not be anymore. But if the latter is true, the Hawks could set themselves up for a brighter outlook down the middle.

Assuming Strome and Dach are retained and build upon their growth this season, having them as fixtures in the top 6 would be a boon for the Hawks. Add in top prospect Lukas Reichel and the depth improves even more. Keep in mind that Reichel is equally good on either wing as he is at center.

Though Jonathan Toews is set to return in 2022-23, his health concerns could prevent him from being able to suit up regularly. Then for 4C, options may be MacKenzie Entwistle, Josiah Slavin, Philipp Kurashev, and Sam Lafferty (if #23 and #24 are re-signed). Henrik Borgstrom is likely a goner.

The looming question is whether it's worth it to keep Strome in the fold. Given that the cupboard is barren with top 6 forward prospects beyond Reichel and it would be best to not rush him into such a role at the NHL level, having a talent like Strome stick around Chicago may be in the cards.

Also, the likelihood that the Hawks are able to draft an elite center -- whether this summer or future offseasons -- who can crack the big club out of training camp and thrive immediately in the top 6 is pretty much zero. So would there be anything to lose by re-upping Strome for 2-3 years?

Blackhawks Game Summaries

Saturday Boxscore

Kubalik - Strome - Kane DeBrincat - Toews -T Johnson Hagel - Dach - Entwistle Kurashev - Carpenter - Lafferty

de Haan - S Jones C Jones - Murphy Stillman - McCabe

Lankinen Fleury

Scratches: Borgstrom, Gustafsson

1st Goal (0-1): Lindblom (Sanheim, Hayes) 2nd Goal (1-1): DeBrincat (Toews) 3rd Goal (2-1): Strome (Kane, Kubalik) 4th Goal (2-2): Atkinson (Farabee) 5th Goal (3-2): Strome (unassisted) 6th Goal (3-3): Brassard (Atkinson, Farabee) 7th Goal (3-4): Atkinson (Farabee)

SOG For/Against: 29/27 PP: 0-for-1 PK: 4-for-4 Faceoffs Won: 45%

Sunday Boxscore

Kubalik - Strome - Kane DeBrincat - Toews -T Johnson Hagel - Dach - Entwistle Kurashev - Carpenter - Lafferty

de Haan - S Jones C Jones - Murphy Stillman - McCabe

Fleury Lankinen

Scratches: Borgstrom, Gustafsson

1st Goal (1-0): Strome (Kane, DeBrincat) 2nd Goal (1-1): Raddysh (Foote, Sergachev) 3rd Goal (2-1): Kane (Hagel, S Jones) 4th Goal (2-2): Hedman (Stamkos, Kucherov) 5th Goal (2-3): Foote (Cirelli, McDonagh) 6th Goal (2-4): Hedman (Sergachev, Point) 7th Goal (2-5): Perry (unassisted) 8th Goal (2-6): Sergachev (Colton) 9th Goal (3-6): DeBrincat (Strome)

SOG For/Against: 27/32 PP: 0-for-3 PK: 2-for-2 Faceoffs Won: 44%

Weekend Notes

* For Saturday's game, the Hawks yet again committed multiple too-many-men infractions which proved detrimental as the second one led to the game-winning goal by the Flyers.

* Then for Sunday's game, the unfortunate pivotal point was the span where the Lightning notched 3 goals in 32 seconds to start the 3rd period.

* Alex DeBrincat has a goal in 3 straight games and is on pace for not only a new career high (46) but is also flirting with 50; this level of goal output further cements his stability with the Hawks but also drives up the AAV on his next contract.

* The pair of one-timer goals that Strome deposited this weekend is an indication of how locked and loaded he is which is a lethal combination along with his excellent vision and playmaking plus much improved faceoffs.

* Playing with pace, advancing the puck up ice, and being an offensive catalyst are his greatest strengths but Seth Jones can be frustrating with his defensive game as he often loses inside positioning or is simply too passive.

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IceHogs Game Summary

Saturday Boxscore

Hardman - Reichel - Connolly Teply - Slavin - Busdeker Morrison - G Mitchell - Gicewicz Osipov - Gabriel

Phillips - I Mitchell Galvas - Regula Beaudin - Kalynuk Stanton

Soderblom Delia

1st Goal (1-0): Slavin (Teply, Busdeker) 2nd Goal (2-0): Reichel (Hardman, Connolly) 3rd Goal (2-1): Suess (Meireles, Lynch) 4th Goal (3-1): Teply (Kalynuk, Busdeker) 5th Goal (3-2): Gustafsson (Chisholm, Malott) PP 6th Goal (3-3): Kovacevic (Maier) 7th Goal (3-4): Malott (Poganski, Samberg) 8th Goal (3-5): Poganski (Heinola, Kovacevic)

SOG For/Against: 28/32 PP: 0-for-2 PK: 1-for-2

Weekend Notes

* Similar to Dylan McLaughlin, D.J. Busdeker is stating his case this season to parlay his success as an impact AHL player into a possible NHL contract; both are reliable in all zones, play on both special teams, and generate offense.

* Michal Teply continues to ride his hot streak in calendar year 2022 with not just his offensive outburst (16 points in 21 games) but also his courage to drive hard to the net and use his maturing strength to outmuscle defenders.

* Like Teply, Slavin is heating up with his 3rd goal and 4th point in his last 3 AHL games after being in a scoring drought dating back to mid-November.

* Mike Hardman is also a key cog in the Hogs offense being a close to PPG power forward (19 points in 21 games) who is demonstrating he can playmake as much as he can finish.

* Chad Yetman has joined McLaughlin in concussion protocol.

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Trade Rumors

Avs general manager Joe Sakic mentioned in a recent interview that he's open to trading a 1st round pick and/or top prospect which could include a 2023 1st rounder, 2024 1st rounder, Justin Barron, Sean Behrens, Oskar Olausson, and/or even Alex Newhook. The Hawks can't be sold short.

Management Updates

Former player personnel executive Norm Maciver could conceivably return to the Blackhawks as he reportedly had a close relationship with Davidson. During his tenure with the Hawks, it was rumored that Maciver was arguably the sharpest mind in the room but was frequently vetoed by others.

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Prospect Updates

See you on the boards!

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