Petty Canes Go Full Troll Mode, USA Cruises To Semifinals, Reichel Takes A Boxing Lesson, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

Hello again from vacation, hope you are all doing well this weekend. I did, in fact, get better sleep last night. So thank you to the, well no one, who reached out about my well being. Anyways, back this morning and full of energy.

•   Missed this just after bullets were published yesterday, but congratulations to the newest married Blackhawks player as Dominik Kubalík and his wife Klára got married in the Czech Republic this weekend!

•   Of course they walked through a hockey stick tunnel, why wouldn’t they?

•   Kubalík has an interesting year ahead of him with Chicago. He’s on an expiring contract with a $3.7M cap hit this season. He’ll be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent next summer and is coming off two shortened seasons in which he was one of the top goal scorers and point producers for the team behind Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat, and Jonathan Toews (2019-20). He is clearly a legitimate top-six forward in the NHL, but the Blackhawks shuffled him around the lineup at times last season and his powerplay usage was not what you would have expected, though his effectiveness was exactly what you would have expected. He just turned 26-years-old this month. It would be very odd if the Blackhawks didn’t try to sign him to a longer-term extension at some point this season rather than letting it linger until the summer next year and hit the arbitration table. We shall see.

•   Speaking of recent birthdays, today is former Blackhawks goaltender and 2010 Stanley Cup Champion Antti Niemi’s 38th birthday!

•   Without Niemi’s emergence in the 2009-10 season and postseason, the Blackhawk may have never started their dynasty run in the “One Goal” era. But Niemi’s run with the Blackhawks was short-lived. Some forget this, but the summer after the 2010 Stanley Cup, both Niemi and Niklas Hjalmarsson were restricted free agents and the Blackhawks (as you more Riley remember) had many tough decisions and break-ups after the 2010 Stanley Cup title. One of Niemi or Hjalmarsson wouldn’t be coming back, but that decision was nudged forward when the San Jose Sharks signed Hjalmarsson to a four-year, $14M offer sheet that summer. The Blackhawks matched it, Hjalmarsson stayed in Chicago and helped them win two more Stanley Cups in his time. Niemi went to free agency and had a few more decent seasons in the NHL, but was never able to capture the same level of play he had in 2010.

•   Offer Sheets.

•   Speaking of, what in the hell what THIS yesterday…

•   You’ll remember just two years ago, the Montreal Canadiens signed Sebastian Aho to an offer sheet, forcing the Hurricanes to match it. Well surprise surprise, the Hurricanes don’t mess around. In their absolute pettiest of revenge plots, the Hurricanes signed Canadiens restricted free agent and former third-overall pick in 2018 Jesperi Kotkaniemi to a one-year, $6.1M offer sheet. But the trolling didn’t stop there, no no no, these are the Carolina Hurricanes we are talking about. They have to lean into every detail of this revenge plot, and they did…

•   Every detail…

•   Even going so far as to, in an actual NHL contract offer, giving Kotkaniemi a $20 signing bonus on the deal to signify Aho’s No. 20 that he wears with the Hurricanes…

•   My jaw dropped yesterday when all of this was coming out. It was incredible content and an incredible “F**k you” from Carolina. Even in the public statement released by the team, Hurricanes General Manager Don Waddell just hit CRTL+C, CTRL+V and changed the names…

•   Not to be forgotten in the LOLs, is the fact that this could end up backfiring on Hurricanes if the Canadiens decide to not match the offer sheet. Montreal has a week to decide what to do, but Kotkaniemi is not Sebastian Aho. He’s young, and still has a decent amount of potential to reach in his game, but he is nowhere near worth the $6.1M tag that he is currently signed to with Carolina. That first and third-round pick in compensation for the Canadiens might actually be a route they consider.

•   Although, losing Philipp Danault and Jesperi Kotkaniemi in the same offseason would not be wonderful for the Canadiens. We shall see how this continues to play out. I have may popcorn ready.

•   Flipping back to the Blackhawks, yesterday we talked a little bit about the “One West Side” program that the Blackhawks and community partners established last year. Yesterday outside of the United Center, the Blackhawks and A Better Chicago held a back-to-school block party in celebration of the one-year anniversary.

•   Representing the Blackhawks at the block party was Tommy Hawk, naturally, and 2020 first-round pick Lukas Reichel. This is the first public appearance that Reichel has made as part of the Blackhawks since being drafted and signing his entry-level contract. As part of his appearance, he took part in a boxing demonstration that I can assume was part of encouraging kids to be active.

•   Yeah, someone is going to have to show him some pointers for altercations on the ice. Get Sheldon Brookbank over there.

•   What we also saw with Reichel’s appearance was a new Blackhawks sweater for him with a new number…a familiar number, actually.

•   Adam Boqvist’s body isn’t even cold yet and the Blackhawks have tossed his No. 27 sweater over to the new rookie on the block and said, “have at it!” Reichel joins a list of former Blackhawks to wear No. 27 that includes Boqvist, Johnny Oduya, Jeremy Morin, Jeremy Roenick, and Darryl Sutter. So there’s something to live up to. Also, you don’t always see rookies get the “good” numbers in their first years with the organization unless they are in the conversation for being part of the NHL roster. So that’s something to keep an eye out for, too.

•   Yesterday, the IIHF Women’s World Championship quarterfinals got underway with four contests to determine the semifinalists that will be competing in the medal rounds. The U.S., after finishing second in Group A, took on Japan and it was less of a game and more of a route for Team USA.

•   10-2 was the final as Team USA took care of business and moved onto the Semifinals with ease.

•   In the process of reaching the semifinals, Hilary Knight, who already surpassed former USA Women’s player Cammi Granato for the all-time goals record in IIHF World Championship competition, broke another Team USA record held by Granato.

•   With an assist on the 6-2 goal in the game, Knight became the all-time points leader by an American player in Women’s World Championships competition.

•   Following the record being broken, Knight was congratulated by Granato herself…

•   And following the 10-2 drubbing, two U.S. Women’s hockey legends celebrated moving onto the Semifinals…

•   The medal-round competitors are set as the U.S. will take on Finland in their semifinal matchup, while Team Canada will take on a plucky Switzerland squad in their semifinal matchup. Both Canada and the U.S. previously defeated their semifinal opponents earlier in the tournament in the preliminary round.

•   The semifinals take place on Monday, and Team USA’s 2:00 p.m. CT puck drop against Finland can be found on the NHL Network.

•   That will do it for today. I hope you all enjoy your Sunday!

•   Don’t forget, send your Blackhawks questions to me on Twitter for our Monday Mailbag post to begin the week off right! Use the hashtag #BNHawksMailbag or email them to me using Mario.tirabassi at bleachernation dot com and I will get them answered.

written by

Mario Tirabassi is a writer for Bleacher Nation. You can follow him on Twitter @Mario_Tirabassi.

more blackhawks news

Blackhawks at Senators – Lineups, Broadcast Info, Game Thread

Don't look now, but the Chicago Blackhawks have won six of their last ten games. They still sit in second for the NHL draft lottery, but they're trending in the right direction; they're .500 in the month of March with...

These 3 Blackhawks Veterans Are Having Terrific Seasons

Entering Thursday night's action, the Chicago Blackhawks have the second-worst point percentage in the NHL -- even while they're 6-4-0 in their last 10 games. And they own the second-worst goal differential in the league (minus-76). It's been a long,...

28 on 28: Steve Larmer’s Rookie Season Remains the Blackhawks’ Standard

We're ten games away from the end of the 2023-24 regular season, and Connor Bedard continues to put up remarkable numbers for at age 18 in his first professional season. He will likely join Steve Larmer on the list of...

The Greatest Sports Watching Day of the Year, Next Year’s TV, an IceHogs Stunner, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

Congratulations, sports fans! Today, March 28, 2024 is the greatest sports viewing day of the calendar year. Hands down, lock it up, no competition. It's Opening Day in MLB and Sweet 16 day one in the NCAA men's basketball tournament....

NHL Notes: Penguins Paradox, Torts Apologizes, Doan’s Dazzling Debut, Rangers Punch Ticket, More

It's a mid-week edition of NHL Notes and we have plenty to cover around the league. The Penguins find themselves with a tricky decision as their season draws to a close. John Tortorella dished out an apology to one of...

We Need to Talk About Jason Dickinson As a Selke Trophy Candidate — Again

Back in early February as the Blackhawks wrapped their pre-All-Star Game schedule, I wrote about Jason Dickinson's case for Selke Trophy votes. We're now ten games away from the end of Chicago's regular season, and with Dickinson reaching 20 goals...

Slaggert’s Big Night, Bedard’s Tape, Felcman to Rockford, Anderson, Tinordi, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

I'm gonna continue to smile, just like Landon Slaggert, because of his performance in last night's Blackhawks win. The former Notre Dame captain had his parents and young brother in the stands and he had one helluva game last night....

Blackhawks 3, Flames 1 — Three Stars, Key Takeaways

The message Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson was trying to get across with Monday's bag skate clearly landed. The start Chicago had on Tuesday night was a polar opposite of what they showed in the three games in California. They...

Blackhawks vs Flames – Lineups, Broadcast Info, Game Thread

After a disappointing road trip that saw the Blackhawks get smoked for 7 of 9 periods, the team got a bag skate on Monday to think about their effort. They'll get back on the ice tonight in front of a...

Happy Birthday Luke, Bag Skate Monday, Bedard vs. Faber, Saturday Cartoons, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

Chicago Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson is celebrating a birthday today. He's celebrating his Korchinski year; today is his 55th birthday. Happy birthday, Luke! Hope you get a win tonight so you can celebrate with some wine. There have been...

Latest News

Heat vs. Trail Blazers Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Portland Trail Blazers (19-54) are heavy underdogs (+14.5) as they attempt to break an eight-game losing streak when they visit the Miami Heat (39-33) at 8:00 PM ET on Friday, March 29, 2024 at FTX Arena. The matchup airs...

Cavaliers vs. 76ers Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Cleveland Cavaliers (44-29) take the court against the Philadelphia 76ers (39-34) as 7.5-point favorites on Friday, March 29, 2024 at 7:30 PM ET on NBCS. The matchup has an over/under of 210 points.Cavaliers vs. 76ers OddsCavaliers odds to win:...

Knicks vs. Spurs Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

The New York Knicks (44-28) are heavily favored (-10) to continue a three-game winning streak when they visit the San Antonio Spurs (17-56) at 8:00 PM ET on Friday, March 29, 2024 at AT&T Center. The contest airs on BSSW....

Wizards vs. Pistons Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Detroit Pistons (12-61) are 2.5-point underdogs as they attempt to turn around an eight-game losing streak when they visit the Washington Wizards (14-59) on Friday, March 29, 2024 at Capital One Arena. The matchup airs at 7:00 PM ET...

Pacers vs. Lakers Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Los Angeles Lakers (41-32) will attempt to extend a five-game winning streak when they hit the road to play the Indiana Pacers (41-33) on Friday, March 29, 2024 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse as just 2.5-point underdogs. The game airs at...

Nuggets vs. Timberwolves Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Western's top two teams, the Denver Nuggets (51-22) and the Minnesota Timberwolves (50-22), hit the court at Ball Arena on Friday, March 29, 2024 at 9:00 PM ET on ALT. The Nuggets are favored by 6.5 points at home....

Warriors vs. Hornets Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Golden State Warriors (38-34) play the Charlotte Hornets (18-54) as double-digit, 11.5-point favorites on Friday, March 29, 2024 at 7:00 PM ET on NBCS. The over/under is set at 218 in the matchup.Warriors vs. Hornets OddsWarriors odds to win:...

Clippers vs. Magic Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Los Angeles Clippers (45-27) visit the Orlando Magic (42-30) after winning three road games in a row. The Clippers are favored by only 1 point in the contest, which starts at 7:00 PM ET on Friday, March 29, 2024....

Bulls vs. Nets Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Chicago Bulls (35-38) are favored by 5.5 points against the Brooklyn Nets (28-45) on Friday, March 29, 2024 at 7:30 PM ET. The matchup airs on NBCS. The matchup's over/under is 215.Bulls vs. Nets OddsBulls odds to win: -218Nets...

Kings vs. Mavericks Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks (43-29) are 1.5-point underdogs against De'Aaron Fox and the Sacramento Kings (42-30) Friday, March 29, 2024 at Golden 1 Center. The matchup begins at 10:00 PM ET on NBCS. The over/under for the matchup...

more blackhawks news