The NHL’s rookie crowd has descended on Chicago this week, and one of the Blackhawks’ own top prospects is part of the mix. But the loudest news around the league came out of San Jose, where Macklin Celebrini put pen to paper on a massive new deal.
Celebrini signed a five-year, $94 million contract with the Sharks. The $18.8 million average annual value makes him the highest-paid player in the NHL, edging past Leo Carlsson’s $18 million AAV.
That salary, though, won’t begin until next season because he still has one year left on his entry-level contract. Even with that number attached, there’s a real chance he doesn’t hold the league’s top paycheck for long, with Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar still due for new contracts.
“I couldn’t be happier to sign an extension today. The faith and support that Mr.
Plattner, Mike Grier and the entire staff have shown me throughout the past two seasons is proof that we are building something special here. My teammates and I are ready to take another step toward the ultimate goal of bringing a Stanley Cup to this city and its incredible fans.
I can’t wait to get going.”
Celebrini’s deal naturally puts more attention on the next big name in line. According to Michael Russo of The Athletic, Quinn Hughes and the Minnesota Wild are meeting this week to talk about an extension. Hughes, 26, is entering the final year of his contract, and the question now is whether he locks in with Minnesota or tests the open market, where the money could climb even higher.
In Chicago, Jeff Maroon wrote about how one of last season’s biggest weaknesses could turn into one of the Blackhawks’ biggest strengths this year. The club also marked an old draft memory on this date in 2005, when the NHL Entry Draft finally took place in Ottawa after being pushed back by the owners’ lockout that wiped out the 2004-05 season.
Pittsburgh used the first pick on Sidney Crosby, a move that changed the franchise’s direction. It was Dale Tallon’s first draft as Blackhawks general manager, and he took Jack Skille at No. 7 overall.
Tallon had his share of first-round misses, but he also landed Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane in back-to-back drafts, and later found Niklas Hjalmarsson in the fourth round. The Swedish defenseman went on to become a major part of three Stanley Cup wins.
The Blackhawks also noted their birthday roll call for July 30: Jack Portland and George Johnston.
Elsewhere around the league, the Columbus Blue Jackets said they will simulcast their television broadcast on their radio network. That move came with the club not renewing radio play-by-play voice Bob McElligott, who had called games for the past 17 years.
Former Blackhawks defenseman Bryan McCabe is also moving on. He has parted ways with the Florida Panthers after serving in several roles there, starting as a development coach in 2012, then becoming Director of Player Development in 2013, and later Director of Player Personnel in 2017.
In Other News...
Connor Bedard Injury Leaves Blackhawks Facing An Early Season Problem
Connor Bedards long-term future in Chicago is secure after he signed a five-year, $75 million contract extension, but the Blackhawks now have to navigate the start of the season without their biggest centerpiece. The offseason training injury he suffered interrupted what had been shaping up as another important step in his development, and the timing makes it especially frustrating for a team still building around him.
The organization is expecting a full recovery, which offers some reassurance, but the immediate challenge is clear: Chicago has to find a way to hold the line until its franchise star is ready to go again. Bedards absence reshapes the early months of the season and puts extra pressure on the players around him to keep the Blackhawks in range until he can rejoin the lineup. [Read more 🡒]
Patrick Kane's Return Has Blackhawks Fans Dreaming Bigger Again
Patrick Kane is back in Chicago, and for a fan base that has spent the last few seasons waiting for a true jolt of optimism, the reunion gives the rebuild a much different feel. After stops with the Rangers and Red Wings, Kane has signed a two-year deal to return to the Blackhawks, where the conversation immediately turns to how his presence can help shape the next phase around Connor Bedard and the teams young core.
The excitement has spread beyond the locker room, too, with Matthew and Brady Tkachuk both sounding encouraged by the possibility of Kane linking up with Bedard. It is easy to see why that idea has so much appeal: a veteran star who knows the pressures of Chicago, a franchise centerpiece still early in his career, and a roster trying to move from promising to dangerous. For the Blackhawks, Kanes return is about more than nostalgia, because it puts a real spotlight on what this group might become. [Read more 🡒]
Sharks And Penguins Re Sign Depth Forwards For Key Reason
The depth-forward market kept moving this week, with San Jose locking up undrafted free agent Collin Graf on a three-year contract and Pittsburgh extending Tommy Noval for three more seasons. Moves like these usually do not grab headlines outside the teams making them, but they matter because they help clubs keep young, inexpensive support pieces in place while the roster picture shifts around them.
For the Blackhawks, it is the kind of transaction worth watching from a distance, especially as a reminder of how much value there is in identifying role players early and getting ahead of the next contract question. The cap hit on Novals deal does not even begin until the 2027-28 season, which is the sort of long-view planning more teams are trying to build into their depth charts, and it leaves plenty of time for Chicago to keep tracking the players who might eventually fit that mold. [Read more 🡒]