The Blackhawks are now more than one month into their offseason. The players are either welcoming babies into the world or hitting the golf course… or discussing where they’ll play next year with their agent. And the front office, which now has a leadership group in place, is preparing for a busy first summer under the leadership of Kyle Davidson.
On the calendar of events for the NHL’s offseason, not everything waits for the Stanley Cup to be presented. The first significant date on the books arrives at the end of May. So let’s take a quick look at some dates Hawks fans should keep in mind when planning their Twitter habits for the coming months.
For hopefully the last time, the summer of 2022 has been adjusted because of the last two years being impacted by COVID. Items that were usually dealt with by July 1 are now effective until July 13. This includes the No Trade Lists Submissions and the date for contracts with July 1 as the deadline for submission or amendments.
The first dates to circle on your calendar are this coming weekend in Buffalo, where teams will get a long look at the top prospects entering the 2022 NHL Draft.
May 29 – June 4 — the 2022 NHL Draft Combine will take place at KeyBank Center and LECOM Harborcenter in Buffalo, N.Y.
Mid-June — the NHL will announce the schedule for the 2022-23 preseason and regular season.
June 30 — Last possible day of Stanley Cup Final
July 1 — the first buy-out period begins.
July 7 — the first-round of the 2022 NHL Draft begins in Montreal.
July 8 — rounds 2-7 of the 2022 NHL Draft take place in Montreal.
NOTE: expect the Blackhawks Development Camp to return in-person at the Fifth Third Arena shortly after the draft. The participants and exact dates have not been formally released yet.
July 13
The NHL RFA/UFA signing period begins at 12 p.m. ET.
A Player with a multi-year SPC that expires following the 2022-23 season can initiate extension talks at 12 PM ET on July 13. All contracts scheduled to expire on June 30, 2022 will now expire on July 12.
The Club’s compliance with the Reserve List restriction of no more than 50 Players signed to an SPC for the 2022-23 season will now begin on July 13.
August 9-20 — 2022 World Junior Championships will take place in Edmonton.
Mid-September — The Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase will be hosted at the Fifth Third Arena in Chicago this year. It’s a prospect tournament that was in Minnesota last year and gives the Blackhawks a chance to roll some of their rookies and prospects in game action. The exact dates and format haven’t been announced yet, but keep an eye out for this.
Mid-September — the Blackhawks will open their NHL training camp. Dates have not yet been released but this is expected to happen after the prospect showcase.
Early October — the 2022-23 regular season will begin with the NHL Global Series Challenge™ involving the Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks. The Blackhawks’ regular season is expected to begin around the first week of October.