If the Vancouver Canucks want Shane Wright, they may have to pay like it. According to Rick Dhaliwal, Seattle’s asking price was either defenseman Zeev Buium or Tom Willander, and Vancouver wasn’t interested in going that high. That kind of demand tells you the Kraken aren’t treating Wright like a bargain-bin target, and it will be worth watching whether that number drops enough to get a deal done this offseason.
There’s also movement on another young player headed to North America. Djurgården announced that Viggo Björck has been released from his SHL contract so he can pursue opportunities with the Winnipeg Jets organization. The 18-year-old, taken eighth overall in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, still hasn’t signed his entry-level deal, though that should be coming soon.
In Vancouver, Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre reported that if the Canucks move Elias Pettersson this offseason, it won’t simply be a salary dump. New general manager Ryan Johnson would want a “strong return” in any trade.
As for Colton Dach, Jim Matheson reported the delay in his new contract with the Edmonton Oilers comes down to cap space. Edmonton has just under $6 million available and is focusing on an external addition before deciding what it can offer the former Blackhawk.
On the Blackhawks side, some fans are getting restless about how long the rebuild is taking. Jake Rivard wrote that while there was never a firm timetable for contention, another bottom-five finish could push the organization toward a change in direction. Ryan Gagne, meanwhile, said there’s no reason to worry about dead salary cap hits when it comes to paying Chicago’s top young players.
July 12 also brings a pair of Blackhawks notes from the past. In 1972, Team Canada announced its tryout camp roster for the Summit Series against the Soviet Union, and Bobby Hull was left off because the team was limited to NHL players after he had already signed with the WHA.
His brother, Dennis, originally turned down the invitation but was urged to go and made the team. Stan Mikita, Pat Stapleton, and Tony Esposito were the other Blackhawks involved in the series.
Then in 2002, Tony Amonte officially closed the book on his Blackhawks tenure by signing with the Phoenix Coyotes. Over nine seasons in Chicago, he played 627 games, scored 268 goals, and finished with 541 points.
Blackhawks birthday roll call for July 12: Don Campbell, Matt Ravlich, and Gilles Meloche.
In Other News...
Blackhawks Already Facing A Brutal Reality About This Season
The early read on Chicagos season is not exactly flattering. The Hockey News slotted the Blackhawks 30th in its NHL rankings on paper, a reminder that even after years of rebuilding, this roster is still being viewed through a long-term lens rather than as one ready to make a leap. There is room for growth, but the outside expectation remains that the Blackhawks are still climbing out of the leagues lower tier.
The challenge is even sharper in the Central Division, where the competition is crowded and unforgiving. Chicago will need its young core to take real steps forward while the rest of the division keeps pressing ahead, and that leaves little margin for a slow start or uneven play. Improvement is possible, but for now the Blackhawks look like a team still trying to prove it belongs in the conversation with the divisions better clubs. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Fans Wont Love What Edmonton Just Decided After That Trade
When the Blackhawks moved Jason Dickinson, Connor Murphy and Colton Dach to Edmonton at the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline, it looked like the kind of deal that could reshape both rosters down the line. For Chicago, it was a chance to turn veteran pieces and a young forward into a new direction. For the Oilers, it was about adding players who could help right away and maybe stick around longer than a rental.
Now Edmonton has made its intentions clear by extending all three after the season, a sign those deadline additions were never just temporary fixes. It is the kind of follow-up Blackhawks fans probably expected to see from a contender, and it only adds another layer to how the trade will be judged in Chicago as the Oilers keep building around the group they acquired. [Read more 🡒]