The Chicago Blackhawks took care of one of their three remaining restricted free agents on Thursday. Their new starting goaltender is ranked high on a new list, while one young netminder gets a new deal, and a veteran heads overseas for next season. Happy Friday! Here are your Chirps.

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Blackhawks Chirps

The Blackhawks signed defenseman Louis Crevier to a two-year, one-way contract worth a total of $1.8 million. Since he’s earned a one-way deal, he’ll get paid the same whether he’s in Chicago or with the Rockford IceHogs. The 6-foot-8 blueliner has developed into a nice depth player for the Blackhawks. This leaves defenseman Wyatt Kaiser and goaltender Arvid Soderblom as the remaining unsigned RFAs.

NHL.com revealed its rankings of the Top 10 goaltenders under the age of 25. Blackhawks netminder Spencer Knight is second on the list, only behind Dustin Wolf of the Calgary Flames. The upcoming season will be Knight’s first as a No. 1 and the final year of his current contract.

On this date in 2000, the Blackhawks signed veteran forward Valeri Zelepukin, who had spent the previous season with the Philadelphia Flyers. This was the fourth and final stop in his 10-season NHL career. He scored just three goals and seven points in 36 games with the Blackhawks.

In 2008, Jonathan Toews was named the 35th captain in franchise history. At just 20 years and 79 days, Toews was the youngest captain in Blackhawks’ history and, at the time, the third-youngest in league history. We all know that things worked out fairly well for both sides. As revealed on Wednesday, Toews will play his first game at the United Center as a member of the Winnipeg Jets on Jan. 19.

Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, July 18: Gord McFarlane

NHL Chirps

Yegor Chinakov’s agent, Shumi Babaev, took to social media to reveal that his client has requested a trade. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reported that Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell is aware of the request and has already begun trade talks. The 24-year-old winger was a surprise first-round pick back in 2020. He’s been a fairly productive player, scoring 34 goals and 71 points in 175 games. Chinakov’s biggest issue has been staying healthy, as he’s missed large chunks of the previous four seasons with various injuries. Despite the injury history, he should still fetch a nice return of a mid-round picks or a similar “change of scenery” type player.

Yegor Chinakhov:
I had some misunderstandings with the coach during the season. Now I would be glad to have a trade. I would like to move to a different location.
Will I return to Russia? As long as I can play in the NHL, I will keep developing here @BlueJacketsNHL pic.twitter.com/DQ1qU2oHFb

— Shumi Babaev Agency (@BabayevShumi) July 17, 2025

Goaltender Louis Domingue has signed a one-year contract with Sibir Novosibirsk of the KHL. The 33-year-old netminder has played in 144 career NHL games with the Arizona Coyotes, Tampa Bay Lightning, New Jersey Devils, Vancouver Canucks, Flames, Pittsburgh Penguins, and New York Rangers. He is best remembered for his “spicy pork and broccoli” interview during a triple-overtime playoff game in 2022.

Staying in the crease, the Anaheim Ducks signed goaltender Lukas Dostal to a five-year, $32.5 million contract. The 2018 third-round pick is the franchise netminder for Anaheim. He is 42-58-13 in his career with a .902 save percentage, 3.29 goals-against average, and two shutouts.

It was no secret that the Canucks needed to shed salary heading into the 2025-26 season. On Thursday, they traded forward Dakota Joshua to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a 2028 fourth-round pick.  The 29-year-old power forward has 40 goals and 78 points in 241 career NHL games. He’s signed through the 2027-28 season with a $3.25 million salary cap hit.

NHL Birthday Roll Call, July 18: Ted Harris, Don Awrey, Dennis Seidenberg, Jamie Benn, Victor Olofsson, and Miro Heiskanen.