The Blackhawks lost in regulation in Tampa last night. Taylor Raddysh scored the only goal for Chicago. For as much as last night was tough on the NHL ice, the prospects made noise. So let’s get into it.
Chicago’s 2022 draft class went off last night, combining for five goals and five assists. Gavin Hayes was the headliner with a hat trick and an assist, but Aidan Thompson and Dominic James had multi-point games as well. Blackhawks prospects from previous drafts also had strong performances last night as well.
With all of that offense coming from this past draft, where do the Blackhawks stack up for the 2023 NHL Draft right now?
Ben Pope did a really nice job with this story, looking at how the Blackhawks are still working through some mistakes and trying to grow and develop. It isn’t a great look for Boris Katchouk, who made the same mistake in back-to-back losses, but the response from head coach Luke Richardson is exactly what we’ve seen all season.
We went from Joel Quenneville being basically a Bill Belichick-like postgame press conference (pick the cliché on the soundbox and hit a button responses) to Jeremy Colliton being smarter than whomever asked the question and offering arrogant and condescending answers. Derek King offered some humor as the interim head coach last year; Richardson has been willing to really dig into the Xs and Os this season — a refreshing change and, frankly, an educational one we don’t see very often from many coaches in the NHL.
“The weak-side forward, for us, does not have to leak out to the defenseman right away,” Richardson explained. “[He needs to] just hold the middle, in between the hash marks … so we can take any seams [in the defensive coverage] away. And then if [the puck] does go ‘D’-to-‘D’, then that’s [the weak-side forward’s] time to move — not before that.”
Yesterday was March 11 and the Boston Bruins became the first team in the NHL to clinch a playoff berth. That’s right: Boston is already in. They’ve been ridiculous all year and continue to put up big numbers even with a number of important players missing from the lineup.
In Saturday’s Old Friend Alert, our buddy Trevor van Riemsdyk signed a three-year extension with the Washington Capitals. He’ll get to spend plenty of time with Dylan Strome in our nation’s capital, making life a little easier for those who keep trade of former Blackhawks elsewhere in the league.
We don’t know where Max Domi will be playing next season (maybe he won’t be a former Blackhawk any more?) but he had a pretty pass to set up the game-winner for Dallas last night.
And Patrick Kane scored in Buffalo with his family in the stands. It wasn’t his prettiest — or most intentional — score but it still counts.
Finally, I encourage you to follow the instructions in the tweet. Turn the sound on and just enjoy the passion in this moment.
NEWSLETTER
