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Chicago Blackhawks Expressing Interest In Hunter McKown

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Undrafted free agent signing season is well underway, and with the season over for all but 16 NCAA DI men’s hockey teams, activity on that front will only heat up over the next few days.

One name that could go off the board in the coming news cycles is Hunter McKown, a 20-year-old center coming off his junior campaign with Colorado College. The Athletic’s Scott Powers reports Monday morning that the Chicago Blackhawks, among other teams, are in the mix to land his services.

McKown has been a bit of a late bloomer, at least offensively. An August 2002 birthday, McKown has been passed over in the past three drafts, but it’s not hard to see why he was skipped over in his first eligible year in 2020. He spent his draft year campaign with the U.S. National U18 Team but recorded just one goal and 10 assists in 54 games in 2019-20.

Since then, it’s been a different story. As Elite Prospects notes, the hallmark of McKown’s game has been his defensive awareness, but his shooting has shown significant development in the college ranks. McKown led Colorado College in both goals (21) and points (28) in 38 games played this season, continuing what’s been a positive linear progression offensively since joining the school.

His all-around game reached such a point last season that he was named to the 2022 World Juniors roster for Team USA, where he registered an assist in four games.

As Powers notes, Chicago is expected to face stiff competition for McKown’s services on the open market. It’s been known to NHL teams for “some time” that McKown planned to turn pro after this season, giving multiple teams time to make their interest known and prepare offers.

Jonathan Toews Reportedly Considering Retirement

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Many expected that this season was supposed to be Jonathan Toews’ final one with Chicago.  However, it appears it might be his final one altogether as John Dietz of The Daily Herald reports that the veteran is believed to be seriously considering retiring at the end of this season.

Toews has been dealing with both long-COVID symptoms as well as Chronic Immune Response Syndrome with the pair of ailments causing him to miss the entire 2020-21 campaign.  While he was able to play a regular role last season and through the first half of this one, the 34-year-old hasn’t played since late January.  Last month, he released a statement acknowledging that he is still dealing with symptoms from both issues which took away any possibility of him being moved at the trade deadline.  At this point, he hasn’t been ruled out for the season and Dietz notes that he has been around the team regularly over the last couple of weeks.

But even if Toews is able to return down the stretch, the lingering effects of these ailments appear to be likely to continue beyond this year which will present some complications for him moving forward if he opts to instead try to play next season.  He turns 35 next month which would make him eligible for an incentive-based deal as long as it’s a one-year agreement which would give whoever signed him a chance to tie part of his compensation to games played.  At this point in his career, is that really the best route for him to go?  It appears that Toews is at least pondering that question as he considers his future.

He has spent his entire 15-year career with the Blackhawks, ranking sixth in franchise history in goals (371), eighth in assists (509), and sixth in points (880) while sitting fifth in games played.  Of course, he also helped lead them to three Stanley Cups in 2010, 2013, and 2015 and regardless of what decision he makes (retire or try to play next season), Toews is a franchise icon in Chicago.  Unfortunately, it appears as if there’s a legitimate possibility that he won’t be able to end his time with them – and perhaps his career – the way he wanted to.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Chicago Blackhawks Recall Anton Khudobin

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In the Max Domi trade, which saw the Dallas Stars send a second-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks, another contract was included to even out the money. That was veteran goaltender Anton Khudobin, who had been playing in the AHL with the Texas Stars all season.

Now, after Petr Mrazek’s latest groin injury, the Blackhawks have recalled Khudobin from the minor leagues. The 36-year-old goaltender will get a chance to appear in the NHL for a 14th season and add to his 114 wins.

When Khudobin led the Stars to an improbable Stanley Cup Finals appearance in the 2020 bubble playoffs, posting a .917 save percentage in 25 playoff games, he was rewarded with a three-year, $10MM contract. After the first year, the team already regretted it as young Jake Oettinger started to make his mark, and Khudobin’s performance dropped.

As he nears the end of that deal, the 36-year-old netminder has been buried in the minor leagues all season, collecting his full $3.75MM salary but playing AHL competition. He went 13-4-4 with Texas, but posted an .899 save percentage that doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence.

Still, with nothing to lose for the Blackhawks, they can give Khudobin a chance at the highest level again. Where his future lies after this season isn’t clear, but for now, he’ll be suiting up for the sixth team of his career.

Chicago Blackhawks Sign Wyatt Kaiser

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After their season was brought to a close via a loss to St.Cloud State in the NCHC Playoffs Sunday, CapFriendly reports that the Chicago Blackhawks have signed defenseman Wyatt Kaiser from the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs. A third-round pick of the Blackhawks during the 2020 NHL draft, Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago shares that Kaiser will report directly to the Blackhawks.

Kaiser will earn $917K in all three years of the deal, and it will run through the 2024-25 NHL season. This means that regardless of how many games he plays this season, the first year of his entry-level contract will be burned. If Kaiser is returned to the minors at any point throughout the contract, he will make a salary of $80K at the AHL level.

CapFriendly also announced the breakdown of Kaiser’s entry-level contract, the breakdown is as follows:

2022-23: $808K salary,  $93K signing bonus

2023-24: $833K salary, $93K signing bonus,  $425K Type ’A’ player bonus

2024-25: $833K salary, $93K signing bonus, $425K Type “A’ player bonus

Over the last three seasons playing for Minnesota-Duluth, Kaiser played in a total of 97 regular season games, scoring seven goals and 45 assists. After winning back-to-back National Championships in 2018 and 2019, Minnesota-Duluth was never able to return to the finals with Kaiser on the roster. In 2021 and 2022, Minnesota-Duluth was knocked out both years by the eventual champions.

Chicago Blackhawks Sign Ryder Rolston

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4:56 p.m.: CapFriendly has reported the breakdown of Rolston’s ELC, which is as follows:

2023-24: $775K salary, $92.5K signing bonus
2024-25: $800K salary, $92.5K signing bonus
2025-26: $832.5K salary, $92.5K signing bonus

Rolston earns an $80K minors salary in all three seasons of the contract. As a restricted free agent, upon expiry, Chicago will owe him a qualifying offer of $874,125, or 105% of the base salary in the final year of his contract. He’ll be eligible for arbitration if he plays at least 10 games in a professional league during every season of his contract.

3:52 p.m.: The Chicago Blackhawks have signed 21-year-old forward prospect Ryder Rolston to a three-year, entry-level contract, the team announced Monday afternoon. Rolston’s first-ever NHL contract carries a cap hit of $895,000, per the team.

According to multiple reports, Rolston’s contract will start next season, carrying him through 2025-26. He will report to the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs for the remainder of 2022-23.

Rolston, the son of long-time NHLer Brian Rolston, leaves the University of Notre Dame after three seasons of college hockey. He showed solid development there, recording 10 goals and 27 points in 38 games during his sophomore campaign in 2021-22.

Unfortunately, Rolston’s college year ended in late January due to an injury. He finished this season with 20 points in 27 games.

Rolston was originally a draftee of the Colorado Avalanche in 2020, but his signing rights were acquired by Chicago less than a year later, along with minor-league forward Josh Dickinson, in exchange for Carl Soderberg at the 2021 trade deadline.

The younger Rolston relies on his speed for success more than his father but employs the same work ethic that made him well-liked. A relatively well-rounded forward, Rolston’s current stock slightly exceeds that of his fifth-round selection.

Jonathan Toews Has Yet To Skate, Remains Out Indefinitely

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As the season ticks away, Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews remains away from game action. Head coach Luke Richardson told reporters today that Toews’ activity has been limited to gym workouts, and the team still doesn’t have a timeline on his return to the ice from general illness that’s kept him out since the All-Star break.

Cole Guttman Injured For Rest Of Season

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Chicago Blackhawks forward Cole Guttman will be out for the rest of the season according to Scott Powers of The Athletic. Guttman is heading to Los Angeles to have shoulder surgery to repair the injury, and should be available to the Blackhawks at next season’s training camp.

The 23-year-old center was a sixth-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2017. Since then, he had a tremendous college career at Denver that included a national championship last spring. Guttman was a pivotal player for Denver in that run, scoring 19 goals and 45 points in 41 games last season.

Following that season, Guttman elected to not sign with the Lightning, instead waiting until August when he became an NHL free agent. Then, he signed a two-year contract with the Blackhawks.

The 5-foot-9 and 168 pound forward is a skilled playmaker who has put up solid production in his first pro season. The Northridge, CA native scored 16 goals and 30 points in 39 AHL games this season and added four goals and six points in 14 NHL games. He had points in three consecutive contests with the Blackhawks before being shut down today.

Powers also noted this injury is something Guttman has been dealing with more a while. He was not sent down to the Rockford Ice Hogs on trade deadline day and therefore not eligible for the AHL playoffs this spring. As it turns out, the reason for that was because the team knew Guttman was working through this shoulder problem, but they thought he could play through it until the end of the NHL’s regular season.

Evidently, things got worse and now the Blackhawks are without Guttman for the remainder of the season. They had already called up Buddy Robinson and Mike Hardman this morning to fill out the roster.

 

Chicago Blackhawks Recall Buddy Robinson, Mike Hardman

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The Chicago Blackhawks announced they have called up a pair of forwards on an emergency basis. Mike Hardman and Buddy Robinson were both recalled by the team this morning. The Blackhawks were busy ahead of the trade deadline, moving out a handful of veterans and have been relying on depth players from the minors to fill the gap ever since.

Hardman is a 23-year-old forward who signed with the Blackhawks in 2021 following two seasons at Boston College. He has scored four goals and 16 points in 49 AHL games for the Rockford Ice Hogs this season but is yet to play an NHL in 2022-23. He has suited up for 29 career games with the Blackhawks over the previous two seasons, scoring one goal and five points.

Robinson is a 31-year-old winger who has been up and down between the NHL and AHL for the past decade. At 6-foot-6 and 232 pounds he bring a physical presence to the lineup and has shown a bit of a scoring touch at the AHL level over the years. This season he has nine goals and 19 points in 45 games for the Ice Hogs. He suited up for one game with the Blackhawks in October, skating for just over 11 minutes against the Colorado Avalanche.

The Blackhawks are off today before hosting the league-leading Boston Bruins tomorrow night.

Blackhawks Recall Anton Khudobin And Luke Philp

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12:30 PM, Sunday, March 12: After the callup and subsequent game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Charlie Roumeliotis for NBC Sports Chicago announces that both Khudobin and Philp have been sent down to Chicago’s AHL affiliate Rockford IceHogs. Philp received approximately 14 minutes of ice time, scoring no points and registering a single hit. Although Khudobin did dress yesterday, the Blackhawks chose to start Petr Mrazek instead. Also included in the movement today is defenseman Filip Roos also returning to Rockford. After his emergency recall on March 9th, Roos played in two games for the Blackhawks, registering zero points, with two shots on goal.

9:30 AM, Saturday, March 11: The Blackhawks acquired goaltender Anton Khudobin at the trade deadline as a salary offset to the Max Domi trade.  However, they opted to keep him in the minors at the time.  However, with Alex Stalock’s illness that kept him from suiting up last night, the team announced (Twitter link) that they have recalled him from AHL Rockford along with winger Luke Philp.

Khudobin hasn’t seen any NHL action this season but did get into 24 games with AHL Texas prior to the swap.  However, his numbers at the minor league level weren’t the strongest as he has a 2.89 GAA with a .899 SV%, numbers that place him outside the top 30 in both categories among qualifying netminders.  The 36-year-old has played in 259 contests over parts of 13 NHL campaigns, posting a 2.50 GAA along with a .916 SV%.

He’s in the final year of a three-year, $10MM contract that hasn’t aged particularly well with the bulk of that time being at the AHL level once Jake Oettinger took over as the starter in Dallas.  A strong showing in the minors this season could have gotten him back in the mix for a possible NHL backup position (at a much lower price tag, of course) but that is less likely now.

As for Philp, the 27-year-old made his NHL debut back in January when he got into a pair of games and picked up his first point, an assist.  He has spent the bulk of the year with Rockford where he has been quite productive, tallying 18 goals and 20 helpers in 46 contests which helped earn him a one-year extension on Thursday.  Anders Bjork left last night’s game against Florida with an undisclosed injury so Philp will take his place on the roster.

Alex Stalock Misses Florida Game Due To Illness

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The Blackhawks were without goaltender Alex Stalock tonight against the Panthers as the team announced (Twitter link) that the veteran is out due to illness.  The 35-year-old has been a bright spot for Chicago this season, posting an impressive .920 SV% in 17 games, a mark that would put him in a tie for fourth in the league if he had enough qualifying appearances.  With the decision being announced so late, the Blackhawks didn’t have time to recall someone from AHL Rockford so instead, they’ve signed Zach Andrews, Florida’s emergency goaltender, to an ATO agreement.  The 31-year-old had a 45-12-4 record in four seasons with UMass-Boston from 2012 through 2016 with a .906 SV% and a 2.66 GAA.

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