Morning Chirps rolled into Friday with a mix of Blackhawks notes and a few league items worth tracking as the offseason keeps ticking along.
One of the more interesting Blackhawks reads this week came from Scott Powers of The Athletic, who sat down for lunch with defenseman Artyom Levshunov. Along with a gigantic strawberry shortcake, Powers got a window into Levshunov’s path to the NHL and the adjustments he’s had to make along the way. The piece is available outside the paywall, and it sounds like a worthwhile one to dig into.
There’s also a little Blackhawks history tied to this date. On July 31, 2008, Scotty Bowman joined the organization as a senior advisor of hockey operations.
That move put him alongside his son, Stan, who was serving as an assistant general manager at the time. Bowman would go on to have his name etched on the Stanley Cup three more times with Chicago, bringing his total to 12 appearances on hockey’s biggest prize.
And for the birthday crowd, the Blackhawks roll call for July 31 includes Ray Frederick, Troy Murray, and Wyatt Kaiser.
Around the NHL, Don Granato is back behind an NHL bench. The younger brother of Blackhawks analyst Tony Granato will join Rick Bowness’ staff as an assistant coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
It’s his first NHL job since he was fired by the Buffalo Sabres in 2024. Granato’s coaching path has taken him from the USHL to the ECHL, where he won the Kelly Cup with the Peoria Rivermen in 2000, and then into the AHL, including a short run as head coach of the Chicago Wolves.
He also coached the USNTDP from 2013 to 2016 before joining Tony’s staff at the University of Wisconsin. In 2017, Joel Quenneville hired him to work as an assistant coach with the Blackhawks.
Cal Foote’s brief run with Färjestad BK in the SHL is already over. He signed earlier this week, but the team dismissed his contract on Thursday. In a team statement, Färjestad said the decision came after consulting with team partners and stakeholders, and added that the presentation of the person and his history were misaligned with expectations.
The New Jersey Devils also made a move, signing forward Colin White to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal pays $900,000 in the NHL and $400,000 in the AHL.
White, 29, has played 323 NHL games across stops with the Ottawa Senators, Florida Panthers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Montreal Canadiens, and San Jose Sharks. His best season came in 2018-19, when he put up 14 goals and 41 points for Ottawa.
And one more international note: Sean Gentille of The Athletic reported that Russia will not be allowed to field teams in IIHF-sanctioned tournaments in 2027, including the Men’s World Championship, the World Junior Championship, the U18 Men’s World Championship and the U18 Women’s World Championship.
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 🡒]