Blackhawks
At 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Hawks will find out which of the top four picks in the NHL Draft will be theirs.
After a successful foray into Wisconsin in 2022, the Hawks will return to Fiserv Forum this fall, hosting the Blues in an exhibition game Oct. 5.
The teams were set to join Stadium once their agreement with NBC Sports Chicago expires in October. On Saturday, The Athletic reported that the teams will partner with Standard Media Group, a company based in Nashville, Tennessee.
Signing Frank Nazar for the final three games of the season is the latest example of Hawks GM Kyle Davidson’s eagerness to use up entry-level contract years as quickly as possible. Lukas Reichel’s contract negotiations this summer offer an example of why it might be a clever strategy.
A conversation with NBC horse racing analyst Randy Moss at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, paved the way for the former Blackhawks analyst to join the production.
Bedard, one of three finalists along with Wild defenseman Brock Faber and Devils defenseman Luke Hughes, is likely to receive the award as the NHL’s rookie of the year.
Seth Jones, Nick Foligno and the Hawks’ other veterans are eager — perhaps overly so — for the team to take a massive step forward next season. Realistically, even as general manager Kyle Davidson begins the building-up stage, that probably won’t happen.
Vlasic, the Wilmette kid, will get to stay in Chicago long-term. His $4.6 million salary-cap hit could end up being a steal for the Hawks.
Now that the Hawks’ season is over, Bedard plans to play for Canada in the World Championships, then head home to Vancouver to work on his speed and explosiveness.
Davidson said Saturday he expects the Hawks to begin ascending next season after this season’s meager 23-win effort. Coach Luke Richardson said Davidson told him he plans to be active in free agency this summer to help make that happen.
From Connor Bedard to Lukas Reichel, from Alex Vlasic to Arvid Soderblom, from leadership to coaching, the Hawks’ just-finished season was full of good and bad signs for the future.
The Hawks finished their season 23-53-6 — with the most losses in franchise history — after a 5-4 overtime defeat Thursday in Los Angeles. They ripped off three third-period goals to take the lead, but conceded late in regulation and then six seconds into overtime.
Hall participated in the Hawks’ morning skate Thursday — on the last day of the season — for the first time since his surgery in November. He expects to be fully healthy for training camp next season.
Bedard entered the season finale Thursday with 61 points in 67 games, making him the most productive Hawks teenager since Patrick Kane in 2007-08, but he’s not entirely pleased with his performance.
In 1982-83, White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks games aired on SportsVision, a pay-TV service devised by business partner Eddie Einhorn. It was so far ahead of its time that it failed, miserably.
The NHL Board of Governors voted unanimously Thursday to approve a $1.2 billion sale from Alex Meruelo to Jazz owners Ryan and Ashley Smith, clearing the way for the franchise’s move to Utah next season.
Anderson became a full-time NHL player for the first time on the 2023-24 Hawks, and he did so by not focusing so singularly on that exact objective.
The soon-to-be 22-year-old forward struggled throughout most of the year, although he did at least improve his ability to move on from mistakes.
The Hawks weren’t able to translate possession time into much tangible offense during a 3-1 loss Tuesday in Vegas.
Behind-the-scenes folks at NBC Sports Chicago, such as producers, directors and production technicians, would help ease the transition. The teams already have informed some current staffers that they would be making the move.