Happy Game Day, Chicago Bears fans! The Ben Johnson Era in Chicago officially begins tonight on Monday Night Football with a NFC North Divisional matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. I don’t know about you, but I already have serious butterflies in my stomach early this morning. After being labeled the ‘Kings of the Offseason’ once again, it’s finally time for the Bears to hit the field and show us if this year is really going to be different.
Of course, Week 1 of the NFL means that hockey season isn’t too far down the road, either! The Chicago Blackhawks are now just 15 days away from their preseason opener against the Detroit Red Wings on September 23rd. But before then, we’ll get our first little taste of Blackhawks hockey this weekend in Minnesota when the prospects hit the ice for the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase. Training camp is also expected to commence next Wednesday at Fifth Third Arena in Chicago.
Around the league, the NHL Trade Deadline has a date for the 2026 season, the Calgary Flames inked RFA Connor Zary to a three-year deal, and the Montreal Canadiens have cap space-o-plenty after moving Carey Price off their books over the weekend. All that and more in my first edition of Jack’s Daily with Chicago Hockey Now!
Chicago Blackhawks News & Tidbits
The Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase opens up at TRIA Rink at Treasure Island Center in downtown St. Paul on Friday, where the Chicago Blackhawks, Minnesota Wild, and St. Louis Blues prospects will be in attendance. Zeev Buium and Danila Yurov are the standout prospects for the Wild, while Dalibor Dvorsky, Justin Carbonneau, and Otto Stenberg lead the way for the Blues. The Blackhawks have yet to release a roster for the Showcase but will likely do so early this week, and possibly even later today. Personally, I’m very excited to see how OHL 70-goal scorer Nick Lardis fares as he makes the leap to professional hockey. Assuming he’ll be there, of course. We’ll see the Blackhawks’ prospects in action on Saturday, September 13th at 6pm CT against the Blues, and on Sunday, September 14th at 3pm CT against the Wild.
Last Friday, the Blackhawks announced their Inaugural Hall of Fame Class as part of the franchise’s Centennial Season, and two legends in Duncan Keith and Steve Larmer were voted in! Keith and Larmer join all of the Blackhawks greats whose numbers have been retired by the organization over the years, including Glenn Hall, Pierre Pilote, Keith Magnuson, Chris Chelios, Bobby Hull, Denis Savard, Stan Mikita, Tony Esposito, and Marian Hossa. The Blackhawks will honor their Inaugural Hall of Fame Class at the United Center against the St. Louis Blues on April 11th.
The Blackhawks also had single-game tickets go on sale Friday via Ticketmaster for the upcoming 2025-26 season. As a reminder, 17 of the Blackhawks’ 41 home games this year feature a giveaway for fans (12 gate, 5 atrium), headlined by the return of bobble heads and player pins. Tons of fun will be had at the United Center this season in celebration of the franchise’s 100th anniversary!
In Blackhawks prospects news, 2023 2nd-round pick Roman Kantserov and Metallurg Magnitogorsk opened up the KHL regular season on Saturday with a 4-3 win over Ak Bars Kazan. As he did throughout preseason action, Kantserov centered the team’s top line but failed to record a point in the victory. Kantserov was among the best U21 players in the entire KHL last season, tallying 38 points (13G, 25A) in 47 games. However, he was utilized mostly on the wing in 2024-25, and I’m very interested to see how he fares down the middle this year. Kantserov is expected to make the leap over to North America once his KHL contract expires with Metallurg Magnitogorsk at the end of this season.
Blackhawks 2025 1st-round pick Anton Frondell played left wing on Djurgardens’ 3rd line during a preseason game on Saturday, skating alongside his good buddy Victor Eklund. From what I’ve been able to see, Frondell has looked sharp in the SHL preseason thus far, which is impressive considering the jump in competition from the HockeyAllsvenskan league he played in last year. Frondell and Djurgardens are set to open up the SHL regular season this Saturday.
NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now
According to Pierre LeBrun, the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline is set for Friday, March 6th. Mark those calendars! The Blackhawks are at home taking on the Vancouver Canucks at 7:30pm CT that evening. I think there’s a strong chance Connor Murphy isn’t in the Blackhawks’ lineup for that contest. Jason Dickinson, Ilya Mikheyev, Sam Lafferty, and captain Nick Foligno are all veterans on expiring contracts who also could be on the move come the Trade Deadline.
The NHL trade deadline has been set for Friday, March 6.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) September 6, 2025
Connor Zary and the Calgary Flames agreed to a three-year deal carrying a $3.775 million cap hit over the weekend. That now leaves only five RFAs in the NHL that have yet to sign a new contract, including Blackhawks’ defenseman Wyatt Kaiser. Even though it’s taking much longer than anticipated, I still expect Kaiser and Chicago to work out a deal before camp begins next week. Kaiser recorded 8 points (4G, 4A) in 57 NHL games last season, and I thought he responded well to the team’s more aggressive playing style under interim head coach Anders Sorensen. New head coach Jeff Blashill is expected to utilize a similar style this year, which I believe will allow Kaiser to thrive with his offensive instincts.
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: What will the Pittsburgh Penguins defense look like to start the 2025-26 regular season? Dan Kingerski projected the Penguins’ blue line for PHN.
Montreal Hockey Now: The Montreal Canadiens dealt Carey Price to the San Jose Sharks last week. How does this impact the Habs financially moving forward? Marc Dumont breaks down all angles of the Carey Price trade.
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