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Sergei Berezin Passes Away At Age 52

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Earlier today, the NHL Alumni Association announced the passing of former player Sergei Berezin at age 52. Berezin, born in Voskresensk in 1971, spent seven seasons in the National Hockey League from 1996-2003.

Berezin started his professional career in his home town of Voskresensk in the early 1990s while playing for Khimik Voskresensk of the Soviet Hockey Championship league. Joining the league as a professional talent shortly before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Berezin was able to play with Vyacheslav Kozlov who was born in the same town as Berezin a year later. Although several former Soviet players defected to the NHL before the collapse of the state; many players still faced harsh difficulties in pursuing a professional career in North America.

Berezin’s time would come, as he was drafted in the 10th round (256th overall) by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1994 NHL Draft after becoming a point-per-game player in Voskresensk in the now-defunct International Hockey League. After a brief stint in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga from 1994-1996, Berezin finally made his professional debut for the Maple Leafs for the 1996-97 NHL season.

Typically playing in the middle six of Toront’s forward core; Berezin quickly became a key secondary scorer. In his rookie campaign, Berezin scored 25 goals and 41 points in 73 games earning him seventh place in Calder Trophy voting. In the following four years, all with the Maple Leafs, Berezin would score 101 goals and 179 points in total over 284 regular season games. He contributed well for Toronto in the playoffs with 12 goals and 27 points over 40 postseason contests.

Following his tenure with the Maple Leafs, Berezin bounced around through four organizations over the next two seasons. He experienced some revival during his time with the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2001-02 season with 18 goals and 31 points in 66 games — but was largely ineffective during his time with the Phoenix Coyotes, Montreal Canadiens, and Washington Capitals.

Berezin retired from the NHL after the 2002-03 NHL season and spent one more in the Russian Superleague with CSKA Moscow. The Russian forward played in 502 games throughout his NHL tenure and scored 160 goals and 286 points. PHR sends its condolences to Berezin’s family and friends.

Reese Johnson Expected To Be Non-Tendered

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  • Blackhawks RFA Reese Johnson is not expected to receive a qualifying offer, his agent Michael O’Rafferty told Scott Powers and Mark Lazerus of The Athletic (subscription link). The 25-year-old was limited to just 42 games this season while also dealing with a concussion.  Johnson had five points and 109 hits in those appearances while averaging a little less than 11 minutes a night.  His qualifying offer comes in at just under $900K with arbitration rights but it appears Chicago will let someone else get a chance on their fourth line.

Blackhawks Sign Cole Guttman To Two-Way Extension

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The Blackhawks announced that center Cole Guttman has been signed to a one-year, two-way extension with a $775K cap hit. He’ll earn a hefty $450K minor-league salary, per PuckPedia.

Guttman, 25, began the 2023-24 campaign on the NHL roster. He made three appearances early on, including a goal in their season opener against the Penguins, before being sent down to AHL Rockford in late October. He was recalled again around Thanksgiving, this time lasting around two months before he was returned to the minors. The Blackhawks didn’t recall him after his last demotion to Rockford in January.

Despite not sticking around in Chicago, it was still a strong season for the former sixth-round pick of the Lightning. Guttman was one of the top college free agents in 2022 after captaining the University of Denver to a national championship. While he’s yet to establish himself as a full-time NHLer, he’s been a prolific scorer for Rockford, where he was undoubtedly their best player this season with 40 points and a +20 rating in just 39 games.

Guttman wasn’t severely outmatched in his NHL minutes this season, either, tossing up four goals and eight points in 27 games in third-line minutes. He went 60/120 in the faceoff dot, and while his -17 rating is eye-popping given his limited number of appearances, it’s not an overly concerning number for a young forward on a lottery team that was frequently deployed in checking situations.

There’s plenty of uncertainty among the Blackhawks’ depth forwards for next season, with veterans Colin Blackwell and Tyler Johnson likely moving on in free agency. Youngsters Frank Nazar and Landon Slaggert will be in competition for spots but haven’t solidified themselves as locks to start the season in the NHL. With a strong camp, Guttman has plenty of opportunity to crack Chicago’s opening night roster in the fall and build on his strong AHL showings the last two seasons.

Mapping Out The Blackhawks’ Offseason Plans

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Once again mired as one of the worst teams during the regular season in 2023-24, the Chicago Blackhawks have an interesting offseason ahead. With a major piece set in stone now that Connor Bedard has confirmed he’s the real deal, the Blackhawks have a lot of flexibility to improve the team this summer.

After failing to win back-to-back draft lotteries, Chicago will start their offseason with the second overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. It is common knowledge that the San Jose Sharks will select Macklin Celebrini with the first overall pick. Still, the Blackhawks will likely select defenseman Artyom Levshunov or forward Ivan Demidov with the next selection, both of which will project as elite-level players in their own right.

After the NHL Draft, the next significant date in the offseason will be July 1st. This is where Chicago can shake things up in a major way. For their roster in 2024-25, the Blackhawks have 10 forwards, four defensemen, and two goalies already signed to contracts. The team will likely re-up on most of their restricted free agents and graduate prospects to the majors, but they will have a ton of cap flexibility to fill in the other holes.

Having nearly $33MM to play with this summer, General Manager Kyle Davidson could have practically any player on the market, assuming those players would want to come to the Windy City. In fact, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has already alluded to Chicago poking around Jake Guentzel’s camp, with the latter having roots in the American Midwest. If the Blackhawks can convince Guentzel to sign a long-term deal with the organization this summer, that would be a foundational building block to put next to Bedard for the first half of his career.

Nevertheless, even if Chicago makes serious investments this summer, they will still be hard-pressed to earn a playoff spot next year. The Central Division is still projected to be led by the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, and Winnipeg Jets next season. Still, the Blackhawks may be able to move past the Utah Hockey Club, Minnesota Wild, and St. Louis Blues if nearly everything goes positively.

Landing a big fish or two should make the Blackhawks more competitive for the 2024-25 NHL season, and aid in developing the youngsters that now inhabit the roster. Unlike other rebuilding clubs, the presence of Bedard has allowed Chicago to accelerate their rebuild quicker than normal.

Blackhawks Notes: Kane, No. 2 Pick, Pending UFAs

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Last month, The Athletic’s Scott Powers reported the Blackhawks were having internal discussions about trying to bring back franchise fixture Patrick Kane, who’s set to hit the open market this summer after a one-year deal with the Red Wings. However, speaking with reporters today at the pre-draft scouting combine, general manager Kyle Davidson said he “doesn’t foresee us going back on that” regarding a Kane reunion (via Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times).

Kane, 35, had 47 points in 50 games to close out the season in Detroit after recovering from offseason hip resurfacing surgery. It was a promising step for the future Hall-of-Famer, considering hip resurfacing procedures generally signal the end of a player’s career.

After showing he can still hang around in a top-six role, he’ll look to land a raise on his previous $2.75MM cap hit this summer, but it appears it won’t be with Chicago. The 2007 first-overall pick had 1,225 points in 1,161 games there to begin his career, amassing three Stanley Cups.

Elsewhere from Chi-town:

  • To the surprise of no one, Davidson confirmed today the team isn’t shopping their second overall pick in this month’s draft (via NBC Sports’ Charlie Roumeliotis). The team is reportedly leaning toward selecting Belarusian defenseman Artyom Levshunov with the choice, their second top-two pick in the past two years.
  • While preparing for the draft, Davidson said he’s still trying to retain some of their pending UFAs (via Pope). As Pope points out, depth winger Joey Anderson is likely a member of that group, although he’s an RFA that only needs a qualifying offer. Anderson, 25, had five goals and 17 points in 55 games for the Hawks this year. Their notable pending UFAs include Colin Blackwell, Tyler Johnson and Jarred Tinordi.

Blackhawks Leaning Toward Artyom Levshunov At Second Overall

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Much like last year’s draft, there’s a bit of a toss-up at second overall. The Sharks will take Hobey Baker Award winner Macklin Celebrini as the first-overall pick. However, with the second choice, Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson has a choice to make.

That choice is between Ivan Demidov, a Russian winger whose 60 points in 30 junior games gave him one of the best seasons at that level of all time, and Belarusian defenseman Artyom Levshunov, who logged heavy minutes as a freshman for Michigan State University this season and is the top blue liner in the class based on consolidated public rankings. Speaking on Friday’s episode of “The Athletic Hockey Show,” Scott Powers reports the team is leaning toward Levshunov with less than a month to go until draft day.

Levshunov would immediately become the Hawks’ top defense prospect, surpassing 2022 seventh-overall pick Kevin Korchinski. And like Korchinski two years ago, it seems unlikely he’d jump to the NHL immediately. A sophomore campaign at Michigan State makes sense for Levshunov before potentially turning pro in 2025.

It shouldn’t be ruled out completely, though. Levshunov is coming off a banner season that saw him named the Big Ten Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. He was named to the year-end First All-Star Team as well.

Levshunov’s nine goals, 26 assists, 35 points and +27 rating in 38 games helped the Spartans win their first regular-season and conference tournament championships since the conference’s inception in 2013. A right-shot defender, the 18-year-old already stands at 6’2″ and 209 lbs.

Chicago taking Levshunov off the board would leave Demidov available for the Ducks at third overall, becoming the crown jewel of an already deep pool of young forwards that includes Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Mason McTavish and Trevor Zegras. Demidov is the second-ranked prospect behind Celebrini in public consolidated rankings and TSN’s Bob McKenzie’s most recent polling of NHL scouts.

Blackhawks Might Pursue Top Free Agents

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The Vancouver Canucks are reportedly willing to offer pending unrestricted free agent center Elias Lindholm a contract extension around seven years and $7MM annually (as per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts). The deal if signed would be a replica of the deal Nazem Kadri signed with the Calgary Flames in August of 2022 and would be a substantial drop from his contract expectations last fall when many thought Lindholm could fetch a $9MM AAV.

While the potential offer is $7MM annually, there is no guarantee that Lindholm will sign for that, and Friedman isn’t sure that the Canucks can get a deal done at that number. The Canucks reportedly want Lindholm to return, but with the sheer volume of free agents on their roster it might be difficult to get a deal done with the 29-year-old.

In other morning notes:

  • Elliotte Friedman has heard from sources that the Chicago Blackhawks would like to expedite their rebuild and may target top free agents this summer to speed things along. Friedman mentions Jake Guentzel as a possibility and also drops the name of Martin Necas. The Blackhawks have a good mix of young emerging players and veterans in their lineup but don’t have many high-end veterans on long-term deals outside of Seth Jones. Guentzel would require a huge long-term commitment from Chicago and would mark a major change in mindset from previous summers where they have dealt impact veteran players.
  • Aaron Portzline of The Athletic tweeted that former Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Brad Larsen is expected to resurface soon after taking time away from hockey following his firing in April 2023. Larsen coached the Blue Jackets for two seasons and lost 102 of the 164 games during that time. Prior to being named the head coach, Larsen was an assistant in Columbus for seven years and even beat out several experienced head coaches to get the top job with the Blue Jackets. Portzline doesn’t specify where Larsen is going to go but does add that an announcement is expected in the next few days.

Blackhawks To Partner On New Chicago Sports Network

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Colorado Avalanche writer Adrian Dater is reporting that the Avalanche and pending unrestricted free agent Jonathan Drouin have yet to begin talks on a potential extension, while Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic is reporting that the two sides are expected to meet later this week. The 29-year-old Drouin played on a prove-it contract this past season for $825K and was terrific for Colorado registering 19 goals and 37 assists in 79 games.

Dater believes that both sides want to sign an extension and it makes sense given the positive results last season. The former third-overall pick struggled through his final four seasons in Montreal and seemed comfortable in Colorado playing alongside Nathan MacKinnon. Money will become a significant factor in the negotiations given the precarious salary cap situation Colorado is currently in, but the belief seems to be that a deal will get done.

In other Central Division notes:

  • Minnesota Wild defenseman Alex Goligoski is reportedly still mulling over the decision about whether he should retire or keep playing (as per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period). The 38-year-old hasn’t made the final decision about what the future may hold as he explores every potential option. The former Stanley Cup Champion has struggled the past two seasons, tallying just two goals and 14 assists in 82 total games. He was a regular healthy scratch this past season but still managed ten assists in 36 games. Goligoski may generate interest as a seventh defenseman on a team that is looking for someone who can fill in on a second powerplay unit and provide a veteran presence.
  • Chicago Sun-Times reporter Jeff Agrest writes that a new sports network will launch this October in Chicago and will be home to the Chicago Blackhawks as well as the White Sox and Bulls. The Chicago Sports Network will replace NBC Sports Chicago where the Blackhawks have played for almost 20 years. The network will reportedly have agreements with over-the-air providers as well as cable and streaming services but has yet to name any potential partners. The joint venture will see the three teams partner with Standard Media in an effort to try and expand their distribution to the Midwest. The deal is pending approval of the leagues.

Chicago Blackhawks Sign Zachary Sanford To One-Year Extension

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The Chicago Blackhawks have taken another pending unrestricted free agent off the board after already having signed Alex Vlasic, Lukas Reichel, and Brett Seney to contract extensions before the official start of the offseason. Today, the Blackhawks announced the organization has signed forward Zachary Sanford to a one-year, two-way contract extension for the 2024-25 NHL season.

For the second straight year, Sanford will have to settle for a two-way contract after signing a similar deal with the Arizona Coyotes last July. This time, Sanford will take a decrease in pay, earning a salary of $775K at the NHL compared to the $800K he was earning last season.

Even though he started the season with the Coyotes organization, Sanford found his way to Chicago after being claimed on waivers in early January. At the time, the Blackhawks were dealing with numerous injuries to their forward core, giving Sanford access to more playing time at the NHL level.

Strictly a depth piece at this point in his career, Sanford played adequately enough for a rebuilding Blackhawks team, tallying four assists with the team in 18 games. Outside of the NHL, Sanford was able to play a handful of games with Chicago’s AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, scoring three goals and six points in 13 games. Depending on the state of the Blackhawks’ forward core at the end of training camp next September, Sanford could earn a bottom-line role for opening night.

Blackhawks Agree To Entry-Level Deal With Martin Misiak

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The Blackhawks have signed forward Martin Misiak to a three-year entry-level contract, per a team announcement. His deal will count as $878.3K against the cap and keep him in the Hawks’ system through at least 2027.

Misiak, still just 19, was the last of three second-round selections Chicago made in last year’s draft at 55th overall. The stocky Slovak winger spent this season south of the border with the OHL’s Erie Otters, finishing sixth on the team in scoring with 47 points (23 goals, 24 assists) in 60 games with a -14 rating.

He wasn’t drafted out of the OHL, though, meaning the NHL-CHL transfer agreement doesn’t apply to him, and he can be assigned to AHL Rockford full-time next season without issue. He split his draft year between HC Nove Zamky in the Slovak Extraliga and the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms, leaving his home country midseason to make his North American junior debut.

It was somewhat of a rocky post-draft year for Misiak, who many viewed as a third- or fourth-round pick instead of a second-round selection. He did make his professional debut on a tryout contract with Rockford to end the season, posting a shot on goal in a 3-2 overtime win on April 21. He also represented his country at the 2024 World Juniors, posting three assists and a -4 rating in five games.

The 6’1″ sniper will attempt to fit in as one of the younger players in the Rockford lineup next season, turning 20 during training camp. He becomes the 30th player under contract for Chicago next season and will be a restricted free agent when his deal expires.

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