Sunday didn’t bring much drama for the Chicago Blackhawks, but it did close the door on one potential big swing.
If anyone was dreaming about the Blackhawks landing Jason Robertson via offer sheet, that route is off the table now. Robertson was among 15 restricted free agents who filed for arbitration on Sunday, which takes them out of play for negotiations with other teams.
The list also includes Xavier Bourgault of the Ottawa Senators, Kirby Dach of the Montreal Canadiens, Jamie Drysdale of the Philadelphia Flyers, Jet Greaves of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Alex Jefferies of the New York Islanders, Peyton Krebs of the Buffalo Sabres, Connor McMichael of the St. Louis Blues, Cole Perfetti of the Winnipeg Jets, Nicholas Robertson of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Akira Schmid of the Florida Panthers, Braden Schneider of the New York Rangers, Ronan Seeley of the Carolina Hurricanes, Cole Sillinger of the Blue Jackets, and Trevor Zegras of the Flyers.
The Blackhawks are still waiting on a more important update, though: Connor Bedard’s injury status. That news is expected to come today, and when it does, it’ll be the headline worth watching.
Sunday also brought the Blackhawks’ birthday roll call for July 6: Steve Sullivan, Christian Ehrhoff, and Klas Dahlbeck.
Around the league, Anaheim Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek keeps getting squeezed. He’s already dealing with the Flyers’ offer sheet for Leo Carlsson, and there were multiple reports that defenseman Pavel Mintyikov was next in line for one.
That pushed Verbeek into a five-year extension for Mintyikov at a $7.2 million AAV. It may have cost more than he wanted, but with the Ducks having already lost Radko Gudas, John Carlson, and Jacob Trouba to free agency, another offer sheet would have been a brutal hit.
In Pittsburgh, the Penguins locked up forward Egor Chinahkov on a three-year, $18.75 million extension. Chinahkov scored 18 goals and totaled 36 points in 43 games after the Penguins acquired him from the Blue Jackets in December for a pair of draft picks. Pittsburgh also reached agreements with Arturs Silovs, Joel Blomqvist, and David Gustafsson.
And one more note for the jersey crowd: Toronto Maple Leafs fans who rushed to buy Gavin McKenna No. 72 sweaters may want to return them. According to Mark Masters, McKenna will wear No. 92 when he makes his NHL debut.
He’ll be the fourth player in team history to wear that number, following Jeff O’Neill, Igor Ozhuganov, and Alexander Nylander. It probably won’t take him long to become the best No. 92 the team has ever had.
In Other News...
New Blackhawks Addition Just Weighed In On Chicago's Rebuild
Cole Smith is already sounding like a player who understands why Chicago wanted him. In his first public comments since signing a three-year deal on July 1, the veteran forward said he likes where the Blackhawks are headed and praised the way the front office handled the process, adding that the organization made him feel appreciated from the start.
For a team still trying to turn the corner in its rebuild, that kind of buy-in matters as much as any depth addition. Smith also said he is looking forward to meeting Connor Bedard, and his optimism about the groups direction fits the broader feeling around Chicago that the next step is no longer just about patience, but about finally starting to win again. [Read more 🡒]
Matt Grzelcyk Put Blackhawks Fans In A Familiar Blue Line Debate
Matt Grzelcyks first season in Chicago gave the Blackhawks exactly the kind of blue-line conversation they knew they were signing up for. After arriving on a one-year deal following a preseason PTO, he settled in as a third-pairing defenseman and brought a steady veteran presence to a young group, appearing in 69 games before an injury cut his year short.
The numbers were modest, with 12 assists, no goals and a minus-6 rating, and now the bigger question is what comes next. Grzelcyk is set to hit free agency, and while he should draw interest elsewhere, Chicago appears unlikely to bring him back, leaving another familiar opening on the back end for the Blackhawks to sort out. [Read more 🡒]
Kyle Davidson's Quiet Summer Just Put Blackhawks Fans On Edge
Kyle Davidsons summer roster work was never going to be about headlines, and in that sense the Blackhawks stayed true to form. Chicago added six players in free agency and through trade, with the bulk of the activity aimed at shoring up the blue line and stocking the organization with more defensive depth for both the NHL club and the Rockford IceHogs. Ian Cole, Dylan Anhorn, Connor Mackey, Cole Smith and Connor Mylymok all fit that theme, giving the Blackhawks a deeper pool of options as they try to keep building out the back end.
The move that really changes the temperature, though, is the arrival of Bowen Byram, who came over in a trade and immediately became the most meaningful addition of the group. Even with that kind of upgrade, the broader reaction around the team is easy to understand: Chicago did real work, but it still feels like the sort of summer that leaves fans wondering whether the front office had bigger swings in mind and simply found the market too expensive, too thin or too hard to sell. [Read more 🡒]