It's been quiet on possible extensions to RFA's Dach, Strome, Kubalik, C. Jones and Kurashev. Maybe there are negotiations going on behind the scenes, but nothing has been leaked. Or possibly Davidson has decided to move on from some of them. I would think Richardson would be asked his opinion if they would fit his style and whether he could work with them to improve aspects of their games. RFA tender offers due July 12, only 2 weeks ago.
- boilermaker100

There hasn't really been many RFA signings overall. Most of the one's who have signed have been at or near the league minimum. I would guess KD will be at least trying to move the rights to Strome and Kubalik if he doesn't want them on the team before the draft.

There hasn't really been many RFA signings overall. Most of the one's who have signed have been at or near the league minimum. I would guess KD will be at least trying to move the rights to Strome and Kubalik if he doesn't want them on the team before the draft.
- Chunk

July 1st is the start of buyout period, July 11th is start of qualifying offers. Probably teams are figuring out who, if they are going to buy anyone out before tackling the RFA's.

https://www.prohockeyrumo...es-talks-free-agents.html

Someone mentioned that Brandon Hagel didn't look like himself in The Cup finals. Looks like he was dealing with a fractured foot.

https://www.prohockeyrumo...es-talks-free-agents.html

Someone mentioned that Brandon Hagel didn't look like himself in The Cup finals. Looks like he was dealing with a fractured foot.
- Rota's Rooter

I thought I heard that he was injured toward the end of the first round. If so, good on him for fighting through.

The problem is how you draft.. not the draft. You need to build through the dtaft. Five long yesrs at least

Interesting trade proposal I saw on YouTube deal no deal.
Carolina gets Debrincat
Chicago gets necas Suzuki 2023 1st 2024 2nd with the condition of if Debrincat signs with the canes it becomes a 1st in 2024. So that would 3 1st round picks in 2023 and 2024. Imo I would rather have their best d prospect instead if the 2024 pick. But very inticing proposal but that most likely be what is needed to land Debrincat.
- Scott1977

Picks would be too low.. pass

Interesting trade proposal I saw on YouTube deal no deal.
Carolina gets Debrincat
Chicago gets necas Suzuki 2023 1st 2024 2nd with the condition of if Debrincat signs with the canes it becomes a 1st in 2024. So that would 3 1st round picks in 2023 and 2024. Imo I would rather have their best d prospect instead if the 2024 pick. But very inticing proposal but that most likely be what is needed to land Debrincat.
- Scott1977

If Cat is too old for the rebuild then Necas is as well. No settling Scott, we have the proven 40 goal scorer, Jarvis is part of the deal instead of Necas.

Picks would be too low.. pass
- LFS

Guys getting back don't move the needle either.

Carolina or other teams could always make a contract offer next year for Cat.

I thought I heard that he was injured toward the end of the first round. If so, good on him for fighting through.
- Chunk

My take on playoff hockey is if someone is not playing hurt they are not playing. Most guys will have some kind of injury they are playing through.

Full respect to all of them why play on even though they know they have an injury.

KD and LR press conference at 11 am Central.

https://www.nhl.com/blackhawks/
- boilermaker100

My bad. Press conference is Wednesday at 11 am. No wonder it isn't on now. LOL

McKenzie's final top 100 rankings: https://www.tsn.ca/juraj-...l-draft-ranking-1.1818585

The Hawks need help at all positions. Here is my mock draft:

#38: Lane Hutson
#57: Seamus Casey
#81: Antonin Verreault
#90: Hunter Haight
#93: Nicholas Moldenhauer
#167: Ilya Kovchko
#173: Brayden Schuurmann
#199: Ryan Abraham
- DarthKane

The Hawks need good players sure and they need to see who is available when the time comes to pick, but personally I hope they avoid picking from the USHL with the first few picks just because the Hawks track record hasn't been too good with picks from there. Jury is still out on some recent picks, but going back here are their choices.

Drew Commesso
Landon Slaggert
Alex Vlasic
Jake Wise
Mikael Hakkarainen
Josiah Slavin
Evan Barratt
Chad Krys
Jake Ryczek
Dennis Gilbert
Nick Schmaltz
Matteson Iacopelli
Fredrik Olofsson
John Hayden
Tyler Motte
Luke Johnson
Vinny Hinostroza
Michael Paliotta
Alex Broadhurst
Stephen Johns
Nick Mattson
Paul Phillips
Josh Unice
Joe Lavin

Not saying that good players don't come out of that system, but the Hawks don't find too many with their scouts IMO. A few guys that got NHL time, but not many that move the needle very much. I don't know what direction they will go with their picks and I can't really criticize your draft choices and it's not my forte, but I just feel like they scout better in other leagues. I hope whomever they pick, they dig up a few gems.

My take on playoff hockey is if someone is not playing hurt they are not playing. Most guys will have some kind of injury they are playing through.

Full respect to all of them why play on even though they know they have an injury.
- powerenforcer

Seems to be the story every year, and the team that loses generally has guys who are just more worn down from the grind and couldn't get over the hump.

I share your opinion that Hawks biggest need probably isn't defense. IMO, I look at the Hawks prospects and I don't see a lot of goal scoring talent that can help the top 6 or top 9 down the road. The kind of player that puts the puck on net from anywhere and can slip some of those in as a result or at least keep goalies honest.
- breadbag

Here is a wild one Hawks need to build a solid core of good young players learn to play solid D ,that's were our new coach steps in .Tank next year for a stud in the top 3 Bredard would be great .Then bang year after sign Matthews to a monster contract, rebuild is accelerated to warp speed .Could be done nothing much on the books in two years if DBC is traded keep Kane around or bring him back at around 6 mil . Matthews should be completely fed up with the Leafs and their fickle fans by then .

Yes it is. And it sure helps when you already had Nathan MacKinnon (1st pick oa), Gabriel Landeskog (2nd pick oa) and Mikko Rantanen (10th pick oa) in your team. I sure everyone was pretty upset in Colorado 2017 when they finished rock bottom but got only fourth overall pick in first round. Well that didn´t turn out that bad..

- MjulQvist

RE: Worst to first in five years....

The rebuild started ELEVEN years ago with the selection of Gabriel Landeskog

Derek King 14 years NHL player, 10 year assistant in the AHL, 3 years head coach in the AHL. Not that dissimilar from Richardson, yet the BOD says King was way over his head.

How would Richardson look if he was told by his GM not to make any changes ride out the season, and you can't pick your bench coach or your other assistant? Unless King figured he was through with the organization after the year, KD did him no favors, as a matter of fact made him a sacrificial lamb. I think KD only said King was up for the head coaching job was in case all the other candidates he offered the HC job to told him no.
- LAHawk

LA, before King came on every Hawk game looked like a fire drill in their own zone. About as bad as any I've seen at this level. When King came on that changed big time and it didn't take a scout's eye to see that.

That can't have happened to the extent it did just by King coming in and saying have some fun fellas. He had to have tweaked what systems were there..... I'd agree he wasn't put in the best of spots for sure but what he showed ending the nightly clown show in their own zone, making the club semi competitive and showing a calming influence in a horrid situation with a bad roster will be noticed by those who matter around the NHL.

What it seemed happened is Sorenson showed better at the AHL level than King in what the organIzation is looking for down on the farm. That essentially leaves him without a spot. Sacrificial lamb? Maybe I guess but IMO it was Sorenson showing so well in management's eyes that elbowed King out more than anything else.

Saw the HOF class announced. When are they going to put Steve Larmer in? And why isn't his jersey number retired. He should have set the ironman streak record but the hawks screwed him on that one.

The Hawks need good players sure and they need to see who is available when the time comes to pick, but personally I hope they avoid picking from the USHL with the first few picks just because the Hawks track record hasn't been too good with picks from there. Jury is still out on some recent picks, but going back here are their choices.

Drew Commesso
Landon Slaggert
Alex Vlasic
Jake Wise
Mikael Hakkarainen
Josiah Slavin
Evan Barratt
Chad Krys
Jake Ryczek
Dennis Gilbert
Nick Schmaltz
Matteson Iacopelli
Fredrik Olofsson
John Hayden
Tyler Motte
Luke Johnson
Vinny Hinostroza
Michael Paliotta
Alex Broadhurst
Stephen Johns
Nick Mattson
Paul Phillips
Josh Unice
Joe Lavin

Not saying that good players don't come out of that system, but the Hawks don't find too many with their scouts IMO. A few guys that got NHL time, but not many that move the needle very much. I don't know what direction they will go with their picks and I can't really criticize your draft choices and it's not my forte, but I just feel like they scout better in other leagues. I hope whomever they pick, they dig up a few gems.
- breadbag

Nice work here, BB. But you did miss Ryan Hartman who was taken 30th overall before he went to the OHL after aging out of the NTDP. Although I didn't look up to see where each player was drafted memory tells me the vast majority were lower rd picks, 3rd rd or lower, so it's not like they're missing on 1st rd picks per say.

Not knocking your observation at all but the USHL is now consistently having more kids drafted than the QMJHL, a few yrs more than the WHL and even 1 yr a couple yrs back than the mighty OHL. .......

No doubt the USHL is much better than even 5 yrs ago, they are getting the Fantilli's to come down from Canada as well as Mirachenko types from overseas, but it seems many more NHL organIzations are attracted to the NCAA route of which the USHL provides maybe 90% of their players.

LA, before King came on every Hawk game looked like a fire drill in their own zone. About as bad as any I've seen at this level. When King came on that changed big time and it didn't take a scout's eye to see that.

That can't have happened to the extent it did just by King coming in and saying have some fun fellas. He had to have tweaked what systems were there..... I'd agree he wasn't put in the best of spots for sure but what he showed ending the nightly clown show in their own zone, making the club semi competitive and showing a calming influence in a horrid situation with a bad roster will be noticed by those who matter around the NHL.

What it seemed happened is Sorenson showed better at the AHL level than King in what the organIzation is looking for down on the farm. That essentially leaves him without a spot. Sacrificial lamb? Maybe I guess but IMO it was Sorenson showing so well in management's eyes that elbowed King out more than anything else.
- Mr Ricochet

Hey Rico, what you bolded was hyperbole by me. He did minor tweaks, but in his "exit" conference, he stated he would definitely change systems. But I bring up why I think King got a raw deal is what I bolded from your comments. With what we saw before King stepped in, what more could you have asked from him? The other thing that impressed me was I didn't see anyone (rookie or veteran) take a night off, or quit. I also think he was quite good in trying to put the rookies in a position to succeed, not just throw them out there to the wolves.

Saw the HOF class announced. When are they going to put Steve Larmer in? And why isn't his jersey number retired. He should have set the ironman streak record but the hawks screwed him on that one.
- bjphawkfan

Because number retirements are stupid and should be stopped immediately.

Nice work here, BB. But you did miss Ryan Hartman who was taken 30th overall before he went to the OHL after aging out of the NTDP. Although I didn't look up to see where each player was drafted memory tells me the vast majority were lower rd picks, 3rd rd or lower, so it's not like they're missing on 1st rd picks per say.

Not knocking your observation at all but the USHL is now consistently having more kids drafted than the QMJHL, a few yrs more than the WHL and even 1 yr a couple yrs back than the mighty OHL. .......

No doubt the USHL is much better than even 5 yrs ago, they are getting the Fantilli's to come down from Canada as well as Mirachenko types from overseas, but it seems many more NHL organIzations are attracted to the NCAA route of which the USHL provides maybe 90% of their players.
- Mr Ricochet

Hey Rico, you've been watching the USHL for a few years now. Is there anything notable that the league has changed to bring about this sudden improvement in quality players? Have they changed rules, gotten better coaches, or is it simply that better players are available to them?

Here is a wild one Hawks need to build a solid core of good young players learn to play solid D ,that's were our new coach steps in .Tank next year for a stud in the top 3 Bredard would be great .Then bang year after sign Matthews to a monster contract, rebuild is accelerated to warp speed .Could be done nothing much on the books in two years if DBC is traded keep Kane around or bring him back at around 6 mil . Matthews should be completely fed up with the Leafs and their fickle fans by then .

- oldduffman

I do not see any scenario where Kane's next contract is for less dollars per year than his current contract.

I do not see any scenario where Kane's next contract is for less dollars per year than his current contract.
- 35Tony0

I could see an "even" 3 x $10M but I agree it won't be significantly lower.

Been a while since I last commented - good to be back.

Exciting summer ahead. I’m elated that KD is fully embracing a rebuild the RIGHT way with a fresh pair of eyes guiding the next wave of kids.

Next couple weeks ahead will be filled with convo on here.

Hoping the Cat nets us the haul we need (from LA or NJD) to push ahead since I don’t envision 19 or 88 being moved, which certainly negatively impacts us but I can’t blame them.