The Blackhawks have only played one preseason game so far, but they already have an idea of their NHL and AHL rosters heading into the regular season. Thursday’s practice at Fifth Third Arena provided a first look at which players are fighting for an NHL job, and who’s likely to begin the season with the Rockford IceHogs.
Also in Blackhawks news, Connor Bedard was a special guest in a recent Sherwood Hockey YouTube video!
Around the league, the Florida Panthers captain suffered an injury, Mitch Marner made his preseason debut with Vegas, and Zdeno Chara returned to the Bruins.
All that & more in the Daily!
Chicago Blackhawks Trade Rumors, News & Tidbits
Chicago Hockey Now: Less than two weeks remain until the regular season begins against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions. Ahead of the team’s second preseason game this weekend, head coach Jeff Blashill showcased which Blackhawks’ players are expected to begin the year in the NHL.
More CHN: ICYMI, the Blackhawks made their first round of training camp cuts on Wednesday morning, trimming the roster down to 49 players.
Connor Bedard sat down with Sherwood Hockey for their new “Unfiltered” series on YouTube recently. The 2023 No. 1 overall pick discussed his game-day routine, life in Chicago, and preferences for his hockey stick. Check it out!
NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now
The Athletic: Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold shut down any questions regarding the contract situation with star forward Kirill Kaprizov on Thursday. Yikes. Not sure he handled that properly.
NHLdotcom: Dallas Stars’ captain Jamie Benn will be out for at least four weeks after suffering a collapsed lung in the team’s 3-2 OT win against the Wild on Tuesday. Benn needs to undergo surgery and will miss the start of the 2025-26 season.
The Athletic: Mark Lazerus visited both the Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights amidst their reported interest in recently acquitted players Michael McLeod and Carter Hart. The two organizations couldn’t have handled the situation any differently, while a few players spoke on how they would be embraced in the locker room.
Vegas Hockey Now: Speaking of Vegas, Mitch Marner made his preseason debut with the Golden Knights on Thursday. Marner recorded a primary assist on Jack Eichel’s goal in the team’s 3-2 win over the Utah Mammoth. Hannah Kirkell wrote up the key observations from the game.
Boston Hockey Now: Big Z! The Boston Bruins announced that legendary defenseman Zdeno Chara has joined the front office in a Hockey Operations role.
Florida Hockey Now: The Florida Panthers will be without Matthew Tkachuk for the start of the regular season. Now, they might be down their captain, too. Aleksander Barkov left Thursday’s practice with a right knee injury, and it didn’t look pretty.
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