Chicago

Blackhawks

Luypen recorded 29 goals and 64 points in 66 games with the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings during the 2021-22 season. He also picked up nine points in 19 playoff matches. Chicago selected the 20-year-old forward in the seventh round (216th overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft.

Plante spent five years with Chicago as a player development coach from 2015-20. He has worked on the coaching staff of the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs before and after being part of the Blackhawks organization.

The doesn’t necessarily mean that there won’t be though. The Blackhawks engaged in a fire sale this summer, so there’s been plenty of speculation that Kane and Jonathan Toews might ultimately ask to be traded. So far though, it doesn’t appear that Kane has made such a request. Keep in mind that Kane has a full no-movement clause, so he has a lot of control over the situation.

“To be honest with you, as soon as you guys hired Luke Richardson as your head coach, I called my agent and said: ‘Hey, I want to go to Chicago,’” Domi said. “I kind of got on the horn from there and spoke to them a little bit and right before free agency started, a deal was in place and was ready to go. I’m super happy to be in Chicago.” Clearly Domi had fond memories of working for Richardson back when they were both part of the Montreal Canadiens. Domi had 28 goals and 72 points in 2018-19 while Richardson was one of his assistant coaches, so maybe the Blackhawks new bench boss can help Domi turn his career around.

The 2021-22 campaign was particularly rough for Mrazek. He posted a 3.34 GAA and .888 save percentage in 20 games, which led to the Maple Leafs sending him to Chicago in an effort to save cap space. Toronto even bundled the 2022 25th overall pick in exchange for the 38th overall selection as a sweetener to get Chicago to take his contract. The silver lining in all this for Mrazek is that he has an opportunity with the Blackhawks to serve as the starting goaltender, provided he can bounce back. “I’m looking forward to playing a lot of games, hopefully,” Mrazek said. “It’s been a tough two seasons with injuries, so that’s something I want to put aside and have fun on the ice and enjoy every moment because being hurt is not fun. It sucks. That’s something I’m positive about. I want to play as many games as I can and we’ll go from there.”

Toews has one season left on his contract before he has the option to test the free agent market. Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson has expressed interest in Toews being kept on to help guide the rebuild, but Toews seems reluctant to participate in that. “At the end of the day, we’re talking about a five-plus-year process, according to Kyle,” Toews said. “So that part of it doesn’t sound appealing to me at all. I can’t speak for Kaner, but I definitely feel that the amount of turnover our team has gone through every single year these last three or four years, that’s where it gets really, really draining. And exhausting. You have a guy like Alex DeBrincat who was under Kaner’s wing. And I like to think that Kirby and I had that bond in some ways, too. And out they go, out the door. Over and over, we’ve seen that turnover. I’m learning to be more patient, but there’s no doubt that timeline is pretty daunting, and pretty exhausting to think about. So I’m not going to sit here and say what I’m going to do or what the future holds for me, because I really don’t know.” He recently turned 34, so if Chicago is looking at a five-year rebuild, then he might not have another good chance to compete with them before he retires. With that in mind, it’s not unreasonable to think that he might sign elsewhere next summer.

Robinson can earn $750,000 in the NHL or $450,000 at the AHL level. He had a goal and six points in 32 contests with Anaheim in 2021-22. He also scored four goals and nine points in 28 AHL contests.

Sikura has an assist in five games with the Colorado Avalanche. At the AHL level, he scored 33 goals and 73 points in 60 contests.

The Blackhawks have engaged in a fire sale, but two players not included in it have been Kane and Toews. Those two players have full no-movement clause, so they control their future and so far they haven’t decided what they want. “While they’re not necessarily in agreement with the direction the team is taking, they will let the dust settle first and then patiently make the best decisions . . . [for] their respective careers,” agent Pat Brisson, who represents Kane and Toews, said. If Kane demands a trade, there should be interest in him, especially if Chicago is willing to retain part of his cap hit. However, the final season of Toews’ contract at a $10.5 million contract might be unmovable at this time. Toews could be dealt at the trade deadline though, depending on how his season goes.

Stalock missed a chunk of the 2021-22 campaign because of a COVID-related heart condition. When he was able to play, he struggled in both the AHL and during a very brief stint in the NHL. That said, he’s been a decent backup before and he figures to go into training camp with a chance to make the Blackhawks in that role.