Farewell To The Captain, Prospect News, and Other Blackhawks Bullets
This is it, folks. In his end of season press availability this morning, Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson confirmed this is the final game with the Blackhawks for captain Jonathan Toews. The end of an era feels almost too easy to capture what this moment holds. He is the longest tenured and most successful captain in the history of the Blackhawks. And, as of now, his entire NHL career has been in the Blackhawks’ sweater. Go make sure you’re ready for a good cry tonight because the waterworks are coming.
- I did my best to capture my feelings about the end of the Toews’ era yesterday.
- Davidson was asked if there’s a spot for Toews in the front office with the Blackhawks should that be what’s next on the resume for the greatest captain in team history. He said that while they believe he can still play, “that door is not going to be closed, if and when that time comes.”
- I’ll have more on Toews in the coming hours/days. He’s going to speak with the media for the last time after the game tonight, which will undoubtedly be emotional for him (and many of the media in the room).
- What’s on the line for the Blackhawks in organization history? As Ben Pope points out, this team is on the cusp of being the worst Blackhawks team in almost 70 years. But two points would not only deflate their chances of landing Connor Bedard, but also move them in front of the 2003-04 team.
- Gavin Hayes signed his entry-level contract with the Blackhawks recently, but that doesn’t necessarily mean his junior career is over. However, his season with Flint coming to an end does mean he can join the Rockford IceHogs for their playoff push. On Thursday morning, Hayes signed a PTO with Rockford.
- Jalen Luypen‘s junior career is over. His team this season, the Tri-City Americans, wished him good luck as he was assigned to the Rockford IceHogs for the remainder of the season.
- It appears Jake Wise is now a former Blackhawks prospect. The former Ohio State center signed a PTO with Charlotte. He spent five years in college, the last two in Ohio where he was productive and a good faceoff guy. Wishing him the best.
- Finally, the Bulls erased a massive, double-digit deficit in Toronto last night and won their play-in “playoff” game against the Raptors last night. There were some strong performances on the floor, but the MVP was sitting under the basket in a Bulls letter jacket.
