In the NHL, names like Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Auston Matthews, Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, and Nathan MacKinnon (and others) are the definition of superstars. These players tend to dominate the league and capture much of the spotlight. But what about the future? Who are the rising stars? What players aged 23 years old or
Connor Bedard
Rebuilding in professional sports is a challenge filled with uncertainty and risk. The NHL is a copycat league as teams look to previous renditions of other teams to make their team better. The Chicago Blackhawks find themselves at the beginning of a long development process. This is a very tough spot to be in for
It’s been a busy week for the Chicago Blackhawks, especially considering it’s the offseason. But the organization is tying up some loose ends as they prepare for the upcoming 2023-24 campaign, which should contain more excitement than last season. The team is taking its next step in their rebuild, and there are plenty of things
The 2023 NHL Entry Draft has come and gone, and most of the big free agency moves have already been made. But this just means things are picking up in the hockey world while everyone gets ramped up for a new season to start. Beyond the obvious success of selecting Connor Bedard as the No.
The calendar has now flipped to June, meaning the Chicago Blackhawks are fewer than four weeks out from the 2023 NHL Draft, taking place June 28-29. It’s all but certain they’ll select generational prospect Connor Bedard first overall, but then comes the hard part of pairing him with the right linemates, ideally including a veteran
Any high-priced buyouts this offseason? Daily Faceoff: Frank Seravalli on if there could be some high-priced buyouts this offseason. ** NHLRumors.com transcription “I don’t. I’d be very surprised. Think the best case. The best option on this list are most likely if any of them would be Oliver Ekman-Larsson. I project Matt Murray is going
Welcome to another edition of Blackhawks Bytes, a series featuring quotes and comments from players, coaches, management, journalists and fans alike concerning everything Chicago Blackhawks. The purpose of this ongoing column is to capture a slice of the existing outlook, attitudes and culture surrounding the team. Please join me as we have some fun with the
On Monday evening (May 8), the Chicago Blackhawks won the 2023 Draft Lottery and will be the eventual home of generational prospect Connor Bedard because of it. This is exactly what Chicago was hoping for when general manager (GM) Kyle Davidson announced the club’s rebuild last season, and now they will soon have a future
The Chicago Blackhawks had a monumental moment on Monday night when they miraculously landed the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft despite an 11.5% chance of lading it. They can now select generational talent Connor Bedard, the 17-year-old prospect who has drawn comparisons to Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby, among others, posting
It cannot be emphasized enough just how tough of a season this was for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Their first season after signing Johnny Gaudreau was derailed early by injuries of an unprecedented level. They had over 500 man games lost across the 82-game season, which averages to about 24 games lost per player across
While fans of the top 16 of the league’s 32 teams have spent the last month or so watching the playoffs, fans of the bottom 16 teams have all been eagerly awaiting the draft lottery. This event is the single best chance most teams ever have at landing truly elite talent and turning around the
In today’s NHL rumors rundown, there is already talk about off-season moves for the Toronto Maple Leafs. That sort of thing happens when your team is down three games in a series. Meanwhile, what are the chances that Taylor Hall stays with the Boston Bruins and plays for the team next season? Finally, what are
Every year, the NHL Draft Lottery comes with the possibility of staggering results. Could you imagine the Vancouver Canucks being able to draft Connor Bedard to his hometown team? There is a 3% chance of that after all. Whether you choose to believe the truth or not (I see you out there conspiracy theorists), lottery
The game was deemed the Connor Bedard Bowl. It was the 32nd place Columbus Blue Jackets visiting the 31st place San Jose Sharks. If there was any game on the schedule in which a team would have no motivation to get points, it was this one. Ah, but don’t tell anyone on the Blue Jackets
The Vancouver Canucks are now the only winless team in the NHL. The club has struggled to pick up a win in their first seven games, posting a record of 0-5-2. Since the 2013-14 season, the organization has made two playoff appearances. In those nine years, the team has continued to add assets in an
The Montreal Canadiens’ annual golf tournament is a tradition in several ways. It arguably marks the unofficial end to the offseason for the Habs. It also marks the first opportunity for most of the Canadiens themselves to get in front of the mic once they’re back in town for training camp and get in front
If you’re a hockey fan, chances are you’ve been a fan of collecting hockey cards and memorabilia. You might even be a collector who said you owned a 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky Rookie card at one time but your Mom threw it out, or maybe you put your cards in the spokes of your tires
History has been made in the Western Hockey League. Hockey Canada has approved Connor Bedard’s request to be the first-ever player to gain exceptional status in the WHL, joining an elite list of players in the Canadian Hockey League to be granted the honour. From BC Hockey’s press release, “Exceptional player status is granted to