If you’re a hockey addict who will watch non-Blackhawks games like me, and you maybe possibly want to see a little history on Wednesday evening, might I suggest tuning into the Toronto Maple Leafs at Tampa Bay Lightning game at 6 PM CT on TNT. Why? Because there are two potentially players participating in their final regular-season opportunity to make history. Nikita Kucherov needs one assist to join Connor McDavid with 100 helpers; he would become only the fifth player in NHL history to reach that mark. And Auston Matthews needs one goal to reach 70 for the season.
There’s one game left in the 2023-24 regular season for the Blackhawks. With the team not practicing today, I wanted to share this story from Jon Hansen (who does a great job as one of the in-game hosts at the United Center). During the home finale, the team shared that Bob Gertenrich had passed away. The name likely doesn’t ring a bell for many, but if you’ve been in the 300 level seats with any frequency over the past few decades, you probably saw or met him.
What did Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson have to say about the season of rookie defenseman Kevin Korchinski? It’s worth remembering, again, that Korchinski spent this entire season as the youngest defenseman in the NHL.
After last night’s game, Seth Jones was very complimentary of Frank Nazar‘s performance. For only two games in the NHL coming straight out of college, he’s been solid. Which is a nice bounce of hope for the future.
How about some prospect thoughts? Scott Powers unloaded his notebook over at The Athletic yesterday with a lot of good nuggets for us to dig into. He opens with some comments about one of the more fascinating prospects in the Blackhawks’ pipeline, mostly because we don’t see him play easily. Roman Kantserov, one of the Blackhawks’ second-round picks in 2023, has been showing really good signs of developing in the KHL this season. And he’s been productive in their playoffs. Here’s what Blackhawks assistant general manager of player development Mark Eaton told Powers about his season:
“No doubt, he’s an intriguing player,” Eaton said. “Has a ton of upside with his skill set, the skating ability, the skill, the competitiveness that he has. Again, the KHL is a place that he’s going to be able to continue to grow as a player and develop. He’s a player that is intriguing and (we’re) excited about the thought, a couple of years from now, (of) him potentially coming over here.”
Since I know there are fans here and elsewhere who continue to make bold proclamations like “Never draft Russians because Bob Pulford did and they weren’t good” I wanted to echo what Scott wrote about that matter: “most players who appear to have real NHL potential usually leave Russia to play in North America.” And a three-year timeline for him to come over isn’t crazy; it will be at least three years before Sam Rinzel turns pro but nobody’s complaining about his timeline because we can watch his development.
A few other notes from Powers:
No news on Ryan Greene from Boston University. Powers points out that, if Greene returns to take on a larger role on a post-Celebini BU roster, “the Blackhawks could be looking to sign him, [Oliver] Moore and Rinzel after next season. Aidan Thompson and Dominic James could sign, too.”
Colton Dach is struggling since his most recent injury. He only has two goals and three assists in 17 games since returning to the lineup. That’s concerning.
Since a lot of people are quickly falling in love with RFA-to-be Jaxson Stauber because of his recent run of success in Rockford, this comment from Powers about the future of the goaltending position for the Blackhawks is worth sharing:
It’ll be interesting to see what the Blackhawks do with their goalies this offseason. With Petr Mrázek, Arvid Söderblom and Drew Commesso under contract for next season, the Blackhawks have to make a decision on what to do with Stauber, who will be a restricted free agent. It doesn’t sound like the Blackhawks just want to hand Söderblom the No. 2 role next season in the NHL. But is Commesso or Stauber ready for the NHL either? The stretch run might give a better picture of that. The Blackhawks may also consider bringing in a more veteran goalie with AHL and NHL experience, someone who could play up or down. We’ll also see if Stauber’s late-season play can impact that decision.
Richardson wouldn’t go all the way into confirming that Connor Bedard will play for Canada at the World Championships on Tuesday, but most reports have him on the roster. And last night’s “Insider Trading” segment on TSN brought word that he might be joined by Macklin Celebrini. I think we’re all dreaming of a scenario where they’re together in Chicago next year just like we were watching Bedard skate around the ice with Korchinski, Dach, Ethan Del Mastro and Nolan Allan at the World Juniors.
Finally, the Bulls host a play-in game tonight. And this is brilliant from Eli.
NEWSLETTER
