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Blackhawks Haven’t Ruled Out Bringing Back Patrick Kane

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After his storied tenure with the Blackhawks ended via a trade to the Rangers in 2023, star winger Patrick Kane may have the opportunity to return to Chicago in free agency this summer. The team’s front office will likely hold internal discussions over the next few weeks about re-signing him, reports Scott Powers of The Athletic.

Kane is slated to hit the UFA market this summer after completing the one-year, $2.75MM contract he signed with the Red Wings in November after recovering from hip resurfacing surgery. He would likely be open to a return if offered by general manager Kyle Davidson, Powers said.

A three-time Stanley Cup winner, Kane looked revitalized in Detroit after a difficult, injury-plagued season split between Chicago and New York. The 35-year-old put up 20 goals, 27 assists, 47 points and a -5 rating in 50 contests after returning to play, increasing his points per game average to 0.94 after putting up 0.78 in 2022-23.

Kane’s possession metrics were below average (48.4 CF%, 49.2 xGF% at even strength), but that’s nothing new. He’s been a decisively below-average player defensively ever since his last championship with Chicago in 2015. While the Wings narrowly missed the playoffs, he helped them breach the 90-point mark for the first time since 2016. Their 278 goals for were also their most in a season since advancing to the Stanley Cup Final in 2009.

His return to the form you’d expect from him as he enters his late 30s is impressive, considering the previous track record of players returning from hip resurfacing procedures. The surgery effectively ended the careers of once-top-flight talents Nicklas Bäckström, Ed Jovanovski and Ryan Kesler.

Powers said the strong relationship between Kane and the Blackhawks organization remains intact and that Davidson “made sure Kane’s departure was as smooth as possible” when trading him to the Rangers last season. But if the organization does decide to bring him back, he’d likely end his career there, Powers said. If he intends on playing longer than the team thinks he’d be useful to their rebuild, Powers believes that will likely push Chicago away from re-signing him.

During Kane’s initial 16-year tenure in the Windy City, he scored 446 goals and 779 assists for 1,225 points in 1,161 games. The 2007 first-overall pick ranks second in franchise all-time scoring behind Hall-of-Famer Stan Mikita, although first is likely out of reach for Kane as he trails him by 242 points.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Blackhawks Sign Brett Seney To Two-Way Extension

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The Blackhawks are bringing depth forward Brett Seney back next season on a two-way extension, the team announced Monday. The deal carries the league-minimum salary of $775K at the NHL level, while his AHL salary will be $500K with a $525K guarantee, PuckPedia reports.

Seney, 28, signs his third straight one-year deal with Chicago. He first joined the organization ahead of the 2022-23 season, inking a two-way deal with a $475K guarantee after posting a career-high 59 points in 62 games with AHL Toronto the year prior.

The diminutive yet versatile forward has just one goal in 11 NHL games with Chicago over the past two years but has remained exceptional in the minors. In 127 games with AHL Rockford, he’s posted 46 goals and 117 points and led the club in scoring this season while serving as an alternate captain.

He’ll remain a short-term call-up option if injuries strike, but his value to the organization is felt much more as a capable offensive threat to play with their younger, developing talents in Rockford. He was slated to become a UFA this summer after completing a two-way extension with a $500K guarantee that he signed in March of last year.

Seney will again be eligible for unrestricted free agency when his new extension expires in 2025. After signing as an undrafted free agent with the Devils in 2018, the 5’9″ forward has accumulated six goals, 14 points and a -17 rating in 66 appearances with Chicago, New Jersey and Toronto.

Morning Notes: Brindley, Soucy, Reichel, Rangers

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Team USA has added Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Gavin Brindley to their World Championship lineup, per Steven Ellis of the Daily Faceoff (Twitter link). Brindley becomes the fourth collegiate athlete to join the squad, stepping into a room with World Juniors teammates Will Smith, Ryan Leonard, and Trey Augustine. The quartet played a major role in USA’s drive towards the 2024 World Juniors Gold Medal – and they’re now rewarded with an opportunity with the Men’s National Team. Brindley isn’t expected to line up for USA’s Monday matchup against Team Slovakia, instead joining Leonard and Matt Kessel as the team’s healthy scratches.

Brindley is continuing to have a fruitful off-season, signing his entry-level contract and making his NHL debut in early April. He received 12 minutes of ice time but wasn’t able to change his stat line. With Columbus’ season ending soon after, Brindley’s scoring this season was limited to the 25 goals and 53 points he managed in 40 games with the University of Michigan. He also added 10 points in seven World Juniors games.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The NHL Department of Player Safety is expected to hold a hearing for Vancouver Canucks defenseman Carson Soucy, shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Soucy could be facing punishment for cross-checking Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid in the face, after McDavid was knocked over by Nikita Zadorov, during a late-game scrum. Soucy has been suspended once in his career, receiving a one-game booking for charging Conor Garland in March of 2021. He was also assessed a $2,500 fine for a roughing penalty in November of 2022. It will likely be Noah Juulsen who steps in should Soucy miss any time. Juulsen has played in one postseason game this Spring, recording a -1 in 11:24 of ice time. Juulsen is coming off a career-high 54 NHL appearances this season, though he only managed seven points.
  • Team Germany has also made a lineup addition, bringing in Chicago Blackhawks forward Lukas Reichel, per Ellis (Twitter link). Reichel has been a key piece of Germany’s international presence, recording 11 points in 13 games across the last two World Championships. He also joined the team at the World U18 Division 1-A Championship in 2019 and the World Juniors in 2020. Reichel is coming off an up-and-down year, scoring just 16 points in 65 NHL games. He’ll look to reestablish his scoring spark in the familiarity of international play, with five games remaining on Germany’s slate before the quarter-finals.
  • The New York Rangers welcomed forward Filip Chytil back to practice on Monday, after he missed Game 4 with an illness. Blake Wheeler is also progressing from injury, upgrading to a full-contact jersey, shares Vince Mercogliano of USA Today Sports (Twitter link). Both Chytil and Wheeler should slot right back into the lineup, should both be cleared to play, likely bumping Jonny Brodzinski and Will Cuylle back to the skybox. Wheeler made a strong impact on the Winnipeg Jets’ first round run last season, scoring six points in five games to bring his career playoff scoring up to 45 points in 65 games.

IceHogs Extend ECHL Affiliate Agreement

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Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas News is reporting that Dallas Stars forward Mason Marchment will be back in the lineup for Game 2 against the Colorado Avalanche and Radek Faksa will be the healthy scratch. Marchment has been out of the Stars’ lineup since Game 2 of their first-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights and should give the Stars a boost after the club blew a three-goal lead in Game 1.

Marchment tallied a goal in two playoff games against Vegas and registered 11 hits in just under 28 minutes of playoff action. His return is sure to make life more difficult for the Avalanche as Marchment had another terrific regular season, posting 22 goals and 31 assists in 81 games, along with 108 hits. The 6’4” 210 lbs Marchment is built for playoff hockey and will give them a physical threat in the lineup after they looked to be in control of the series early on.

In other morning notes:

  • The Rockford IceHogs announced today that they and the Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to terms on an affiliate extension with the Indy Fuel of the ECHL. The deal is a three-year agreement that also contains an option to further increase the pact for two years. Indy has been the ECHL affiliate for the organization for over ten years since they joined the ECHL back in April 2014. The team has had moderate success during their run, including appearances in the Kelly Cup Playoffs in three of the last four years.
  • Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer tweeted that Carolina Hurricanes forward Evgeny Kuznetsov will go back into the lineup tonight after being a healthy scratch for Game 2 of their best-of-seven series against the New York Rangers. Kuznetsov’s scratch seemed puzzling at the time as the Hurricanes opted to use Max Comtois in his place. However, Comtois played just 6:19 and was largely ineffective as the Hurricanes struggled to control the play when he was on the ice. The 31-year-old Kuznetsov has been solid in the playoffs for Carolina, posting two goals and two assists in six games while averaging less than 12 minutes of ice time per game.

San Jose Sharks Win 2024 NHL Draft Lottery

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The 2024 NHL Draft Lottery has finally rolled around, giving solace to the 16 teams that missed out on the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks lead the odds race, with the Sharks boasting a hardy 18.5 percent chance of winning the first-overall pick. The list of runner-ups is rounded out by fringe playoff contenders in the St. Louis Blues and Detroit Red Wings, who share 0.5 percent odds at the top slot.

The 2024 NHL Draft is certainly one to be excited for. It features strong talent throughout the first round, including hotly-debated talents like Finnish standout pro Konsta Helenius and Russian big man Anton Silayev. It’s a contentious draft that kicks off a string of strong classes, with James Hagens and Gavin McKenna headlining the next two drafts.

This year’s deciding order is as follows:

1. San Jose Sharks
2. Chicago Blackhawks
3. Anaheim Ducks
4. Columbus Blue Jackets
5. Montreal Canadiens
6. Utah Hockey Club
7. Ottawa Senators
8. Seattle Kraken
9. Calgary Flames
10. New Jersey Devils
11. Buffalo Sabres
12. Philadelphia Flyers
13. Minnesota Wild
14. San Jose Sharks (via Pittsburgh Penguins)
15. Detroit Red Wings
16. St. Louis Blues

The Sharks have officially won the race for superstar prospect Macklin Celebrini – the consensus top prospect in the 2024 NHL Draft. Celebrini recently became the youngest player to win the Hobey Baker Award as college’s MVP, adding to a trophy case that’s incredibly full for his age. He’s a dynamic and incredibly intelligent centerman capable of finding and making plays in all three zones.

Meanwhile, the Blackhawks, Ducks, and Blue Jackets will be left to sift through a rich list of top defense prospects, including Artyom Levshunov, Sam Dickinson, Zeev Buium, and Zayne Parekh. Forwards like Cole Eiserman or Cayden Lindstrom could fight their way into the top spots as well, giving teams plenty of options with their lottery winnings.

Blackhawks Extend Lukas Reichel

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The Blackhawks have signed forward Lukas Reichel to a two-year, $2.4MM contract extension, per a team announcement Tuesday. The deal carries an average annual value and cap hit of $1.2MM.

Reichel, 21, was slated for restricted free agency this summer after completing his entry-level contract. He was Chicago’s first-round pick in the 2020 draft, selected 17th overall after their most recent playoff appearance, a first-round elimination at the hands of the Golden Knights.

The German forward is yet to cross the 100-game plateau but will do so next season. Since making his NHL debut in the 2021-22 campaign, he’s tallied 12 goals, 20 assists, 32 points and a -45 rating in 99 contests.

After lighting up the AHL for nearly a point per game with Rockford last season, as well as 15 points in 23 games across multiple stints on the Blackhawks’ roster, most expected Reichel to challenge for a consistent top-six role in 2023-24. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to hold down the second-line role at center he was given behind Connor Bedard to begin the year, eventually demoted to a third-line role on the wing. He ended the season with just five goals and 16 points in 65 games, having the most disappointing season of a promising group of Blackhawks youngsters in Bedard and defensemen Kevin Korchinski and Alex Vlasic.

Thus, it’s not particularly surprising to see Reichel ink an extension not terribly far above the maximum buriable threshold if he’s assigned back to Rockford at any point over the next two years. If he’s able to get his development back on track by the summer of 2026, he’ll be a restricted free agent again in line for a more significant commitment, both in yearly salary and term, at age 23.

Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson still has a few weeks to work on extensions for the rest of his pending RFAs before qualifying offers are due on June 30. Among players who ended the season on the NHL roster, four other forwards – Joey Anderson, Mackenzie Entwistle, Reese Johnson and Taylor Raddysh – are headed for restricted free agency. Unlike Reichel, that group is eligible for salary arbitration.

Chicago also has six pending RFAs at the minor-league level, four of whom logged NHL time this season – center Cole Guttman and defensemen Louis Crevier, Isaak Phillips and Filip Roos. Among them, only Guttman and Roos are eligible for arbitration.

Reichel was solid in limited playoff action with Rockford last week, scoring twice and adding two assists as the IceHogs were bounced in four games by Grand Rapids in the Central Division Semifinals. He’s now likely off to Czechia to play with Germany at the 2024 World Championship, although he hasn’t officially been added to their roster yet.

The Blackhawks still have $33.84MM in projected cap space for next season, per CapFriendly. They still need to add around $15MM in combined cap hits for 2024-25 to meet next year’s lower limit.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Hockey Canada Releases 2024 World Championship Roster

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May 7: Celebrini and Fantilli have returned home from Czechia, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports. The former will participate in tonight’s 2024 NHL Draft Lottery, while Fantilli’s reasons for departing are undisclosed. It’s unclear whether they’ve been removed from the roster entirely. In a corresponding transaction, the team added Kings center Pierre-Luc Dubois and Lightning forwards Brandon Hagel and Nick Paul to the roster.

May 3: Hockey Canada has released its roster of 22 players who will wear the maple leaf at the 2024 World Championship, which begins next week in Ostrava and Prague, Czechia. There are three open spots left to be filled throughout the tournament as more teams are eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Much like the initial World Championship roster that USA Hockey released weeks back, it’s almost completely made up of NHL talent – a rarity for the top-level countries at this tournament recently. The return and promise of future best-on-best international tournaments in the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Winter Olympics has players and front offices looking at this year’s Worlds as a tune-up and initial evaluation for those events.

In fact, the only non-NHL player on Canada’s tournament-opening roster will be in the league next season. That’s presumptive 2024 first-overall pick Macklin Celebrini, who continues his 2023-24 campaign after taking home the Hobey Baker Award for the top collegiate player in his freshman season with Boston University. Their offense is highlighted and led by Blackhawks rookie phenom Connor Bedard and Kraken sniper Jared McCann, while Sabres defenders Bowen Byram and Owen Power highlight the back end. Blues netminder Jordan Binnington is expected to serve as the team’s starter.

The full roster is as follows:

F Connor Bedard (Blackhawks)
F Michael Bunting (Penguins)
F Macklin Celebrini (2024 draft-eligible)
F Dylan Cozens (Sabres)
F Adam Fantilli (Blue Jackets)
F Ridly Greig (Senators)
F Dylan Guenther (NHL Utah)
F Andrew Mangiapane (Flames)
F Jack McBain (NHL Utah)
F Jared McCann (Kraken)
F Dawson Mercer (Devils)
F Brandon Tanev (Kraken)

D Bowen Byram (Sabres)
D Kaiden Guhle (Canadiens)
D Jamie Oleksiak (Kraken)
D Colton Parayko (Blues)
D Owen Power (Sabres)
D Damon Severson (Blue Jackets)
D Olen Zellweger (Ducks)

G Jordan Binnington (Blues)
G Nico Daws (Devils)
G Joel Hofer (Blues)

Blackhawks Likely To Explore Center Market

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While the Blackhawks aren’t planning on becoming full-fledged buyers as soon as next season, it’s clear general manager Kyle Davidson wants to take some measured steps to ease out of their rebuild after coming up with their worst record of the post-Original Six era in 2023-24. That will include adding a second-line center to give some added depth and relieve rising sophomore Connor Bedard of some pressure, Scott Powers of The Athletic said Tuesday.

Entering this season, the Blackhawks hoped 2020 first-round pick Lukas Reichel could assume the role. The German forward took a major step forward in his development in 2022-23, impressing with 20 goals and 51 points in 55 games with AHL Rockford and a strong showing in 23 NHL games (seven goals, 15 points, 16:22 ATOI).

But without much help around him, Reichel struggled with a full-time major league role and was even demoted back to Rockford for a stretch in February and March. He finished the campaign with only five goals, 16 points and a -29 rating in 65 games while averaging just over 14 minutes, and he was shifted back to left wing early on after going 43.4% in the faceoff dot.

That led to 28-year-old Jason Dickinson getting most of the reps as Chicago’s second-line center this season. The 2013 first-round pick of the Stars performed admirably in the process, having a career year with 22 goals, 35 points, and decidedly above-average possession metrics while averaging 16:34 per game.

Dickinson also took over 1,000 faceoffs for the first time and won exactly 50%, also a career-high. It earned him a two-year, $8.5MM extension in Chicago midway through the season, but he’s more suited for a third-line role on a competitive club.

Outside of Dickinson and Bedard, who tied for the team lead in goals, the Blackhawks were abysmal offensively. Second- and third-place scorers Nick Foligno and Philipp Kurashev were no doubt buoyed by being Bedard’s linemates for most of the season, as the likely Calder Trophy winner still managed to churn out 61 points in 68 games on a severely undermanned group while missing time with a broken jaw.

The Hawks’ 2.17 goals per game were the worst in the league, ever so slightly behind the last-place Sharks. Getting back to the 70-80 point range, a reasonable goal for the Hawks next season, will require more forward depth.

Chicago holds 13 picks in the first two rounds over the next three years, but they’re still too early in their rebuild to start parting with assets for established talent. That could come as soon as next summer if everything goes right in 2024-25, but for now, that leaves the unrestricted free agent market as Davidson’s main option to add a pivot.

Many of the true second-line options on the market, such as Sean Monahan, have expressed their desire to play with a contender. They likely won’t be able to land a major upgrade on Dickinson, but someone like Rangers pending UFA Jack Roslovic could fit the bill as a more offensively-inclined option.

Davidson has the cap space to target more highly-touted options like Matt Duchene, Elias Lindholm and Chandler Stephenson, but there are immediate questions about whether any of them would be willing to jump into a rebuilding roster, even if it seems last season was the low point. Max Domi could also be a reasonable option to return for his second stint with the club after he led them in scoring in 2022-23 with 49 points in 60 games.

Evening Notes: Blackhawks, Utah, Reichel

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Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that the Chicago Blackhawks will return to Milwaukee for another pre-season game at the Fiserv Forum. The Blackhawks will take on the St. Louis Blues on October 5th, 2024, two years after Chicago first played at the home of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks.

Two years ago, the preseason game in Milwaukee sold out in just minutes and brought in over 15000 fans to watch the Blackhawks take on the Minnesota Wild. This time around the Blackhawks are hoping for more of the same from the passionate fanbase. The city of Milwaukee is currently home to the Milwaukee Admirals, who are the AHL affiliate for the NHL’s Nashville Predators and averaged over 6K fans a game this season.

In other evening notes:

  • TSN Insider Chris Johnston is reporting that Utah has plans to build a brand-new practice arena that will house two or more NHL-standard ice rinks. The team hopes that the new building will be completed prior to the 2025-26 season, and it will also be the team’s official office. The building will also be used for recreation activities as well as youth and amateur hockey. The team is currently in the process of finding a temporary training and practice facility for next season.
  • Former Winnipeg Jets forward Kristian Reichel has signed a three-year contract in Germany to play with Adler Mannheim (according to Derek O’Brien of The Hockey News). The move means that the 25-year-old will be leaving the Jets organization after spending the past six seasons with the team, primarily as a member of the Manitoba Moose. Reichel just completed his best professional season in the AHL, having registered 23 goals and 19 assists in 70 games. The son of Robert Reichel was undrafted but worked his way through the minors and eventually signed an ELC with the Jets in 2020 and made his NHL debut in 2021-22. He played in 15 NHL games over parts of two seasons, tallying a goal and two assists.

Blackhawks Reach TV Deal With Standard Media Group

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Like many other NHL teams, mostly those broadcasted on the Bally Sports-branded family of networks, the Blackhawks are changing their television home. Unlike others, they’re not divesting from the regional sports network model entirely. They, along with the NBA’s Chicago Bulls and MLB’s Chicago White Sox, have reached a media rights deal with Standard Media Group to broadcast their games next season and beyond on a yet-to-be-named network, The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus and Scott Powers report.

The move succeeds NBC Sports Chicago as the Blackhawks’ TV home. Their contract is set to expire in October.

Per Lazerus and Powers, the unnamed network will have carriage agreements with both traditional cable providers as well as streaming options. Blackhawks fans within the Chicago media market had the option to stream games on the NBC Sports app if the channel was included in their cable package, but there was no separate streaming-only package offered. It’s unclear if that will change with the new agreement with Standard.

Previous reports indicated the Blackhawks’ next TV deal may have come in partnership with Stadium, a channel primarily broadcasting college sports of which Jerry Reinsdorf, owner of the Bulls and White Sox, is also the majority owner. That evidently will not be the case.

Other teams, namely the Coyotes and Golden Knights, stopped utilizing the RSN model entirely this season and opted to broadcast their games on over-the-air channels. Both clubs also provided additional streaming subscription options that could be purchased by in-market viewers who aren’t cable subscribers.

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