Happy Saturday! We’ve got NHL hockey on our televisions (or mobile devices if preferred) tonight with Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. Can the last team in be the last team standing? Are the Florida Panthers an all-time Cinderella? Or will the Vegas Golden Knights win a championship and Jack Eichel get a ring before the player he followed in the 2015 NHL Draft? So many story lines to consider over a seven-game series. Love it.
The Seattle Thunderbirds faced the Peterborough Pets in the semifinal of the Memorial Cup last night. It was a chippy, physical game from before the puck dropped to start the first period. Early in the game after a big hit, defenseman Nolan Allan dropped the gloves with Cam Gauvreau but the officials kept the fight from happening. A scoreless first period was followed by just a single goal in the second. Colton Dach scored what would be the game-winning goal just 88 seconds into the third period and Seattle would win 4-1. They’ll face Quebec in the championship game on Sunday night.
#Blackhawks prospect Colton Dach scored the game-winner in Seattle’s 4-1 win to advance to the Memorial Cup championship game on Sunday
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) June 2, 2023
Tony Ferrari at The Hockey News shared a nice piece looking at some of the top draft-eligible prospects performances in the World Championship tournament. Not the World Juniors… this was with the big boys. Adam Fantilli and Leo Carlsson, both likely top-five picks, got the headlines but one other prospect is noteworthy for me from a Blackhawks perspective.
Danish center Oscar Fisker Molgaard is a riser on lots of draft boards. He jumped from No. 50 to No. 18 on NHL Central Scouting’s European skater rankings and Corey Pronman had him at No. 37 overall in his latest rankings. From Ferrari: “He was disruptive and constantly battling for the puck and staying engaged in the play. O.F.M. is an interesting player who plays a pro-style game built on high-level processing ability.“
How did Adam Fantilli, Leo Carlsson and three other 2023 NHL draft-eligible players perform at the World Championship? @theTonyFerrari has the answer: https://t.co/sz5YFHs6Yt— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) May 30, 2023
The top prospects heading into the draft will be in Buffalo beginning tomorrow for the NHL Draft Combine. I’m going to watch Bedard for sure, but the Blackhawks have seven more picks after No. 1 overall in the first three rounds later this month. I offered up a few names I’ll be watching in the coming week at the combine.
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) June 2, 2023
Elliotte Friedman provided a brief written version (only 13 bullets) for his “32 Thoughts” Podcast with Jeff Marek on Friday, and there was a note in there that was interesting on a number of levels. They discussed, and Friedman wrote, about players heading to arbitration and a team asking for a reduced dollar amount from the player’s previous salary. This got my attention because one of the two names specifically brought up was former Blackhawk forward Alex DeBrincat. He wrote:
On Alex DeBrincat and the idea of “cut-rate” arbitration: If a team elects to go through this process, it can argue for a salary reduction — which can’t be lower than 85 per cent of the previous season’s salary. When New Jersey traded for Timo Meier, multiple sources said they believed that’s exactly what the Devils would do if: a) they kept the winger in 2023-24 and b) he hadn’t signed an extension. So, in theory, Meier could drop from $10 million in 2022-23 to $8.5 million, and DeBrincat from $9 million to $7.65 million. Colorado went down this road with Ryan O’Reilly in 2014, before agreeing on a two-year extension. (The first season of that contract actually saw a drop from $6.5 million to $5.8 million.) It’s rare, but it happens. But does it happen with someone you want to keep?
It’s sounded for a while like DeBrincat might want to test the free agent market as a UFA in 2024, joining what might be a good class that could include the likes of Auston Matthews and William Nylander. And DeBrincat’s $9 million salary in 2022-23 means his qualifying offer number would be that high, a factor that reportedly played into a somewhat limited market for the Blackhawks to trade him last summer before the draft. We’ll watch how this plays out for sure.
Will Ryan Smith bring a team to Salt Lake City? What's next on the Senators' ownership timeline? And what will be the fallout from the Brad Treliving and Kyle Dubas hirings? @FriedgeHNIC has that & more in 32 Thoughts. @GMCcanada | #GMCSierra#AT4Xhttps://t.co/Nev9AAnNK2— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 2, 2023
Friedman also reported this week that the NHL/NHLPA have reached a one-summer “trial agreement” amending what is allowed during off-season training. This would tweak the amount of time a player can be on the ice with coaches during the defined “off-season.” This was an issue earlier this spring when Vancouver was fined $50,000 for violating this rule. “That penalty was not rescinded as part of this,” Friedman tweeted.
From what I understand, one skills coach will be allowed on-ice with player, and it must be at the player's request. Player must go through NHLPA, which will contact team and league. Again, this is a one-summer trial, for now. (3/x)— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 1, 2023
Frank Seravalli at The Daily Faceoff dropped his top 25 trade targets for the summer yesterday. It’s loaded with salary dump players, which should get your attention as a Blackhawks fan. He also mentions Columbus shopping the 22nd pick for help to improve their roster now, preferably on the blue line. Hmm…
Buckle up, it's the Summer of Chevy. With Hellebuyck, Scheifele, Dubois and Wheeler on the board, Winnipeg is going to be the center of the hockey universe for the next month.
Finally, this is absolutely brilliant. If you hadn’t heard, there are a couple concerts at the home of the Chicago Bears this weekend, so Lu decided to tie the two together. It’s amazing!
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The Arizona Diamondbacks (12-13) are -122 favorites to take Game 3 of th series from the St. Louis Cardinals (10-14) Wednesday at 1:15 PM ET. The teams enter the matchup with the series record tied, and the underdog Cardinals are...
The Arizona Diamondbacks (12-13) go on the road against the St. Louis Cardinals (10-14) on Wednesday. The matchup is set to begin at 1:15 PM ET.The Diamondbacks will give the ball to Jordan Montgomery (1-0, 1.50 ERA), who is eyeing...
The Indiana Pacers are 4-point favorites in Game 3 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday, beginning at 5:30 PM ET on ESPN. The series is tied 1-1. The over/under...
The Minnesota Timberwolves are slight 3.5-point underdogs for Game 3 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center on Friday, starting at 10:30 PM ET on ESPN. The Timberwolves hold a 2-0 lead...
The Dallas Mavericks are slight 3.5-point favorites in Game 3 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs against the Los Angeles Clippers at American Airlines Center on Friday, tipping off at 8:00 PM ET on ESPN. The series is...
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The bookmakers prefer the Nashville Predators at home (-130) over the Vancouver Canucks (+110) when they meet on Friday, April 26 at 7:30 PM ET.Predators vs. Canucks Favorite, Moneyline, TotalFavorite: Predators (-130)Underdog: Canucks (+110)Total: 5.5Best Predators vs. Canucks Promo Codes[lasso...
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