Over the weekend, Chicago Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson attended the 2026 NHL Scouting Combine to interview and get another look at the top prospects in this year’s draft class. He also spoke with a few media members for the first time since April’s exit interviews, providing an update on his mentality and goals for the offseason.
More in the links for all the noteworthy tidbits from the Combine in Buffalo, New York.
Around the league, the Los Angeles Kings are narrowing in on a new head coach, a surprise candidate was named for the Maple Leafs job, while Dylan Larkin’s top trade destinations have been named.
All that & more in the Daily!
Blackhawks Offseason, News & Trade Rumors
Chicago Hockey Now: After a relatively quiet month of May for the Blackhawks, June started with a bang. Forward prospect Jack Pridham, who just helped lead the Kitchener Rangers to OHL & Memorial Cup titles, was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a 2027 third-round pick. Here’s the hows and whys of the Pridham saga coming to a disappointing end.
More CHN: The 2026 NHL Draft is less than three weeks away, and there have been multiple reports that the Blackhawks are willing to trade the fourth pick for one specific return.
More CHN: The free-agent market doesn’t possess much star power, but there are still players who fit the Blackhawks’ needs for next season. Here are five UFA forward targets for GM Kyle Davidson when free agency begins on July 1.
Chicago Sun-Times: Ben Pope was one of the Blackhawks’ beat writers who traveled to Buffalo for the NHL Scouting Combine this weekend. He sat down with Davidson to touch on various topics and also offered notes from what he saw/heard in Buffalo.
Following the Scouting Combine, the NHL Network released its top 32 rankings for the 2026 NHL Draft Class on Sunday night. Ivar Stenberg was ranked as the second-best forward behind only Gavin McKenna, while Chase Reid earned top defenseman honors.
NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now
NHL Network: While we’re still on the Scouting Combine, here are 10 things that were learned from this weekend in Buffalo. Stenberg explained why he didn’t participate in fitness testing, while a slew of top prospects are set to attend the Stanley Cup Final.
Sportsnet: For those interested, here’s a write-up on the results from every drill at the Scouting Combine on Saturday. Grip strength, height and wingspan measurements, and more are included.
TSN: Okay, back to on-ice activities. The Vegas Golden Knights dodged a serious scare in Game 3 over the weekend, and it perhaps kept Mitch Marner’s Conn Smyth run intact. Should the Knights go on to win the Stanley Cup, is it now sealed that Marner will be named Playoff MVP?
Detroit Hockey Now: Kevin Allen from DHN wrote up the teams with the best chances of acquiring star forward Dylan Larkin, now that it’s been made public that he wants out of Detroit.
ProHockeyRumors: Peter Laviolette, who recently interviewed for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ vacant head coaching gig, is believed to be an emerging candidate for the Los Angeles Kings position. It’s reportedly down to Laviolette, interim DJ Smith, and Jay Woodcroft.
Daily Faceoff: On Sunday’s episode of 32 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman reported that the Maple Leafs also have future Hall-of-Fame forward Joe Pavelski on their radar for next head coach. Interesting. The Leafs apparently see Pavelski similarly to how the Montreal Canadiens viewed Martin St. Louis before naming him as their bench boss a few years ago.
ESPN: For the fifth time in his career, Connor McDavid was named the Ted Lindsay Award winner as the NHL’s most outstanding player as voted on by his peers. Macklin Celebrini and Nathan MacKinnon were second and third in voting, respectively.
More NHL.com: While celebrating his 38th Birthday, Milan Lucic announced his reitrement after playing 17 NHL seasons. Lucic, who won the Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 2011, played in 1,177 regular-season games and tallied 586 points (233G, 353A).
New Jersey Hockey Now: Paperwork snags and a tight deadline ultimately crushed a trade between the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs involving Matthew Knies. That nixxed deal provided an opportunity for other teams to see what a potential package for Knies would look like, including the New Jersey Devils.
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