Ben Pope
Chicago Blackhawks reporter
Ben Pope covers the Chicago Blackhawks for the Chicago Sun-Times.
The Hawks weren’t able to translate possession time into much tangible offense during a 3-1 loss Tuesday in Vegas.
The Hawks will have a 13.5% chance of winning the No. 1 overall pick, which would allow them to select consensus top prospect Macklin Celebrini. The lottery will be held in early May.
The veteran defenseman isn’t sure why, but his play and production improved significantly after Jan. 13 the last two seasons.
The Hawks averaged 18,836 fans in 2023-24, an increase of about 1,700 over last season. Plus, notes on Petr Mrazek, the world championships and Kevin Korchinski.
The Hawks’ newly signed top prospect buried a first-period goal, but the Hawks let a third-period lead slip away in a 4-2 defeat Sunday that concluded their home schedule.
Nazar, the 2022 first-round pick whose sophomore season at Michigan just ended Thursday, is expected to play in the Hawks’ final three games of the season, starting with the home finale Sunday against the Hurricanes.
The rookie defenseman logged 18:35 of ice time Friday on a pairing with Connor Murphy, who returned after his long injury absence, but there wasn’t much else of note in the Hawks’ 5-1 loss.
Seth Jones sees similarities between Korchinski now and Josi when he was younger, and Korchinski has looked at Josi’s shot as something to learn from in the NHL.
Raddysh’s production has declined precipitously, but he has handled the frustration in healthy ways without letting it affect others — while also adding penalty-killing to his repertoire.