I want to start today with a really smart piece from Corey Pronman at The Athletic that looks back at the 2019 NHL Draft and some learnings we can take away from a class that’s now five years old. Thought the pick isn’t a focus of the article, I think we’d all agree the Blackhawks whiffed taking Kirby Dach third overall that summer.
Pronman dives into the “overthinking” of drafting Cole Caufield that year. He notes the comparisons to former Blackhawks forward Alex DeBrincat were unavoidable because of Caufield’s lack of size and big offensive numbers on a line with another elite NHL prospect (in his case, Jack Hughes). Here’s what he had to say about the risks, and a comp he makes to a player in this summer’s draft:
I appreciate the risks a 5-foot-7 wing who is not an elite skater can present when projecting him to the pros. There are plenty of shoot-first players who were high picks in the last decade or so and haven’t panned out. Hence why there is reasonable apprehension in the league on now NTDP winger Cole Eiserman. There were reasonable arguments to not take Caufield ahead of some of the true no-doubters, but his drop to No. 15 seemed excessive at the time and has not aged well. The distinction for me between Eiserman and Caufield is that I thought Caufield’s skill and shot were both superior and, frankly, he was a leading player on a team that won games.
Pronman also digs into the risks of over-valuing players on a good World Juniors team, details the flaws in the games of Alex Turcotte and Kaapo Kakko and some other really good analysis framed in a way that we should consider looking at some prospects heading into this year’s draft. Highly recommended reading here.
The Rockford IceHogs were in Grand Rapids for Game 2 of their series against the Griffins and they skated away with a strong 5-1 victory. Mike Hardman scored twice to lead Rockford to the dub. The Hogs also got goals from Ethan Del Mastro (see below, with an assist to Lukas Reichel), Michael Teply and Luke Philp.
For those out there advocating for RFA-to-be Jaxson Stauber to be the guy backing up Petr Mrazek next year in Chicago, it’s noteworthy that Drew Commesso got the start in Game 2 last night after Stauber was between the pipes for the Game 1 overtime loss. Commesso was really good, too. He stopped 27 of 28 to help the IceHogs even the series. I will also note that Stauber stopped 34 of 37 in a little over 64 minutes of ice time in Game 1.
I’m a big fan of the Blackhawks Talk podcast the guys do at NBC Sports Chicago, and their latest includes a good conversation about which internal free agents should be prioritized by the Blackhawks this summer. I don’t know that the Blackhawks will be in play for Tyler Johnson or Colin Blackwell this summer; Blackwell intrigues me because I think there’s a lot more to his game than we saw because of his injuries during his two years here, but he’s a guy that might be replaced by a youngster already in September. Tyler appeared to be pretty clear that his time in Chicago is over when he spoke with the media at the end of the season.
Among the RFAs, the one that has the biggest question mark on him is Reichel. Based on what he’s done — and what’s coming behind him in the pipeline — I wouldn’t be surprised if he simply got a qualifying offer this summer. Remember: the Blackhawks only gave Philipp Kurashev a QO for $840k after his ELC expired in 2022 because he was still figuring his stuff out. It would make sense to follow the same path with Reichel.
I also think Joey Anderson is a guy who could be back. He came in after the trade from Toronto and looked good; I wrote last summer that I thought he could be the next Sam Lafferty. He signed a two-way deal last summer before the Hawks brought in a handful of veterans that forced him to Rockford to start the season. But, once he came up, he was exactly what the coaches wanted. He played a simple game and did his job on PK duty well. I like his game; his teammates like his game. And I think he hasn’t reached his ceiling yet, either. The question is whether or not it’s another two-way deal; I would just hand him an NHL roster spot for 1-2 years and let him be a grinder. He’s the kind of guy they want and need in the bottom six.
The other guy who at least interests me to an extent is MacKenzie Entwistle. Does he have issues finishing? Sure. But he works his ass off and can play any of the three forward positions and kill penalties. He was one of few guys who were available pretty much every night this season when called upon. But… now we’re getting into a conversation about where guys like Landon Slaggert and possibly Colton Dach and/or Ryder Rolston fit into the lineup and one would think the next wave gets priority over the more established, known commodity. Maybe a two-way deal for Entwistle? We’ll see.
In the larger Chicago hockey picture, my guy David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period mentioned yesterday that the Chicago Wolves are going back into the affiliate after one year of trying to fly solo. The Carolina Hurricanes are in need of a partner in the AHL and it looks like they might be getting back together. Good for all parties.
While we’re talking Carolina, this is absolutely wild to me. It sounds like there might be a disconnect between Rod Brind’Amour and ownership on his next contract terms and he might hit the open market. Wow! I’m sure there will be interested parties. Maybe Carolina just wants him to see what the market will pay him and then they’ll match the highest bid? We’ll see.
Transitioning to coaching (see how I did that?), here’s a report that the Kraken are interested in Todd McLellan. I would have to think Seattle would call Brind’Amour if he does become available, too. And Craig Berube is undoubtedly going to be a hot name this summer as well.
Meanwhile, everyone involved seems to (rightfully) want Steven Stamkos to stay in Tampa. The questions that need to be answered: how much money can the Bolts afford? And for how long? Again, I would love to see him finish his career where it started. He is the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Finally, did you see how the Cubs game ended last night? Double Wow!
NEWSLETTER
