Blackhawks Rumors

John Mitchell Signs PTO With Columbus Blue Jackets

September 21, 2017 at 12:27 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

Well that free agency didn’t last long. Just after the Chicago Blackhawks released John Mitchell from his professional tryout, the Columbus Blue Jackets have snatched him up and signed him to a similar agreement. The Jackets got a good look at Mitchell this week, when they took on the Blackhawks in Tuesday night’s preseason action.

Mitchell played just under 10 minutes in that game, but does have a longer track record of NHL success. He’s scored double-digit goals in five different seasons, and even had a career-high of 32 points in 2013-14. It’s unlikely that will translate into an NHL opportunity in Columbus, but he can provide some more experience and a fresh body to insert into the rest of the exhibition schedule.

Columbus has their fair share of young players vying for full-time roles, and bringing in veteran competition is a motivational tactic of many coaching staffs. Mitchell will certainly be incentivized to push as hard as he can, knowing that this could be his last chance in the NHL. At age 32, he’s only seen the playoffs a single time in his career and is coming off a dreadful season with the Colorado Avalanche.

Chicago Blackhawks Release Miller, Mitchell, Stuart From PTOs

September 21, 2017 at 10:48 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 2 Comments

The Chicago Blackhawks made a few cuts today, but instead of sending young players back to junior they’re saying farewell to a few NHL veterans. Drew Miller, John Mitchell and Mark Stuart have all been released from their professional tryouts. The team is down to 54 players in camp.

All three veterans had relatively little chance of making the team, but were there in part to push the young Blackhawks prospects and show them what a professional lifestyle is like. Miller, who spent time in the minor leagues last year for the first time in almost a decade, actually recorded nearly five minutes of shorthanded time in the preseason opener as he tries to prove he can still contribute. Stuart and Mitchell both saw the ice rather sparingly, just helping the Hawks lengthen their lineup with enough NHL experience.

Interestingly, Cody Franson was not among those cut today as he continues to impress in Blackhawks camp. There is much speculation that Franson already has a handshake deal with the team in place, which was only furthered when he served as an alternate captain for Tuesday’s game. Franson also opened the scoring on a 5-on-3 powerplay, a situation he could see a lot this year.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Chicago Blackhawks

September 19, 2017 at 9:03 pm CDT | by natebrown Leave a Comment

Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2017-18 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Chicago Blackhawks

Current Cap Hit: $75,034,795 (over the $75MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

RW Ryan Hartman (one-year remaining, $863K)
C Nick Schmaltz (two-years remaining, $925K)
C Vinnie Hinostroza (one-year remaining, $718K)
D Gustav Forsling (two-years remaining, $872.5K)
D Ville Pokka (one-year remaining, $650K)

Schmaltz is a lock for the roster along with Hartman but Hinostroza depending, on the play of a number of players, could find himself in Rockford to start the season. A strong training camp could give him a chance to usurp a few veterans on a PTO while also grabbing a spot away from the likes of a Tomas Jurco, Jordin Tootoo or Lance Bouma. Forsling will most likely spend the bulk of the season in Rockford, barring major injury or a lack of production from one of the veterans. Pokka will vie with Forsling for a spot, but many expect Cody Franson to have the upper hand when it comes to defensemen making the team, leaving the two youngsters as either a healthy scratch, or starting in Rockford.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Lance Bouma ($1M, UFA)
RW Patrick Sharp ($800K, UFA)
LW/RW Tomas Jurco (800K, RFA)
RW/LW Tommy Wingels ($750K, UFA)
RW Jordin Tootoo ($700K, UFA)
D Michal Kempny ($900K, UFA)
D Michal Rozsival ($650K, UFA)

It’s an interesting list of players with one-year deals, but Sharp, who is back for a second go-around with the Hawks, could find himself shuffled between the top and bottom six on any given day. Expect Sharp to be the player who takes a similar approach to the now retired Brian Campbell: a reunion in Chicago that could be extended yearly based on his body holding out and production remaining consistent. Sharp spent the last two seasons playing in pain, but after hip surgery, he now feels better. If this rejuvinates him, he could be a bargain deal.

This is dependent on a number of factors, namely, which young kids could see rotation within the lines. Jurco is an acclamation project, a castoff from the Red Wings who could play a big role should he live up to the once-upon-a-time expectations he promised. Wingels, Rozsival and Tootoo are most likely playing out a contract in Chicago while Kempny is playing for a longer term deal. Bouma is most likely a one-and-done in Chicago, but if he can recapture the scoring touch he had two seasons ago in Calgary, he could be a Panik-like revelation and earn some extra years in the Windy City.

Two Years Remaining

RW Richard Panik ($2.8M, UFA)
C Tanner Kero ($750K, RFA)
G Anton Forsberg ($750K, RFA)
G Jean-Francois Berube ($700K, UFA)

Panik received a very cap-friendly hit for a player who found a niche in Chicago, netting 44 points (22-22) in a career year. Kero filled in nicely during a slew of injuries, planting himself as a dependable third line center on a very economically friendly deal. Forsberg and Berube will both have chances to rotate in as backups.

Three Years Remaining

G Corey Crawford ($6M, UFA)

Crawford may be over 30 but he continues to be a dependable and often game-stealing force in the net for Chicago. Though the Hawks blue line is older, Crawford hasn’t shown signs of true regression, as his numbers held steady during a season when Chicago wasn’t nearly as defensively dominant.

Four Or More Years Remaining

Patrick Kane ($10.4M, Runs through 2022-23)
Jonathan Toews ($10.4M, Runs through 2022-23)
Brandon Saad ($6M, Runs through 2020-21)
Artem Anisimov ($4.5M Runs through 2020-21)
Duncan Keith ($5.5M Runs through 2022-23)
Brent Seabrook ($6.85M Runs through 2023-24)
Connor Murphy ($3.85M Runs through 2021-22)
Marian Hossa ($5.28M Runs through 2020-21)

The bulk of Chicago’s salaries are long-term and while some appeared to be wise deals (Kane and Toews) others threaten to be an albatross for many years to come (Seabrook). Hossa’s contract is another one that remains to be seen, as his allergy-related retirement could push the Slovak’s contract onto the LTIR, giving the Hawks some needed breathing room. This hardly solves matters, as it will still limit them from adding any major players since they’ll still be butted up to the Cap limit. The Saad-Panarin deal back in June flipped players with identical dollar amounts but Saad is inked to a longer term. Murphy is a solid defenseman who should only get better with time, especially being surrounded by leaders and talents like Keith, and Seabrook. Finally, the acquisition of Saad will give the front office and fans a litmus test on the Captain. Dogged for “disappearing” in the playoffs and not posting better numbers in the regular season, Saad will be another two-way presence that will ease some of the stress off of Toews’ on-ice assignments. An uptick in production should quiet those who believe Toews is regressing with a very expensive contract.

Still to Sign

None

Looking Ahead

Some say the Blackhawks window is closing, but much of the same was said about the Penguins, who are now coming off consecutive Stanley Cup victories. The key for the Hawks will be health as they certainly don’t have the flexibility to add much in the way of salary.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Evening Notes: Stepan, Dallas D, Schmaltz

September 16, 2017 at 4:58 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 1 Comment

One of the main reasons the Arizona Coyotes made their big offseason trade in which they traded the seventh overall pick in this year’s draft and prospect defenseman Anthony DeAngelo to the New York Rangers was to acquire Derek Stepan. According to Jim Cerny of Sporting News, the Coyotes have high hopes the center will provide much-needed offensive help, but what the team is also looking for is to have him lead their young team.

With 515 games of experience under his belt (and 97 more in the playoffs), the 27-year-old already has plenty of experience. And while no captain has been announced, Stepan is among a short list of candidates for it. Arizona has a number of young potential forwards under 23 years, including Clayton Keller, Dylan Strome, Max Domi, Brendan Perlini, Christian Dvorak, Christian Fischer, Anthony Duclair and Lawson Crouse.

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“I’ll try to do what I do best, play a 200 foot game, try to make the guys around me better, and try to be a leader for these young guys,” said Stepan. “When I was a young guy, I had older guys do it for me, and I want to do the same thing for them. Hopefully I can step in and help in all aspects.”

It remains early and there is plenty of training camp remaining, but Sean Shapiro of Wrong Side of the Red Line writes that the Dallas Stars’ defensive pairings could already be close to decided. With four players already locked in, including John Klingberg, Esa Lindell, Dan Hamhuis and Marc Methot, the real battles are for the final two positions. Shapiro writes that based on their play so far and head coach Ken Hitchcock’s comments, it looks like Julius Honka and Stephen Johns are easily in the lead with Jamie Oleksiak and Greg Pateryn both fighting it out for that seventh and final spot on the defense. That would leave Patrik Nemeth out entirely.
The Chicago Blackhawks’ Nick Schmaltz could be looking at a position change, according to Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times. Having played wing next to Jonathan Toews during his rookie season, the 21-year-old forward is being given an opportunity to center the team’s second-line with Patrick Sharp and Patrick Kane. Lazerus said head coach Joel Quenneville strongly hinted that Schmaltz would take that spot on the second line, which would force Artem Anisimov to the third line. If he gets the job, Schmaltz will have to work on his faceoffs, which was last (30.9 percent) among 210 players who had taken 100 or more faceoffs. According to Quenneville, the second-year forward worked with Sharks center Joe Pavelski over the summer and plans to work with Toews more during camp.

Michal Rozsival Fails Physical, Cannot Participate In Training Camp

September 15, 2017 at 2:22 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 3 Comments

Michal Rozsival did not pass his physical today in Chicago Blackhawks camp, meaning he will not be allowed to participate in on-ice activities. The 39-year old signed a new contract during last season to help the Blackhawks fulfill their expansion draft requirements, but wasn’t expected to take on a full-time role with the team this year.

Andrew Desjardins To Attend Rangers Camp

September 13, 2017 at 10:55 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The New York Rangers have signed Andrew Desjardins to a professional tryout according to Larry Brooks of the New York Post, bringing the 31-year old in to compete for a spot. Desjardins is coming off a two-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks, but took a big step backwards last season.

In 46 games, Desjardins registered just a single point and was limited to fewer than ten minutes a night. His role on the team was very diminished, and his play suffered because of it. Still, he does have more than 400 games of NHL experience and was once a pretty effective fourth line center. For a team like the Rangers who have depth issues down the middle, bringing him into camp is a no-risk move.

One of the biggest questions of this offseason is what the Rangers will do at the center position. After trading away Derek Stepan and losing Oscar Lindberg to Vegas, the team has Mika Zibanejad and Kevin Hayes penciled into their top two spots. After that it’s anyone’s guess at this point, as youngster Lias Andersson, David Desharnais, Boo Nieves and Vinni Lettieri are all in contention for some combination of the last two spots. J.T. Miller remains an option if the team wants to move him back to center, but reducing his minutes doesn’t seem like a wise choice.

Prospects Tournament Update: DeBrincat, Hronek, Kostin

September 11, 2017 at 8:15 pm CDT | by natebrown Leave a Comment

The Athletic’s Scott Powers reports that Chicago Blackhawks prospect Alex DeBrincat believes he can “play better” despite potting two goals in as many games during the tournament so far. All eyes are on the scoring dynamo, who was a major contributor for the Erie Otters last year in the OHL. Some have projected the 19-year-old to make the Hawks roster while others believe it may take some seasoning in Rockford before the youngster is ready. The Chicago Sun-Times Mark Lazerus wrote yesterday that it will ultimately boil down to how the shorter teenage phenom will compete when he’s fighting bigger, stronger, NHL players for not only space on the ice, but also puck battles. There’s no doubt that the talent is there: it’s more about how the rookie responds when he’s put on the ice against elite talent.

Powers’ colleague Craig Custance weighs in on the Red Wings’ young talent and who tops the list in terms of having the best chance of playing in Detroit. Defenseman Filip Hronek leads the pack, and though he’s shown growing pains, appears to be on the same course as forward Evgeny Svechnikov, who didn’t make his first appearance in Detroit until April. More than anything, it was to ensure the young forward wasn’t rushed and the Red Wings look to take the same approach with Hronek.
The championship game seems all but set as the Blackhawks pasted Carolina 9-2 this evening. The Red Wings beat the Rangers 4-1, creating a championship contest between Chicago and Columbus. St. Louis’ Tage Thompson leads all players with six points in the tournament (2-4) while DeBrincat leads all scorers with three goals.
Thompson’s teammate, Klim Kostin, has turned a lot of heads during the camp, and has shown that the shoulder injury that caused him to drop a bit in the draft has done nothing to limit his dangerous scoring ability. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jim Thomas writes that Blues GM Doug Armstrong cautions patience, but even he seems ready to see what Kostin can do during training camp with the big club.

Can the Blackhawks Mirror Their 2013 Performance?

September 11, 2017 at 5:52 pm CDT | by natebrown Leave a Comment

The pressure building on the Chicago Blackhawks is similar to that felt by the 2012-13 team writes CSN Chicago’s Tracey Myers. For fans seeking good omens, that could be one heading into a more uncertain season sans forward Marian Hossa, and a roster relying upon a bevy of youth. Myers writes that the Hawks torrid 21-0-3 start to the strike-shortened season, as well as a second round scare to Detroit ended well for Chicago as they dispatched the Boston Bruins in six games and captured its second Cup in four seasons. Few remember that the Hawks were at a crossroads–being beaten in the first round in consecutive seasons while experiencing some in-house turmoil that led many to wonder what would be. A Stanley Cup parade in 2013 put doubts to rest and the Hawks came within a puck bounce in 2014 of heading back to the Stanley Cup Final. They would win again in 2015, but are coming off of a shocking sweep last spring.

The Philadelphia Flyers’ Nolan Patrick is going to be okay Philadelphia Inquirer writer Sam Carchidi assures a nervous fan base. Patrick had another surgery this summer for abdominal issues, which marked a second consecutive summer he spent rehabbing from an injury. The 19-year-old second overall pick did say he felt totally healthy three weeks ago–which should calm concerned Flyers fans. Patrick spoke about training with Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, who Patrick called a “really intelligent guy” and one who helped him with nutrition and training advice. He also noted that he’s been playing at 100% while on the ice, and that his goal remains to make the Flyers roster out of training camp.

More Tryouts Signed In Chicago, Ottawa

September 11, 2017 at 11:14 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

Some more training camp rosters came out today, with several other professional tryouts included in Chicago and Ottawa. The Blackhawks will welcome Mark Stuart, Drew Miller and John Mitchell to camp, while according to Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen, the Senators have invited Chris VandeVelde to compete for a spot.

Stuart has spent the last six seasons with the Winnipeg Jets, but with the emergence of Josh Morrissey last season and the signing of Dmitri Kulikov, there was never going to be a match between the two for this season. Instead, he’ll try and prove, along with Cody Franson who is also in camp on a PTO, that he can still compete at the NHL level and add something to the Blackhawks’ defense group. The 33-year old has played 673 games in the NHL.

Miller, also 33, is coming off eight seasons with the Detroit Red Wings organization, where he admirably filled a fourth-line or thirteenth forward role. Never much of an offensive threat, Miller has nonetheless carved out a successful career for himself, playing 571 games and winning the Stanley Cup with Anaheim before ever suiting up for a regular season game.

The last of the three new tryouts, Mitchell saw his play fall off a cliff last season with the Colorado Avalanche, scoring just seven points all season. The 32-year old had previously been a fairly reliable bottom-six center, who registered a career-high of 32 points in 2013-14. As part of the Colorado collapse last year, Mitchell saw fewer and fewer minutes and couldn’t get anything going offensively. It may be close to the end for the former Maple Leafs draft pick.

For the Senators, they’ll bring in VandeVelde after he suited up in 81 of the Philadelphia Flyers’ games last season. The 30-year old tied his career-high with 15 points last season, but was a regular on the penalty kill nearly all season. He’ll try to earn a contract with the same work ethic that took him from a middling minor leaguer to a lineup stalwart in Philly.

Blackhawks Great Pierre Pilote Passes Away At 85

September 10, 2017 at 12:47 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 2 Comments

The Chicago Blackhawks and the hockey world lost a defensive legend as Pierre Pilote passed away Saturday at the age of 85. The three-time Norris Trophy winner played 13 season for the Blackhawks and then one final season for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Pilote was at his best during the stretch from 1960 to 1967, where he reached either the first or second all-star team in all of those years. He won the Norris Trophy, given to the NHL’s best defenseman, in 1963, 1964 and 1965 and was a runner up for the Trophy in 1962, 1966 and 1967. In 1961, Pilote helped lead the team to a Stanley Cup and was named captain of the Blackhawks the following year.

“The Chicago Blackhawks offer our sincere condolences to the family of Pierre Pilote as we mourn his passing. Pierre was one of the most decorated defenseman in NHL history and was a valuable member of the 1961 Stanley Cup championship team. He will be remembered for his toughness, leadership and reliability on the ice, as proven by his captaincy and streak of 376 consecutive games played. We will forever be grateful for his incredible contribution to the Blackhawks and the game of hockey.”

Pilote finished his career having played 821 games and scoring 477 points (77 goals and 400 assists). His No. 3 sweater was retired by the Blackhawks in 2008.

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