The Dad Line is Possible, Playoff Drama, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

Another day of Blackhawks-less playoff hockey provided all of the beautiful drama a fan with no horse the race could want. An overtime thriller, a massive comeback that came up short in a heated rivalry. What a time to be alive!

The news for the Hawks wasn’t on the ice, but in line with the offseason conversation from the front office, it had us thinking about the future — of the DeBrincat family.

•   Are we ready for the Blackhawks’ top line to be… the #DadLine? Because with the news that Alex DeBrincat welcomed a son into the world on Wednesday, Dylan Strome entered the chat with a recommendation for the line with the two junior teammates and Patrick Kane, who also recently became a father. I like it!

•   The Rangers-Hurricanes series got off to an entertaining start. Carolina’s atmosphere was great and a late goal forced overtime, where Ian Cole provided the heroics. So even though the attention is on the young stars in this series, it was the 33-year-old defenseman who came to the rescue.

•   The late game was worth the caffeine — if you needed it. The Flames sprinted to a nice lead in the first period; Edmonton made a goalie change six minutes into the game. It was 6-2 Calgary eight minutes into the second period. The over was covered and the home team was running away with a big Game 1 win… until the Oilers battled back and tied the game at six. But two third period goals from Matthew Tkachuk put the contest away. How about a 9-6 final?!?

•   The Tkachuk family provided a little off-ice drama, however. Apparently, Matthew’s father (aka Walt aka Hall of Famer Keith Tkachuk) didn’t feel like throwing his nice hat on the ice when his son scored his third goal of the night.

https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1527146935211245569

•   Wednesday afternoon, the Dallas Stars announced the signing of 25-year-old forward Fredrik Olofsson to a one-year, $750,000 contract. Olofsson scored 15 goals in 49 games with IK Oskarshamn of the SHL (Sweden) this season. And, if his name sounds vaguely familar, it should: Olofsson was a fourth-round pick (No. 98 overall) by the Blackhawks back in the 2014 NHL Draft. He appeared in two games with Rockford during the 2018-19 season after four seasons at the U. of Nebraska-Omaha, but he has been in Sweden since.

•   Blackhawks fans aren’t the only fans worrying about a young player getting a contract extension. We feel you, Bears fans.

•   Keeping the “young player” news going …

written by

Tab Bamford has been writing about the Chicago Blackhawks for almost two decades. He joined Bleacher Nation as the lead Blackhawks writer in May 2022. Tab is a member of the Professional Hockey Writers Association and is the author of two books about the Blackhawks: "100 Things Blackhawks Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die" (Triumph Books) and "Chicago Blackhawks: An Illustrated Timeline" (Reedy Press, 2021). Find him on Twitter/X/Instagram/Threads at @The1Tab

more blackhawks news

The Russia Problem: Could IIHF Sanctions Impact the Blackhawks’ Plans?

Over the weekend, news broke that the IIHF was taking some steps regarding Russia, players and the whole are-they-allowed-to-leave issue that may have an impact on the Blackhawks consideration of top prospect Ivan Demidov, should he be deemed the best...

Connor Bedard is Dominating the World Championship, Reichel Arrives, Bruins Lose, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

Another day, another load of Connor Bedard highlights from the World Championships in Czechia. Remember when the Blackhawks' star rookie scored twice in his first appearance of the tournament and we were all like "whoa that's cool!" Well, he did...

World Championships Updates, Great Stars, Canes Survive, Still No Q, and Other Blackhawks Mother’s Day Bullets

Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful moms out there. My sons are incredibly fortunate to have a great mom and two wonderful grandmas still in their lives. We hear Blackhawks players talk about hot much they appreciate their...

Points Galore at World Championship, Toews Stories, Toronto Drama, OT Oilers, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

The World Championships got started with a bang on Friday morning. Germany, without Lukas Reichel (who still wasn't on their roster), beat Slovakia 6-4. Philipp Kurashev and Switzerland rolled to a 5-2 win over Norway. Kurashev picked up an assist...

Connor Bedard Scored Twice in His World Championship Debut!

After finishing his Calder Trophy-caliber rookie season with the Blackhawks, Connor Bedard decided to jump right back on the ice and do his best to help Canada win gold at the World Championship. Notice the lack of the word "Junior"...

Blackhawks Fans Guide to the IIHF World Championship

While we're watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs without the Blackhawks, there are a few guys from the NHL roster this season competing for a championship of their own. The IIHF World Championship is taking place in Czechia from May 10-26....

NHL Mock Draft Roundup: More Projected Picks for Blackhawks Fans to Consider

The day after the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery I did a quick wrap of some updated mock drafts from around the interwebs to see who folks were projecting the Blackhawks to select. We've had a few more drop recently, so...

World Championships Begin, Demidov vs Levshunov, Unbeatable Rangers, Wild Selling, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

The IIHF World Championship begins this morning with Blackhawks forward Philipp Kurashev and Switzerland facing Norway in Game 1 of the tournament. That game begins at 9:20 AM CT. On Friday morning the lines for the game posted and Kurashev...

UPDATE: Stadium to Partner With Standard Media Group to Build Blackhawks, Bulls & White Sox TV Network

Over the weekend I shared a news story from Mark Lazerus and Scott Powers at The Athletic that detailed the formation of the new regional sports network (RSN) that would eventually be the home for Chicago Blackhawks, Bulls and White...

Utah’s NHL Franchise Reveals List Of 20 Potential New Names

If you were hoping to find out what the artist formerly known as the Arizona Coyotes / Utah's new NHL franchise's nickname could be, you might want to brace for disappointment. This week, ownership of the newest NHL franchise --...

Latest News

Nationals vs. White Sox Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Monday, May 13, 2024

The Washington Nationals (19-20), led by the red-hot Eddie Rosario and his two-game homer streak, are -135 favorites to pick up a win over the Chicago White Sox (12-29) Monday at 7:40 PM ET, live from Guaranteed Rate Field and...

Rangers vs. Guardians Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Monday, May 13, 2024

The Texas Rangers (22-20) and Cleveland Guardians (25-16) meet Monday at Globe Life Field, with first pitch at 8:05 PM ET on BSSW. The Rangers are -117 moneyline favorites for the contest, however, the Guardians are favored against the spread...

Brewers vs. Pirates Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Monday, May 13, 2024

The Pittsburgh Pirates (18-23) will look to Connor Joe, with homers in two straight games, to pull off an upset win over the Milwaukee Brewers (24-16) Monday at American Family Field. The Brewers are -145 moneyline favorites for the game,...

Astros vs. Athletics Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Monday, May 13, 2024

Two of the league's top power hitters meet Monday when the Houston Astros (15-25) and Oakland Athletics (19-23) take the field at 8:10 PM ET, live on SCHN. Kyle Tucker has 13 home runs for the Astros (-183 favorites on...

Jayson Tatum Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Cavaliers – Conference Semifinals Game 4, Monday, May 13, 2024

The Boston Celtics meet the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday at 7:00 PM ET in Game 4 of the second round of the NBA playoffs, and if the Celtics' Jayson Tatum connects on three 3-pointers, he'll beat his prop.Jayson Tatum's Three-Pointer...

Derrick White Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Cavaliers – Conference Semifinals Game 4, Monday, May 13, 2024

The Boston Celtics meet the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7:00 PM ET on Monday, in Game 4 of the second round of the NBA playoffs, and one of the 3-pointer over/unders available for this matchup requires three triples from Derrick White.Derrick...

Donovan Mitchell Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Celtics – Conference Semifinals Game 4, Monday, May 13, 2024

The Cleveland Cavaliers play the Boston Celtics on Monday at 7:00 PM ET in Game 4 of the second round of the NBA playoffs, and if the Cavaliers' Donovan Mitchell makes four 3-pointers, he'll beat his prop.Donovan Mitchell's Three-Pointer Prop...

Jaylen Brown Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Cavaliers – Conference Semifinals Game 4, Monday, May 13, 2024

Jaylen Brown needs to make two 3-pointers to beat his prop when the Boston Celtics meet the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday at 7:00 PM ET, in Game 4 of the second round of the NBA playoffs.Jaylen Brown's Three-Pointer Prop Odds...

Orioles vs. Blue Jays Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Monday, May 13, 2024

The Toronto Blue Jays (18-22) enter Monday's matchup with the Baltimore Orioles (26-13) following their 1-2 series defeat to the Twins. The Orioles, coming off of a series win against the Diamondbacks, are listed as -176 favorites for Game 1....

Tigers vs. Marlins Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Monday, May 13, 2024

The Detroit Tigers will take the field against the Miami Marlins (11-31) on Monday. The game begins at 6:40 PM ET on BSDET, with the Tigers listed as -173 favorites on the moneyline.Matt Manning takes the mound for Detroit while...

more blackhawks news

Latest News