“I’m very determined, very focused and extremely competitive,” Bowman said Friday. “The challenge is what’s exciting to me, the challenge of building something. Honestly, that’s even more fun sometimes than the maintaining of it.” Bowman has plenty of work to do as he tries to get the Blackhawks back to where they were a few […]
Continue readingDue to the altered schedule whereby the 2019-20 NHL season was completed quite a bit later than usual — with the Stanley Cup playoffs lasting until Sept. 29 — free agency began on Oct. 9 this year, as opposed to the traditional July 1 starting point. But while the key dates have shifted, the goal […]
Continue readingThe word that typically defines free agency in the NHL is “uncertainty.” Players with expiring contracts enter a marketplace unsure of what their next deals will look like or where they’ll next call home. But in the 2020 free-agent frenzy, that uncertainty has reached previously unseen levels for players and teams. There’s a flat salary […]
Continue readingChicago needs to make deals for forwards Dominik Kubalik, who finished third in Calder Trophy voting, and Dylan Strome, and they do not have a frontline goalie under contract. Two-time Stanley Cup winner Corey Crawford is an unrestricted free agent. Buying out the remaining two years of Maatta’s contract was a legitimate option for Chicago, […]
Continue readingThe 2020 NHL playoffs officially begin on Tuesday, as the 24-team tournament — with five-game qualification round series and round-robin seeding matchups — has moved on to a more recognizable, 16-team version. This round includes several matchups where revenge will be on the mind of one team (or both, for separate reasons), and based on […]
Continue readingJones pulled one of the jerseys out of the box, poured lighter fluid on it and lit it on fire in his driveway. He continued to burn jerseys from the box, documenting the process in a series of Instagram videos posted Wednesday. “I opened up my mailbox today, and I had these jerseys in my […]
Continue readingThe NHL postseason bubble is officially bonkers. Friday featured the completion of three series upsets and a stunning late-game rally by the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Columbus Blue Jackets that pushed their series to a fifth and final game. On Saturday, we’ll find out who the Montreal Canadiens and Chicago Blackhawks will face after […]
Continue readingNo. 12-seeded Chicago eliminated the No. 5-seeded Oilers with a 3-2 victory in Game 4 of their five-game series, played in an empty arena in the NHL’s Edmonton “hub.” The Blackhawks would not have been in the postseason were it not for the NHL’s decision to expand the postseason field to 24 teams, after pausing […]
Continue readingSure, Dach was viewed as the long-term heir apparent to Jonathan Toews at center, but he also was getting the chance to play with Toews, as well as Duncan Keith, Patrick Kane and Brent Seabrook, respected veterans who knew what it took to win a Stanley Cup (or three). Dach asked Seabrook if he could […]
Continue readingDay 2 of the NHL restart was just as exciting as the opener, as hockey fans were treated to fantastic goaltending performances, more upsets and a buzzer-beater. As we head to Game 2s of the qualification round, let it be known that teams that win Game 1 in a best-of-5 series typically end up winning, […]
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