NEWSLETTER
On Wednesday’s “32 Thoughts” Podcast episode, Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek spent a little time talking about the Blackhawks ahead of the draft. As every other rational person has said, Friedman also notes that the Blackhawks are going to draft Connor Bedard. But after that… here come the hot rumors.
A couple quick notes from his comments and then the biggest takeaway for me:
Now, the nugget that grabbed my attention. Friedman and Marek then talk about who the Blackhawks will have on their roster to surround Bedard in his rookie season, and they both pointed to a name that’s been mentioned to Friedman.
Vladimir Tarasenko — “a finisher to play with Bedard.” Even if the team isn’t very good, both guys like the idea of the former Blues sniper helping provide some offense and protect Bedard. Friedman said someone mentioned it on a short-term deal as a scorer to skate on Bedard’s wing and both guys are on board with the concept. I do wonder if he can’t get a longer-term deal than Chicago is willing to offer. But they also note that Bedard’s a right-shot and Tarasenko’s a left-shot, so there’s a mix that works there.
