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New York Times
30-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Breaking down the Blackhawks' plans for their restricted free agents
The NHL Draft is done. The Chicago Blackhawks' next order of business is dealing with their restricted free agents. The Blackhawks don't have many RFAs — just seven this season — but general manager Kyle Davidson does have some decisions to make and some contracts to negotiate. Here are the players the Blackhawks will qualify and not qualify heading into free agency, according to a team source, and some context as to why each decision is likely being made: Louis Crevier, defenseman: Crevier, 24, has shown he can probably be a depth NHL defenseman or at least bounce between the AHL and NHL. That might be his ceiling, but as a 2020 seventh-rounder, he's exceeded expectations. He has a qualifying offer of $813,750. An extension is probably right around that. Advertisement Wyatt Kaiser, defenseman: Kaiser's contract negotiations will be the most interesting among RFAs. The Blackhawks think the 22-year-old can potentially be one of their top-four defensemen in the years to come. He's just not definitively that yet. He looked much better after returning to the Blackhawks after his final stint in the AHL last season, but the reality is he still spent time in the AHL last season and had to work through some inconsistencies. The Blackhawks probably don't want to commit a long-term deal with a significant cap hit to him just yet. With a larger sample, they'll be happy to. AFP Analytics projects a $2.5 million cap hit on a three-year extension and about a $4 million cap hit on a six-year deal. It probably makes sense for both sides to hold off on a long-term deal. It is also worth noting Kaiser doesn't have arbitration rights or much leverage in negotiations, other than holding out. The Blackhawks likely offer him a short-term deal that rewards him but also allows some flexibility if he doesn't become the player they envision him to be. His qualifying offer is $874,125. Arvid Söderblom, goalie: The 25-year-old Söderblom altered his future with the Blackhawks last season. He was destined to play in the AHL for the 2024-25 season after consistently struggling in the NHL the prior years. The Blackhawks even went out and signed another NHL goalie because they lost trust in him. But then an injury opened the door to Söderblom getting another NHL stint and he took full advantage of it. Now he'll likely get a bump in pay from the $962,500 cap hit on his last deal. AFP Analytics projects he'll receive a two-year deal with about a $1.7 million cap hit. That seems fair. How he and Spencer Knight play over the next few years will likely determine how set the Blackhawks feel with their goalies for the future. Philipp Kurashev, forward: A year ago, we were talking about Kurashev as a possible fit for the Blackhawks' long-term future. He was coming off a career season where he had some chemistry with Connor Bedard. But after a 2024-25 season that included just 14 points in 51 games and multiple healthy-scratch stretches, Kurashev will now become an unrestricted free agent. There was zero chance the Blackhawks were going to meet his qualifying offer of $2.25 million. You would think some NHL team will give him another chance, but he's going to have to prove himself wherever he ends up. Advertisement Jalen Luypen, forward: It felt like it could have gone either way with Luypen. He played 56 regular-season games and seven playoff games for the Rockford IceHogs last season as a solid fourth-line forward. But with so many more prospects coming in and Luypen probably not projecting to be an NHL player, he won't receive a qualifying offer. Aku Räty, forward: Raty was acquired by the Blackhawks as part of a trade with the Utah Mammoth around the trade deadline. He was assigned to the Rockford IceHogs and played 15 regular-season games and two playoff games for them. He's already set to play in Finland for next season. Antti Saarela, forward: Saarela saw the writing on the wall for his NHL future after just one season with the IceHogs. He played the 2023-24 season with the IceHogs and then agreed with the Blackhawks to be loaned out to Lukko, a Finnish team, last season. His contract with the Blackhawks ended after last season. (Photo of Wyatt Kaiser: Bob Kupbens / Imagn Images)
Reuters
08-03-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
NHL roundup: Connor Bedard, Blackhawks top Utah in OT
March 8 - Blackhawks star Connor Bedard ended a seven-game point drought, and his goal 3:10 into overtime capped a two-point night as Chicago beat the visiting Utah Hockey Club 4-3 on Friday. Last year's Calder Trophy winner for top rookie also had an assist as Chicago extended its points streak to four games (3-0-1). Wyatt Kaiser, Ilya Mikheyev and Frank Nazar all scored in the second period to give the Blackhawks a 3-1 lead heading into the third. Blackhawks goalie Spencer Knight stopped 36 shots to win his second start since being acquired from the Florida Panthers last week. Clayton Keller had a goal and an assist to register points for the eighth time in nine games for Utah. Nick Schmaltz scored, and John Marino got his first goal in a Utah sweater. Mikhail Sergachev assisted on a pair of goals, while Karel Vejmelka posted 21 saves. Jets 6, Devils 1 Nikolaj Ehlers finished with a goal and two assists, leading Winnipeg to a win over New Jersey in Newark, N.J. Josh Morrissey and Kyle Connor had a goal and a helper each for the Jets, who are 21-11-0 on the road. Alex Iafallo, Adam Lowry and Cole Perfetti also scored for Winnipeg, which is 13-2-1 over its last 16. Connor Hellebuyck made 22 saves. Dawson Mercer responded for the Devils, who have dropped three straight games and have just four wins over their past 11 games. Jacob Markstrom stopped 29 shots. Golden Knights 4, Penguins 0 Mark Stone had a goal and two assists and Ilya Samsonov made 22 saves for his second shutout of the season as Vegas blanked Pittsburgh in Las Vegas. Tanner Pearson had a goal and an assist and Ivan Barbashev and Brandon Saad also scored goals for the Golden Knights, who earned their fourth straight win and their seventh in the past eight games. Alex Nedeljkovic finished with 23 saves for the Penguins, who lost their fourth consecutive game and eighth in the past nine (1-7-1). Canucks 3, Wild 1 Kiefer Sherwood's tiebreaking goal late in the third period helped give host Vancouver a win over Minnesota. Brock Faber's power-play equalizer for the Wild made it a 1-1 game at 7:12 of the third, but the Canucks answered with the winner just over nine minutes later. Elias Pettersson and Teddy Blueger also scored for the Canucks, and Kevin Lankinen made 37 saves. Filip Gustavsson stopped 17 shots for Minnesota, which had a two-game winning streak end. Capitals 5, Red Wings 2 Aliaksei Protas scored twice in the third period, including a short-handed goal, and host Washington rallied past slumping Detroit. Tom Wilson also had a short-handed goal for the Capitals, who trailed 2-1 entering the third. Taylor Raddysh and Jakob Chychrun scored the other Washington goals, while Logan Thompson made 17 saves. Dylan Larkin and Moritz Seider scored for the Red Wings, who have lost five straight. Lucas Raymond earned assists on both goals and Cam Talbot made 23 saves. Blues 4, Ducks 3 Brayden Schenn scored twice and Alexey Toropchenko collected a goal and an assist to lead visiting St. Louis to a victory over Anaheim. Zack Bolduc also scored for the Blues, who are riding a 7-1-1 run. Cam Fowler, in his return to Anaheim, where he spent parts of 15 seasons before being traded to St. Louis earlier this season, collected two assists. Jordan Binnington made 20 saves. Frank Vatrano produced a goal and an assist for the Ducks, who took their third loss in four games. Sam Colangelo and Alex Killorn also scored, and Troy Terry notched two assists. Lukas Dostal stopped 18 shots.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Connor Bedard Scores In Overtime; Blackhawks Win 4-3
CHICAGO - The trade deadline came and went in the National Hockey League. The Chicago Blackhawks had a Friday night game that followed at United Center against the Utah Hockey Club. Just :56 into the first period, former Blackhawk Nick Schmaltz scored. Outside of some pushing, shoving, and a Ryan Donato vs Michael Carcone tilt, the rest of the opening frame was uneventful. Utah took that 1-0 lead to the first intermission. Donato, who was notably not traded, wanted to remind everyone of that fact. Besides his fight, he looked motivated to make an impact right out of the gate. About halfway through the second period, Connor Bedard hit the post with a shot. The United Center crowd jumped to their feet in celebration but play continued. Before they could even realize that the goal didn't count, Wyatt Kaiser found himself with the puck in the slot and he scored with a beautiful shot. Connor Bedard has been in a little bit of a scoring slump lately so collecting an assist on Wyatt Kaiser's goal had to feel good for him. We know what he's capable of offensively so it's all about getting that confidence back. This assist was a good start. Just a couple of minutes later, Ilya Mikheyev scored a beautiful goal of his own to put the Blackhawks in front. After a somewhat lackluster first period, the Hawks were starting to find their groove. At 14:30 of the same middle period, Frank Nazar was awarded a penalty shot as Mikhail Sergachev held him on a breakaway. He put a beautiful move on Karel Vejmelka and the Hawks had a 3-1 lead going into the second intermission. Nazar's goal made it three goals in five minutes. In the third period, the Utah Hockey Club made it interesting when John Marino's first of the season cut the lead to one with plenty of time left. Later on in the final frame, Connor Bedard took a penalty to put Utah on the power play. Clayton Keller took advantage with a perfectly placed one-timer shot top shelf. Mikhael Sergachev did a wonderful job of creating the room to send a pass to Keller who didn't miss. No more goals were scored in regulation and overtime was required. That makes it two straight games with overtime at the United Center. In the extra period, after exchanging chances for a few minutes, Connor Bedard scored the game-winner to give Chicago their third win in four games. His 17th goal of the season was much needed as his drought is now completely over. Bedard should be proud of the way he played in this game. He was making great passes, creating chances for himself and his teammates, and scored the game-winner in addition to his assist. Bedard needs to have a strong finish to the season. He is more than capable of putting up points in bunches and this game was proof of that. Confidence is key and he looked confident against Utah. Spencer Knight made his second start in a Blackhawks uniform. Just like his first start, he gave his team a chance to win throughout the game until they scored the goals they needed. Knight's 36 saves on 39 shots isn't the shiny "First Star of the Game" performance that he had last week but it is more than enough. With the game on the line in overtime, he came up large on two Utah shots before Bedard ended it. Chicago will now hit the road for four straight games. It starts with a trip to Tennessee to play the Nashville Predators on Saturday night. It's the second half of a back-to-back so they need a better start in that one. With the young legs they have in the lineup, it shouldn't be too much of a problem. Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.
