Connor Bedard’s New Long-Term Linemate? | Blackhawks Breakaway

Connor Bedard’s New Long-Term Linemate? | Blackhawks Breakaway

[Applause] [Music] Welcome to the Blackhawks Breakaway podcast brought to you by Toyota. Toyota has more all-wheel drive and four-wheel drive vehicles than any other brand. Find yours and shine on Toyota. Let’s go places. Charlie Romelotus. I am Pat Bole. The Blackhawks are immersed in their longest road trip of the season. a six-game road trip covering four different time zones. They um dropped their third on the trip to the Seattle Kraken on Monday night. 3-1 was the final. And uh this is probably the um this is the most difficult stretch that the Blackhawks have had on the young season just 12 and 13 games in. Yeah, for sure. Not only is it a really difficult schedule as far as the road trip goes, that spans six games in a 12day stretch, I think it is. And so it’s physically demanding, but there are also some really good teams that the Blackhawks are playing with Edmonton and uh Seattle, I know, isn’t great, but they’re they’re stingy defensively. And Winnipeg is obviously really good. Uh Detroit, it seems like they’re starting to turn a corner and and their franchise. So, it’s not there aren’t really many easy games in this road trip. We were talking about it just off the air uh prior to jumping on. I I I wonder how much of this this first half of the stretch for the Blackhawks, the 02 and one road trip is they’ve been on the ice a lot and like we were mapping this out right before and the Hawks were have been on the ice for five consecutive days. Now, as we record this on Tuesday, it’s a scheduled off day in Vancouver, which I think is much needed. But prior to this stretch, the Hawks have been on the ice for eight of the last nine days, and that one off day was the Blackhawks traveling to Winnipeg. And obviously, you got to go through customs, so it’s a little bit longer of a trip. And so, I’m wondering how much of this is the Hawks really needed a mental reset just to get away from the rink. And I expect them to have some more fresh legs on Wednesday when they take on Vancouver. Yeah, if you look at it, the Winnipeg game has been the outlier of the year where you just didn’t feel like they were really in it. Uh it was a lopsided game, 63. Even goalending from Spencer Knight, he wasn’t at his sharpest that we’ve seen him throughout the Young season. Um the the schedule’s been kind to them in the sense that they haven’t dealt with a lot of backto backs and they’ve gotten teams on the back end of backtobacks two or three times already. But I think the the rub is and the the the tough line that Jeff Blashel walks is young teen trying to create create um good habits trying to implement new systems. And so you’re trying to take advantage of the practice time that you have because it is kind of precious and fleeting once the season gets underway like it is. And uh I I do think, you know, being on the ice eight out of nine games and the one off day in that group was a travel to Winnipeg. I mean, I I think it it produced somewhat of a of a slow start in Seattle in that first period. I thought a couple guys were flying, but by and large, most of them were not. And they weren’t crisp with their exits. Uh passing was a bit of an issue, puck management was a problem. So um you know that’s a fine line that a new coach that takes over a young team who wants to implement and his systems and create a culture. you know, he he also goes up against, you know, fatigue and, you know, how much can this this team, you know, take in a short period of time, right? Like when if you’re a veteran team like Tampa Bay or Florida or Edmonton, you know what it takes to win and you you’ve been a group that’s been together for a long time where practice time isn’t as valuable as getting the rest because there’s already that instant chemistry and camaraderie within the group. Like I get I I get that. I mean it was the the 2013 the lockout shortened season for the Blackhawks when they all came back. I think the Hawks practiced like maybe three or four times that entire season because it was such a condensed schedule, but they were they were able to do that because it was Kane, Taves, Keith, Sebrook, Hosa, Assad, like they were all they all played together for a long time. And so they were able to not practice. But when you’re Jeff Blas and you’re inheriting a young team and you want to get the systems down and you want to instill this culture, practice time is really valuable. Now, I wonder if it might make more sense for Chicago moving forward or at least maybe when we start to get into December, January, like the dog days of the season, uh, where you can hit a mental and physical block, uh, as a as a young player. I wonder if it makes more sense. Two, one, one of two things needs to happen. You either trim up, you either cut the practice time down, so like you just have more off days, but you use the morning skates as extended practices. And so like maybe that’s an opportunity where it’s like, okay, we’re going to have a total off day on Monday, but on Tuesday is a game day. We’re going to have a little bit of a longer morning skate as a group to iron out some of the systems. And you know that that’s the give and take. Or you practice hard on one of the days and have more optionals or even just no morning skates at all. So the guys are coming to the ring fresh. I think one of those two things needs to happen as the season progresses. And we’ve mentioned Jeff Blashel’s practices are not easy. Like they’re not, hey, let’s get on the ice for 20 minutes and, you know, just get the legs moving. Like they are long practices. And so, uh, the morning skates have been really short. They’ve been in like the 17 18 minute range. So, in that sense, I think Blashel is making sure that he’s not overextending them, but as the season progresses, um the the rest time does become important, not just physically, but mentally as well. So, let’s dive into the uh the Edmonton game. The Blackhawks were the better team five on five. It came down to special teams. And, you know, we’ve seen the PK be pretty good this year. Uh the power play has been inconsistent. Uh they’ve struggled at times to uh break out and enter the zone and set up the power play. Although I thought they did a pretty good job in Seattle as far as entering the zone and setting up, they kept everything kind of on the perimeter. What have you seen from the power play uh in the early stages of the season? Yeah, I I know that’s been an area of focus um ever since the the Blackhawks I can’t remember what game it was. Was it LA where the Hawks um Yeah, I think the Hawks went like 0 for five on the P on the power play and it was like the next day the Hawks really worked on practice and that was when they made the change. Burkovsky to the top unit, Tabot Terravana to the second unit, Bard moving from the left faceoff circle to the right faceoff circle and you know Bard has a hat-tick in the next game. And so I think since the Blackhawks have made that change, I’ve seen considerable improvement. It doesn’t feel like we’ve seen the results of that just yet, but even in the Seattle game, like the Hawks had, I think it was 14 shot attempts uh on on the power play. Yeah. 14 shot attempts in six scoring chances in the three power plays that they got. Like they they generated a ton of offensive zone time in the Seattle game, but they didn’t break through. And then in the Edmonton game, you know, Tyler Batuzi scores on the power play. Um I just feel like their zone entries have been much better. It’s just creating those chances and finding a way to get them behind the net. Whereas the the problems previously prior to the change for Chicago. The Hawks had the first unit specifically had a really hard time just entering the zone. And so I’ve seen I’ve seen considerable improvement in that area and I feel like it’s only a matter of time before the Hawks break through a little bit more than they have in that area. Edmonton game on Saturday night was hockey night in Canada. It presented a very unique situation uh for the country of Canada. Uh all of Canada was behind the Toronto Blue Jays. There’s only one Major League Baseball team from Canada. And so everybody is on board uh with with the Jays. And so it it presented this circumstance where basically it was the latter stages of a game seven winner take all World Series game which is will go down as is probably one of the best World Series in modern day uh history. And at the same time, the Edmonton Oilers and the Blackhawks are playing a game. And you were there as part of the WGN radio broadcast. And they made the the uh decision to not only show, well, I’ll let you explain. Show the game basically the World Series game during TV timeouts and during play. Yeah. So the game locally in Edmonton, the the Blackhawks Oilers game was slated for an 811 puck drop. So in in Edmonton, the World Series game started at 6:00. So we’re we’re like the 811 puck drop is coinciding with we’re into the seventh inning. It’s late. It’s a tight game. and the the Rogers place was airing the entire Blue Jays game during warm-ups or during um in the when the time the gates opened till the time of the puck drop. And it wasn’t I think it was like during the TV timeouts of the first period they would air you know just updates on the what was going on in the World Series. Well, obviously the game went into extra innings and we get to the second period and during the entire first intermission the the game is playing in the background and then in the second period it’s a split screen where it’s like the the big screen is is on the the Blackhawks Oilers game and there’s a smaller screen to the right of it and it it’s airing the the Blue Jays game. And there was a moment that was picked up by everyone in the second period where it was the ninth inning. The Blue Jays had the bases loaded and it’s one out. There’s a ground ball into the infield and the play gets it the the the throw goes home and it’s so it’s so hard because it’s in the bottom right screen so you can’t really tell clearly like if it it was out or not. was so close and the Blue Jays fans absolutely erupted and it was it was quite like okay to me I loved it because I was able to keep my eye on both but as a player I can’t imagine how distracting that was. Spencer Knight had said after the game like he heard that in the background there was a puck that was near the Chicago net and he’s like I flinched because I didn’t know what was going on and then he looks up and he’s like oh yeah it’s the World Series game. But it was a a really unique experience. And so in the entire second intermission, they’re continuing to play the game. When the third period started, Pat, there was zero mention of the game. They completely turned it off. There wasn’t there wasn’t a split screen. There wasn’t even a score graphic. It was just no mention. And I said on the broadcast, I’m like, I think someone said something, whether it was the Oilers, the the coaching staff, the management or whatever, send something up said, “Get this game off the screen.” because I was looking at the bench pad. There were players that were legitimately looking up at the screen while a play was going on, including Conor McDavid. No. And to your point, the play at the plate in the ninth inning, the broadcaster on SportsNet uh for Hockey Night in Canada was doing what you were doing while he was calling the action. He was watching both games and trying to judge it. And during the period he says and the Toronto Blue Jays have won the World Series. So he was pump faked on that play. And um look it it it takes me back to 2016 and the times that the uh the Cubs were making their World Series run and that were where playoff games were being played at the United Center the same time Blackhawks games were being played. Now, they made the call where you could go to the different uh uh venues on the concourse where you could grab a drink or get some food and they would have the the Cubs game on and people would gather in masses and watch that game and you would hear these audible oo and a’s and oh and you know or cheers um throughout intermissions or stoppages and play or even while the Blackhawks were playing and you’re like, “Okay, people in in suites in boxes at their seat on their phone are are watching the game.” But the game wasn’t on the jumbotron. And you know, some people had some backlash to like what McDavid said afterwards. I I don’t blame the players at all. First of all, everybody was on board with with wanting to see the Blue Jays in the in the country of Canada win it all. And the players, especially the Edmonton Oilers, considering what they’ve gone through the last two years and falling short in the Stanley Cup final. Uh, but to have it on while you’re playing a game and you’re literally playing your game underneath the World Series that, you know, I I I think that was probably a mistake. Like, you can let people if they want to watch on their on their, you know, on their handheld device, their phone, their laptop, their their tablet, or in a box or on the concourse, so be it. But to put it over basically the product that you’re there for, um I I I think it uh it was a distraction to say the least. Yeah. And when I heard Conor McDavid’s postgame comments about it, I’m like, that’s exactly what happened. I mean, they he the players were like, get this off the board because Edmonton has gotten off to a a not a great start in their season. So, this is a big two points for them. And so, going into the third period of a of a tight game, the last thing they wanted was a distraction um you know, going into that final frame, like needing a big win against Chicago to to kind of propel their season forward. So, selfishly, it was a very unique experience for for us as broadcasters cuz I was able to do both. I was able to watch the game and watch the the World Series, but as a player, that that would have driven me crazy. So, I I totally get it if you know the the players thought that that was a little bit distracting. Yeah. And I thought McDavid’s comments about how they felt gutted for what the I mean, the Jays having the opportunities that they did to win the World Series and the I mean, just the the the last three pitches in game seven were absolutely epic. um to see how things unfolded in game seven was equally as as uh memorable in in good and and bad ways depending on what side of the ledger you’re on. So, the Hawks picked up a point in Edmonton on Saturday and then they go to Seattle and uh take on, you know, a Seattle team that is um you know, they lack that marquee player, that star player, but they’re they’re really a really good team and they’re right there in the mix for the the final wildcard spot uh in the West. They’ve made some they made a coaching change. They’ve made management change. Uh Dort is playing well in net and I thought by and large we talked about the slow start in the first period. Um, I thought just the miss shots and Seattle’s block shots and and maybe the willingness to get to second and third chances were the the problem for the Blackhawks on Monday night because there were large stretches where it was very evenly played in scoring chances and and shot at shots on goal. Um but the uh the Blackhawks didn’t get second and third chances and missed the net quite a bit on on Monday night. Yeah, it was um it was a weird game too because I thought the Blackhawks were by far the better team in that second period specifically. Like the shot attempts were like 35 to 13 in the second period and it was Seattle that left the period with two goals and the Hawks with none. And it was just like well that’s hockey for you. And so that that had to be a frustrating feeling going into the third period feeling like you tilted the ice in your favor, but not only is it did you not capitalize on your opportunities, they capitalized on two of theirs and it’s like how are we in a two in a two nothing hole. And so by that point, Seattle is is pretty stingy defensively. The Kraken actually went into this game, I think they were dead last in even strength scoring chances per 60 minutes all year. And so they’re they’re like you mentioned they don’t have that star player that can really lift the the group. It’s like they just do it by a committee like their their lines. And I thought it was interesting Pat like the first three game I was kind of thinking about this the first three games of this road trip. Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Seattle. It’s really been one line on each team that has driven the success against Chicago. Like the Winnipeg game, it was the the Connor Shifley Valardi line. Edmonton game, McDavid dryid. what they always do. And then the third game against Seattle, it was the the Matty Beneers and Jordan Everly line that really carried play. But it’s like when those top lines weren’t on the ice, Chicago I felt like did a really nice job of tilting the ice in their favor. And I wonder how much Pat the Hawks have really missed the Jason Dickinson, Ilia McKay duo cuz they got put together in the Utah game. It was Donado, Dickinson, McKay. They got put together in Utah, then St. Louisis then Vancouver. The Hawks were 20 and1 in those three games. Then Dickinson misses the next two games against Anaheim and Tampa Bay. The Hawks win those games, albeit he returns for the LA game, but then McKay gets hurt in the LA game. He misses the next two games against Ottawa and Winnipeg. Then Dickinson comes back and Dickinson gets hurt in the Winnipeg game and he’s not available for the rest of that game. And then Edmonton, Seattle, and more. He is now week to week. So they have not had the Dickinson McKay duo since the Vancouver game or since the LA game when they were on the ice together for the first two periods. And so I think that’s played a massive role in the Hawks not being able to get those matchups. Yeah, I I totally agree. It’s their shutdown line that uh was very successful last year against top lines. It continued this year early on and it’s been a difference like you know the the few veterans that the Blackhawks have on this roster they play important roles. Dickinson and Mave are two of those uh types of players and it looks like we’re going to be without Dickinson for uh at least a while here. He was placed on IR yesterday. Oliver Moore was called up to take his spot and uh you know we’ve seen McKay have come back from his injury. Let’s discuss uh since we’re on that topic, let’s discuss the Oliver Moore call up. Uh they could have gone a few different ways with this one, but they decided to to grab Oliver Moore from Rockford who got off to a great start. Uh had six goals. He was third in the AHL in goals. Uh plays in all situations. Now, the one thing that is slightly different in Rockford, they don’t play the same PK system that the Hawks do. And Blashel didn’t feel comfortable inserting uh Oliver into a killing role with the Blackhawks without a practice or two or a film session. maybe they they did a film session uh just one-on-one, but uh without him having an opportunity to get up to speed with the Blackhawk system. So, we we didn’t see Oliver in that case on Monday night, but we saw him get a lot of ice time. I think he ended up with three shots on goal, made some great passes that uh didn’t connect, not uh not because of his doing. Uh, I thought, you know, for a guy that got the call in Grand Rapids on Sunday, got very little sleep on Sunday night and had, you know, played a few games for Rockford, knowing that their games are are usually Thursday, Fridays, Saturdays, and and Sundays. Uh, I thought he was one of the better players for the Blackhawks on Monday night. I I thought he was maybe the best Blackhawk forward in that first period. I think he had four shots or four shot attempts, two of them on goal, and a couple of them were were legit scoring chances. And so, right out of the gate, I thought he was excellent. And I think he said after morning skate, he’s like, “I didn’t get much sleep the night before, but my energy levels will be fine.” And he sure showed that in in the first period. And um let’s rewind to opening night roster. Remember when we had the conversation when the Hawks finalized their uh roster? Landon Slagger suffers a preseason injury in the preseason finale and you know we were having a conversation you know they the Hawks end up calling up Ryan Green and we were saying why not Oliver Moore like it feels like he could slide into that role and I think the Hawks wisely were playing the long game there like Oliver Moore could probably start on our roster right now but let’s just send him to Rockford get a little bit of seasoning and then we’ll call him up when we really need a hole and I feel like that’s worked out for both parties. Like Ryan Green has run with that opportunity here in Chicago. He hasn’t seen Rockford since. We’ll get to him in a little bit how how excellent he’s been on that top line with Bedard and Burkovski. But then Oliver Moore goes down to Rockford point per game player. Six goals is tied for third in the entire AHL prior to his callup. And so he comes to the NHL and his confidence is skyhigh. And so I just thought it was a win-win u for both parties. I think it was the callup came earlier than I thought it would. So whether or not this is going to be permanent, I think the Hawks are essentially saying like I think Oliver Moore even said after Morning Skate when Kyle Davidson sent him to Rockford, he said, “Make us make a spot for you.” And I know this in this situation, the spot necessarily wasn’t opened up for Oliver. It was because of Landon Slagert struggling and the injury to Jason Dickinson. But because a spot opened up and because Oliver has been playing so well in Rockford, it was like, well, let’s give this guy a shot and and call him up. And so Oliver Moore is going to have every opportunity to prove that he belongs in the NHL and he doesn’t see Rockford again. Yeah, I I um I I think that their timeline was expedited because of the Dickinson injury and and because he is such a key cog, um they looked at the skill set of of what you’re trying to replace and I I think that they thought, you know, they could have gone with Sceni. You know, they could have gone um, you know, Laferty could have dressed and played. He’s he’s missed almost every game but two I think as a healthy scratch. He could have gone some different ways. Uh but I think what Oliver did in the young campaign in Rockford um proved to them that you know he wants it. He’s ready for this opportunity. His confidence seemingly at a at a pretty high level and it it it certainly translated in that first 20 minutes. uh he was one of the best players on the ice and we’ll see if this is you know how long this lasts. I I don’t think any of us thought, you know, many of us had Ryan Green pegged for Rockford at the start of the season and then we had him pegged for a bottom six role with the Blackhawks once he made the roster and and that in large part was due to injury to Slagger and then now he’s been on the top line and and playing pretty well at that and and that line has been the best line for the Blackhawks over the last handful of games since Barakovsky uh was put on that line with Baddard and and Green’s been up there as well. So, you know, we’ll see how long this lasts for Oliver Moore, but um these are these are great uh so quote unquote problems to have, you know, having to accelerate um your timeline because a player is is performing at a high level at the AHL level and there is an opening and he has forced your hand, so to speak. And we’ve seen it work. You know, Nazar came up in a similar situation and um you know, Green certainly started this season in a similar situation. Pressed into action and he’s taken the ball and run with it. Yeah. Uh, and what I like the about what the Blackhawks did with Oliver Moore, too, is it’s really hard when the Hawks or just any NHL team, you send a guy to the AHL to the Miners and they’re playing topline minutes, you know, top power play, penalty kill, and then they get called up to play in the NHL and their first couple games they finish with like 10 or 11 minutes of ice time and it’s like, well, what was the purpose of that? But with Oliver Moore, Blashel even said in after morning skate availability, he’s like, oh, we’re not going to ease him in. We’re just going to throw him in there because we feel like he can be an impactful player. And you mentioned his ice time. He Oliver Moore had 16 minutes and 29 seconds of ice time. All 16 29 of those came at even strength. He didn’t see any power play or penalty kill time. And he actually took 23 shifts in the game. Conor Baddard took 22. So Moore took one more shift than Conor Bard did. And that because the Hawks are going 11 to seven, that allows them to to double shift Oliver Moore. And they they did like Baddard, Nazar, uh Moore got those extra shifts with that fourth line. And only Baddard and Tyler Bertusi logged more even strength minutes than Oliver Moore did in the game. So once Oliver gets up to speed on the new on the penalty kill system and might even get thrown out there for the second power play unit uh you know down the road, I could easily see him start to get into the 18, you know, 18ish minute range, which I think would be impactful for a guy like that. Two plus seasons in, we’ve been talking about on this podcast finding the the right fit, the right winger for Connor Baddard. I got to give the Blackhawks management and hockey ops department a ton of credit for the acquisition of Andre Burkovski. Uh they looked at a player who underperformed in Seattle do in large part to the injuries he was dealing with. They looked big picture at his success, winning two Stanley Cups, playing on top lines and second lines in Colorado and in Washington, playing with Oshi in Backstrom, playing with Nate McKinnon. and they thought that the his vision um his hockey IQ, the way he plays the game could and the way he transports the puck could be of great help to Connor Badar. taking the the transportation of the puck duties, take some of that off of Connor’s plate, accept some of that responsibility, and set 98 up to do what he does best and and that is score and playmake. And I’ll tell you in Andre Burikovski, I think they found Baddard’s wingman for the foreseeable future. Charlie. Yeah. I when they acquired him, I figured that Burkovsky was going to get a look on Connor Baddard’s line, but it wasn’t it wasn’t a trade that the Blackhawks made. And you’re like, there’s his winger. It’s kind of like, okay, there’s a potential guy that could be maybe the third option on that line with Baddard, but maybe not the complimentary piece. And it remains to be seen whether that’s going to be more of a longer term thing. But when we talk about long-term as far as this season, I mean that that’s a duo that I would I would not even be thinking about separating anytime soon. And you mentioned the the injuries that Burkovsky was dealing with in Seattle. It’s a It’s a funny thing because I feel like uh Burkovsky even said I think after last year’s trade deadline is when he finally started to feel like himself again, but he had spent three years in Seattle and it just had not gone well. That it’s one of those low moves by Kyle Davidson that he did yet again. It was a one for one trade for Joe Valeno. And if if I’m not mistaken, uh Seattle like cut him loose like right away. Right. Bought him out. Yeah. He’s gone. Yeah. And so it’s it was basically like here have him for free. It was a salary dump for them basically. For sure. And like think about the moves that Kyle Davidson has made for salary dumps. Jason Dickinson, Ilia McKay, and Andre Burkovski. And they’ve gotten future assets for him too. I mean th those are those should not go overlooked. And so credit to and and such key cogs in this team like we just talked about the MAV and Dickinson effect. And it would be the same situation with Barakovski. Not only did you acquire them for nothing, but they have become vital pieces to your a young team in its rebuild and the ability to take that next step or two and the chemistry he has with Connor Baddard is undeniable. uh the passing that the two of them put on display, the no look behind the back dishes that you know both have displayed to one another. It’s like they know where each other is on the ice and it’s it’s part of that east west game that we got so accustomed to seeing with Kane and and guys like De Brinkit um that and and just to listen to Baddard talk about playing with Barakovski, you know, it’s a different player than than just the ones that he’s played with in his brief NHL career. He speaks differently about Andre than he does any of the other linemates he has. Able to slow it down, able to speed it up when he wants to. It’s an appreciation for the skill set that Barovski has and the goal of the year in Winnipeg nominee. Uh you know, Baddard rifles that pass to Barakovski down low in front of the net. He accepts it on his forehand and then puts it between his legs and puts it over Hella. I mean, the the degree of difficulty in stages on that play is remarkable. Oh, it’s it’s unbelievable the skill level it takes to to pull that off. And I just wish that goal had come in a tight game because then it would have been all over the highlight reel, but because the Hawks were down and trailing, it was kind of just like, oh, that that was a cool moment that happened in that game. Um, you know, we’re talking a lot about Burkovsky’s skill, like his size, he the way he transports to puck, the way he skates, but such an underrated element of his game and why he’s working with Conor Bard is his hockey sense. Him and him and Connor think the game at a at such a higher level. Like, we’ve talked about this many times with Patrick Kane. like you can have all the skill in the world but if you don’t have the brains if you don’t think on the same wavelength as a guy like Patrick Kane or a guy like Connor Baddard it’s just not going to work and so Burkovski we can you know give his skill all the flowers but he is work he’s on a similar wavelength with Baddard and and I think that’s why it’s working so well and on the flip side we can add the third layer of this Ryan Green getting added to the line so they’ve been together now four games Pat here are the numbers when the four of them are on the ice at five on five. Shot attempts are 60- 43 in favor of the Blackhawks. That’s a +7 shot attempt differential. Shots on goal are 31-21 in favor of Chicago. A plus 10 shot on goal differential. Scoring chances are 32-30 Chicago plus two differential. And they’re outscoring their opponents 5 to one. So they every sing and I believe in every single game they’ve had they’ve been in the positive. So, it wasn’t just like one game where they had 17 shot attempts and three against. Like, it it’s been consistent all four games. I don’t know why it’s worked so well with Ryan Green because he’s a natural he’s a natural center. He gets pushed to the wing and you don’t really think that he’s a guy that could compliment those guys well, but we had Colin Frasier. He was doing our our WGN radio our our color color analyst for the last game and he said Green is one of those players that he does so many little things well that they just go unseen to the naked eye like him winning the board battle in Edmonton to set up Ardam Lechinoff and then Burkovsky like it just you you trace it back to what Ryan Green did and it’s not it’s not a flashy play it’s just he just won a board battle and so that trio has been surprisingly good together. Yeah, I that play that that Green made below the goal line, winning that puck battle I thought and then having the presence to to find Arty who who was coming down low uh was fantastic and and you know Green not known to be a prolific scorer. So, uh, at any level that he’s been a at. So, but he does all again, we we’ve talked about him. The reason why I think the Blackhawks had confidence in letting him start the season up here was his hockey IQ and his responsibility in all three zones. And that now has earned him this run on the top line. I want to talk about the play we saw in Seattle. the the epitome of of two elite players doing elite things occurred on Burkovsky’s latest goal. And I think now he’s got what three goals in three games. He’s got three goals and four assists in his last four games. Solderloom makes a great save and um Connor bring it begins the transition in the breakout chips to himself off the board. shows his his increased speed. He got up to 21.39 m an hour. Last year, his highest top speed rate was 21.44. He’s also getting to that rate, not going in a straight line. He’s going around a defender, chips to himself, and then doesn’t corral the puck. He almost chip passes it uh to Barakovski who buries it. this version of Connor Baddard. There are players around the National Hockey League that might be in a similar situation as Barakovsky was in. Maybe mired on a team where it’s just not a right fit or they have been through some struggles uh injury-wise. They’re looking at that type of play from 98 and saying, “I want to go to Chicago. I want to revive my career. come get me when I’m a free agent. Yes, I’m my my agent is going to call the Chicago Blackhawks. I think that that Bard has taken this thing to such another level levels that it’s it’s not only raised his stock, but it’s raised the Blackhawks as a a destination for um other high-end players. For sure. I even think of Jack Rosik in Edmonton. I mean that he did not he waited so long to sign a contract and he easily could have gone to another team with that offered more money more term but he waited out now probably wasn’t ideal for him he probably was sweating it a little bit but he goes to sign with Edmonton and he’s been he’s been awesome ever since he he’s been with the Oilers and that could I think he signed a one-year contract that could lead him to another significant like maybe not significant but a a a big jump in salary moving forward because he’s like I want to go play with Conor McDavid and Leon Dryidle like that’s that’s the you know Edmonton is not Florida or Tampa Bay where you’re going for the lifestyle you’re going because you want to play with the best players in the world and you want to go try to win a Stanley Cup similar to what’s going on in Chicago. I think I think people are starting to take notice of the growth of Conor Madard, the emergence of Frank Nazar, the stellar goalending of Spencer Knight, the pieces that the Blackhawks have assembled on the back end with Sam Renzel and Ardum Lechnoff and Wyatt Kaiser has been really impressive this this uh this season so far. So, it might not be uh hey, this coming summer is when everyone’s going to want to come to Chicago, but they are trending in that direction that Chicago is eventually going to become a destination where free agents are going to want to even possibly take less money to come because they want to go play for a winner and a perennial Stanley Cup contender. And we’ll get more into how great some of the Blackhawks prospects like Roman Canerof is doing and uh how Lardis has been uh he’s what AHL player of the week. Yeah, I think he was the AHL rookie of the month. Rookie of the month. Okay. Yeah. Yeah, you could you could make an argument that he Yeah, the hits just keep on coming and uh boy, it looks like cancer, man. the speed and skill that that guy has. Um, and like we’re hearing reports that that he, you know, he may make the jump to North America next year. By all indications are, uh, he’s going to have an opportunity to be a part of this this Blackhawks team. Yeah, I think he did. Uh, there was a story that came out out of Russia that he I guess said he intends to go come to North America uh, next season, which is great news obviously for for the Blackhawks. You know, I was thinking like all these prospects that are thriving. I’m like there’s no room for all of them. Like this is a great problem to have though if you’re champagne problems. Yeah. I want to continue on Badar because it it’s it’s a unique situation now he’ll play in his hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia on Wednesday night. And I can’t help but think a year ago in November this team was struggling. Connor was struggling. He went on Hockey Night in Canada’s after hours with Scott Oak after one of the worst games of his professional career. You talk about forgettable games that you’d want to put in the rearview mirror. That’s got to be at the top of the list. Frustration, you could tell, was affecting his game on the ice. Credit him. He did the interview and it is it’s the equivalent of of a sitdown interview after Sunday Night Football on NBC. It’s that big a deal. and to watch that interview and we dissected it on on this podcast and even on our pregame on TV and radio respectively. The weight of the world seemed to be on that young man’s shoulders and he was almost taking responsibility for the lack of scoring and the lack of success that the team had which you know was above and beyond what needed to be said. Yeah. Was he playing great? No, not really. But there were plenty of fingers to point around there. And I think about where he was a year ago and fast forward to now and what he went through in the off season, the changes he made to his game, the commitment he has made to the game defensively. I just think like what a difference a year makes. It is. I if we put if he did did a sit down with Scott Oak Wednesday night and you put those two videos side by side, you would think five years had collapsed because the body language, the way he speaks, the way he performs on the ice are totally different. Oh, he seems like he seems like a different player physically, mentally, confidence-wise. I was I I still to this day I have no idea how he comported himself so well in that interview given all that he went through in that first month of the season. I I mean we’ve seen Connor behind closed doors. He he can he he he’s uh he doesn’t like losing, right? And he can be, you know, he he he cannot be fun around when when they’re losing. And so you almost like when they win his mood is high, whatever, but when they’re losing he he’s not happy. and he’s just seems like such a different player this year that the individual growth that he has seen from himself mentally he he looks fresher. He looks like he’s letting his hair down a little bit like he’s just showing more of his personality. The team is playing much better. There’s a there’s a a coaching staff around him that’s really committed to uh helping him develop and on a one-on-one basis all those things. And so a great point out by you like just how much a year a different makes cuz I forgot that that happened almost a year ago, you know, two weeks prior to the day. So, um I’m curious to see how he’s going to perform in Vancouver on Wednesday night. It feels like he’s going to have extra jump in his step. He’s just playing more confident and um yeah, it’s it’s been it’s been fun to watch him early on. My wonder, so last year uh the Blackhawks had a similar situation where they got to Vancouver two nights before the game and he went to the team hotel and Ubered to the home that he grew up in and slept in his bed. I wonder if he did the same last night uh when the team arrived in Vancouver from Seattle. You think he’ll bring uh you think he brought Frank Nazar with him too? He’s got to keep the keep his roommate buddy uh happy. Um and then we’re going to see like Lucas Reichel for the first time since the trade and Lucas is off to uh to a bit of a slow start in Van. Yeah, he doesn’t have a single point yet uh through six games and he’s been centering the second line with Brock Besser and I believe it started with Evander Kane and it’s now Kefir Sherwood. So, um, he hasn’t played center in quite a while. Like, I know he played it a little bit for the Hawks last year when he was on that fourth line, but he wasn’t taking a significant amount of draws. You know, he he’s been he’s been taking draws for for Vancouver, and it’s been like 10 plus a game. And right now, I think he’s 41.3% at the dot um in his, you know, in the NHL this season. So, it’s not great, but it’ll be nice to to see Reicho. I’m I’m still rooting for him. I hope that he finds his home there in Vancouver and he can get to the level that I think I know that he can become. And I think deep down he knows that he can become. It just might take a while for him to get there. All right, have the coffee ready. Wednesday night, Connor Bernard’s hometown of Vancouver, Blackhawks in action next. It’s a 9:00 puck drop, 8:30 pregame on your respective radio and uh TV airwaves. And then it’s on to Calgary Friday and then a matinea on Sunday in the Motor City. We don’t know if Patrick Kane will be available for that. He’s been dealing with an upper body injury. Do the Bears play at noon on Sunday? Uh that’s a great question. Oh, yes. I think they do. They do. Yeah, that’s that’s going to be a tough one. Not not a fan of them going headtohead with the Bears. I’m not gonna lie to you. I love the matinea start, don’t get me wrong, but uh I I have I have some ADHD issues. I can only focus on so many things at once. And you’re making you’re making life hard when you’re putting the Blackhawks and the Bears headto head. Yeah. And I’m just looking at too the the Lions are in Washington on Sunday. It’s a 325 start. So that’s probably why for the Lions, isn’t it? Very convenient. Okay. Just as long as we don’t have the the overlay with with Detroit, but we’re going to have it in Chicago. All right. Uh let’s see the Hawks go win two out of three in these final three. I think that would be uh you would take that as a win, especially considering Calgary is in the basement of the Western Conference. I I I like that. I think get at least three out of a possible six points in the final um the final three games here. But I I agree. Six four. All right. I like it. That is going to do it for the Blackhawks Breakaway podcast brought to you by Toyota. For Charlie Romelotus, I’m Pat Bole. Thank you for watching and listening and we will catch you next time. [Music]

On this episode of the Blackhawks Breakaway Podcast, Pat Boyle and Charlie Roumeliotis break down the first half of the Blackhawks’ season-long six-game road trip and try to make sense of their 0-2-1 start. They share what made Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday so unique with Blackhawks-Oilers coinciding with Game 7 of the World Series between the Blue Jays and Dodgers and how Rogers Place aired the baseball game on the scoreboard during play.

Pat and Charlie also dive into Andre Burakovsky’s fit alongside Connor Bedard, what’s different about Bedard’s return to his hometown of Vancouver this year, and whether Oliver Moore’s recent call-up could stick. Plus, a look at Lukas Reichel’s first six games with the Canucks as he faces his former team for the first time.

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