DRAFT PROSPECTS HOCKEY

Category: New NHL Features

  • NHL All-Star Replacement Concept For 2029

    After 4 Nations it became apparent to me that the All-Star game needed a change and with my background in event creation and tournament organizing from working in esports, I decided to give it a shot myself. I originally finished my idea around late March of this year, but only put it all down in a PowerPoint pitch deck. After some free time over the summer I decided to put it into an article style format. For those wondering I will be talking about the new All-Star changes at the end of my article. Please enjoy.

    The Idea: Split NHL players into 8 teams based on birthplace. (4 NA & 4 EU) in a Winner Takes All tournament. Starting roster sizes: 8F, 4D, 2G.

    Team Makeup:

    • Canada East & West 
    • America East & West 
    • Europe East (Belarus, Latvia, Russia) 
    • Europe Central (Czechia, Germany, Slovakia, Switzerland)
    • Sweden-Denmark
    • Finland-Norway

    Format:
    A Group Stage will be held to determine seeding. Stating with two groups one in  North America and the other in Europe. Games in the Group Stage will be 3-on-3 with 10 minute periods until the end of the Group Stage. Once the Group Stage ends, elimination games begin. The winning teams will pick 2 forwards and 1 defenseman from the losing the team. Semi-Final games will be 4-on-4, with 15 minute periods and a roster size of 10F, 5D, 2G. The Final game will be a full 5-on-5 game with normal 20 minute periods and a full NHL roster size of 12F, 6D, 2G. All games are best of 1. Ties at the end of regulation will be determined by 5 Min OT and a shootout if needed, except for the Semi-Final and Final.

    Group Stage LocationsQF and SF LocationsFinals Location
    NA (Seattle, Calgary)NA (Detroit, Buffalo)Toronto or Montreal
    EU (Bern, Prague, Budapest)EU (Riga, Copenhagen)
    • Climate Pledge Arena (Seattle), Scotia Place (Calgary)
    • PostFinance-Arena (Bern), O2 Arena (Prague), MVM Dome (Budapest)
    • Little Caesars Arena (Detroit), KeyBank Center (Buffalo)
    • Xiaomi Arena (Riga), Royal Arena (Copenhagen)

    As you might have already put together, we start out West in North America and move East. In Europe we start in Switzerland and move East before going North to Latvia and finishing in Denmark. Know lets take a look at a possible schedule.

    Trade Freeze: Jan 30st 2029 –  Feb 12th 2029.

    Dates:

    Feb 1st
    – NA Media Day & Travel day for EU players

    Feb 2nd
    – EU Media Day & Game Day 1 NA (1v2,2v3,3v4)
    – Final Travel Day For EU Players

    Feb 3rd
    – Game Day 1 EU (1v2,3v4)
    – NA Travel to Calgary, EU Travel to Prague after

    Feb 4th
    – Game Day 2 NA (1v4,1v3,2v4), EU (1v3,2v4)
    – EU Travel to Budapest

    Feb 5th
    – Game Day 3 EU (1v4,2v3)
    – EU Travel to Riga, NA Travel to Detroit

    Feb 6th
    – Day Off

    Feb 7th
    – Game Day 4 NA (S1vS4,S2vS3), EU (S1vS4,S2vS3)
    – EU Travel to Copenhagen, NA Travel to Buffalo

    Feb 8th
    – Game Day 5 NA (SF1vSF2), EU (SF1vSF2)
    – EU Travels back to NA, NA Travel to TOR/MTL

    Feb 9th
    – Day Off (maybe Skills Comp)

    Feb 10th
    – Final Game

    Now I know what you’re thinking. What would some potential rosters look like for these teams? Well I threw some together for you just for the sake of seeing what they could be in 2029.

    Eastern Canada All-Stars

    F: Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, Mitchell Marner, Brad Marchand, Sidney Crosby, Wyatt Johnston, Mark Scheifele & Beckett Sennecke.
    D: Matthew Schaefer, Evan Bouchard, Thomas Chabot & Noah Dobson.
    G: Scott Wedgewood & Jet Greaves.

    Western Canada All-Stars

    F: Brandon Hagel, Brayden Point, Seth Jarvis, Macklin Celebrini, Connor Bedard, Jordan Eberle, Gavin McKenna & Dylan Cozens.
    D: Devon Towes, Cale Makar, Josh Morrissey & Travis Sanheim.
    G: Darcy Kuemper & Joel Hofer

    Eastern American All-Stars

    F: Kyle Connor, Jack Eichel, Alex Tuch, Matt Boldy, Jack Hughes, Clayton Keller, Trevor Zegras & Ryan Leonard.
    D: Quinn Hughes, Adam Fox, Jackson LaCombe & Zach Werenski.
    G: Jake Oettinger & Joey Daccord.

    Western American All-Stars

    F: Matthew Knies, Auston Matthews, Jason Robertson, Brady Thachuk, Tage Thompson, Matthew Thachuk, Jake Guentzel & Troy Terry.
    D: Jacob Slavin, Seth Jones, Jake Sanderson & Neal Pionk.
    G: Dustin Wolf & Jeremy Swayman.

    Central European All-Stars

    F: Leon Draisitl, Martin Necas, David Pastrnak, Kevin Fiala, Tim Stutzle, Juraj Slafkovsky, Marco Rossi & Dalibor Dvorsky.
    D: Roman Josi, Moritz Seider, Filip Hronek & Simon Nemec.
    G: Karel Vejmelka & Philipp Grubauer.

    Eastern European All-Stars

    F: Kirill Kaprizov, Aliaksei Protas, Nikita Kucherov, Matvei Michkov, Danila Yurov, Ivan Demidov, Pavel Dorofeyev & Vitali Pinchuk.
    D: Alexander Nikishin, Aytyom Levshunov, Dmitri Simashev & Alberts Smits.
    G: Ilya Sorokin & Arturs Silovs

    Finland-Norway All-Stars

    F: Artturi Lehkonen, Aleksander Barkov, Mikko Rantanen, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Sebastian Aho, Kaapo, Kakko, Benjamin Rautiainen & Anton Lundell.
    D: Miro Heiskanen, Henri Jokiharju, Esa Lindell & Emil Lilleberg.
    G: Juuse Saros & Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.

    Sweden-Denmark All-Stars

    F: Ivar Stenburg, Leo Carlsson, William Nylander, Nikolaj Ehlers, William Eklund, Lucas Raymond, Oscar Fisker Molgaard & Anton Frondell.
    D: Philip Broberg, Rasmus Dahlin, Victor Hedman & Erik Karlsson.
    G: Filip Gustavsson & Mads Sogaard.

    Now lets tie everything up with a Q&A and address the new All-Start format for 2027.

    How are teams made?

    Teams are made up from players’ birth location or hometown. For Canada and the USA it would be best to define a line that splits the population of NHL players so that East and West side represent 50-50 of their NHL player populations. Exceptions may apply to a player like William Nylander who was born in Calgary but is known to play for Sweden so he may be a part of the Sweden-Denmark team. And if a player outside of NA or EU is voted in we can make adjustments to the teams requirements. Fans can vote from a list of player who they want to see play. A captain will be assigned to each team, they will choose the players they take from the other teams during the elimination games.

    Will PWHL players participate?

    This entirely depends on if schedules align. I for one think the PWHL should have its own All-Star game, but for the sake of the argument let’s say they do. I think each team would get 1 player with the same rules applying for selection  based off birth place.  However, they would only play in the group stage so that
    1) They aren’t away from their PWHL teams for too long. & 2) So final rosters remain 12F, 6D, 2G.

    Why are so many games in the EU?

    There are equal amount of games in the EU so that the NHL can generate more revenue and grow the game more in Europe by showing off its European talent. It would do good to spread the game as much as possible while the NHL seems to plan on expanding again very soon.

    Are Russians allowed to play?

    Yes, Russian players are allowed to play as this isn’t an international competition representing a single country, this is an All-Star game representing NHLers from  all over the world and those from Russia are welcomed to play.

    Why can’t European teams be made up of one country?

    The simple answer is that it makes representation from more European countries easier. Both Sweden and Finland could have their own teams but it’s about celebrating as many NHLers as possible. On top of making it easier to have 8 teams participating.

    Skills Competition?

    I think after 4 Nations it really showed that the Skills Competition is a really outdated concept and with NHL Edge we can see all the interesting aspects of fastest skater and harvest shot. That being said you could host it on the day before the Final Game.

    What do the winners get?

    This is TBD maybe a large sum of money (maybe even a charity donation to the winners choosing) but the 4 Nations trophy could be used for this event.

    Finally the NHL announced on June 2nd, 2026 that a new format for the All-Star will be introduced. At a first glance its a good step in the right direction. They are capitalizing on the success of the 4 Nations event by using 5 Nations (1 being the Rest Of World). However, I think if they are obviously playing it safe. I want them to go a step further, it needs to expand. An All-Star Weekend isn’t going to get the same amount of engagement and attention. Expanding to 8 teams and playing games across NA & EU, they will be able to sell more tickets and make the event more worthwhile. All while keeping it a similar length of break in the season that the Olympics causes to keep the schedule consistent every year would be a good thing. That being said, I’m excited to see how the 2027 All-Star event goes.

    That concludes my concept for the 2029 All-Star game. Thank you for spending the time to read it if you made it this far.

  • Nick Lardis Could Be a Star for the Blackhawks

    It is a rare occurrence for junior players, let alone a diminutive third-round pick, to make an almost seamless transition to pro hockey. Yet Chicago Blackhawks prospect Nick Lardis has done just that for the Rockford IceHogs to start the 2025/2026 season.

    Lardis currently leads the IceHogs and all AHL rookies in goals (11) and points (22). His statistical profile is extremely encouraging so far, but it only tells a small part of the story.

    The 20-year-old’s standout attribute is his laser of a shot, if that was not made clear by the 71 goals he scored last year. The speed at which he fires the puck is unbelievable as is his accuracy. Lardis certainly loves one-timing pucks from the right circle on the power play, but he can score in a variety of ways and scenarios (wrist-shots, catch-and-release plays & tap-ins).

    Besides for his shot, one of the reasons Lardis is able to rack up points is due to his mastery of finding and exploiting space. He’s able to find open ice at the right times, and capitalizes either by using his shot to score or by drawing opposing players to himself and finding teammates with his distribution skills. Lardis is also a plus level skater which combined with his high hockey sense allows for him to get to said open ice with ease.

    The big questions with Lardis are his size/physicality and defensive play. At only 5’11” and 185 pounds he struggles in board battles and puck protection. Additionally, his defensive habits and reads are far from perfect and clearly need some refinement.

    However, the good news is that Lardis is improving in both categories, especially defensively, according to IceHogs Head Coach Jared Nightingale. “Before he started putting points up his play away from the puck and defensive game [impressed me]. He scored 70 goals in junior but his care and hockey IQ away from the puck, I think that’s what really got his game going.”


    He is likely competing with fellow prospect Roman Kantserov for the last spot in their future top six, and whoever loses that battle is likely traded out of Chicago. If Lardis continues to lean into his strengths while also improving his weaknesses, it’s not difficult to see a future where he’s in the top six next to Connor Bedard or Frank Nazar.

  • Buffalo Sabres Failed to Capitalize on their 2015-2016 Core

    A failure to reap what you sow. How the Buffalo Sabres have failed to capitalize on their 2015-2016 core.

    With the relocation of the Arizona Coyotes to Utah the Buffalo Sabres stand alone as the biggest joke in the NHL. The team has failed to make the playoffs the past 14 seasons and has a combined record of 424-525-126 (.453PTS%) during that time. Given the team’s 7-8-4 start to the 2025-2026 season, it seems inevitable that the drought will hit 15 seasons. They are currently tied with the NY Jets for the longest active playoff drought in North American sports, the last playoff game the Sabres played was on April 26th, 2011. To put this into perspective Rio was the number 1 movie at the box office, E.T by Katy Perry was number 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100, and if you were born on that day you would be a freshman in high school currently.

    The odd thing with Buffalo is that unlike a lot of teams that get stuck in a never ending rebuild they have actually had players that should have been capable of leading them out of the rebuild and back into the playoff hunt. The most notable examples of this are Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart, Sam Reinhart was drafted 2nd overall in 2014 and Eichel was drafted 2nd overall in 2015. Now while Edmonton definitely got the 2 best players out of these drafts with Draisaitl 3rd overall in 2014 and McDavid 1st overall in 2015 the Sabres were still quite happy with the two young players that they had drafted. They had also acquired a young highly promising center in Ryan O’Reilly who had already been very good on some bad Avalanche teams. During the 2015-2016 season Buffalo began to show some improvement, the team finished 35-36-11 which is bad in a vacuum but when you realize that they went 23-51-8 the year before it’s a pretty big step forward. Their young players in O’Reilly, Eichel, and Reinhart, led the team in scoring. It seemed like the future was bright in Buffalo, that with a few more pieces that they could turn themselves into a regular contender for the Stanley Cup, by the start of the 2021 season every single one of those players would be gone. O’Reilly lost his love for the game in Buffalo and was traded to St. Louis on July 1st, 2018 where he won the Conn Smythe and led them to their first ever Stanley Cup.

    On November 4th, 2021 Jack Eichel was traded to Vegas after the Sabre’s refused to let him get the surgery his personal doctor recommended, he won the Stanley Cup with Vegas during the 2022-2023 season leading the team in scoring during both the regular season and the playoffs. Reinhart is now a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Florida Panthers and led the team in regular season scoring during those two seasons. Since leaving Buffalo those 3 players they have combined for 4 Stanley Cups, 432 goals, and 1032 points. The sad part is these are far from the only players that Buffalo has wasted in this time span, other names include. Evander Kane, Robin Lehner, Linus Ullmark, Rasmus, Kyle Okposo, Dmitry Kulikov, Evan Rodrigues, Jake McCabe, Casey Mittelstadt, Jeff Skinner etc. They are currently wasting the talents of Dahlin and Tage Thompson among others, the sad thing is that there is no end in sight, the culture of the Sabers has been completely destroyed. Losing isn’t only acceptable at this point it’s expected. This organization needs open heart surgery, but it’s worried about leaving a scar on its chest. The only way I could see things improving is if the team is sold and even then, it would require a serious gutting of the organization.

  • Analyzing the rest of Kyle Davidson’s Tenure as GM of the Chicago Blackhawks

    In my previous article for Draft Pros I went over Kyle Davidson’s first two seasons and draft classes as general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks. In this article I plan to cover the rest of his tenure up to the current day. Including his 2024 free agency class, 2024 draft class, and we will also cover the 2024-2025 season. 

    The 2024 offseason was definitely a controversial one in hindsight. To give some context after Conor Bedard’s phenomenal rookie season it seemed like the team wanted to provide him immediate help for the next campaign. The problem was none of the major prospects the Blackhawks had in their system were ready for the NHL. While Korchinski was also an NHLer during the 2023-2024 season it was clear that he would be starting the next season in Rockford after a poor rookie campaign where he struggled mightily defensively and only put up 15P in 76GP that season. I feel like it’s worth pointing out that one of the main reasons Korchinski made the Hawks to begin with is that the team felt he was too good to go back to the WHL, and also Korchinski’s father passed away in December during that season. Losing a parent as a young man is always hard, but I imagine it’s even harder for someone trying to find their feet in the NHL, especially when the team around him is struggling so much.

    Frank Nazar also signed his ELC towards the end of the 2023-2024 season where he played 3 games and even scored his first career goal. While he showed promise the team was in no hurry to repeat the mistake they made with Korchinski and decided to start him in the AHL for the 2024-2025 season. With no immediate help coming up through the pipeline the Blackhawks turned to free agency signing most notably Teuvo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi, as well as veterans Patrick Maroon, Craig Smith, Alec Martinez, Tj Brodie, and a goaltender Laurent Brossoit. This free agency class has been a mixed bag to say the least. Tj Brodie was a disaster on ice and was bought out the following offseason, Laurent Brossoit still hasn’t played a game for the Blackhawks and at this point and it doesn’t seem like he ever will. Smith, Martinez, and Maroon did provide good leadership off the ice but their actual impact on games was limited, which you should expect from three players with a combined age of 108. Martinez and Maroon both retired as Blackhawks at the end of the season and Smith was dealt to the Red WIngs on March 7th, 2025 he is currently a free agent. While none of those 5 players worked out or were at best mediocre signings they won’t really affect the Blackhawks future in any meaningful way. Three of them are out of the NHL, Brodie’s buyout will be over after the 2026-2027 season, and Brossoit’s contract is over after this season. The more important players to talk about are Bertuzzi and Teravainen. Bertuzzi signed a 4 year $22 million contract and Teuvo signed a 3 year $16.2 million contract.

    Both players had rocky patches during the 2024-2025 season but overall, I think the Blackhawks were satisfied with both players’ performances. Bertuzzi had 23G and 46P in 82GP last season and Teuvo had 15G and 58P also in 82GP. With both of these players having hot starts to the 2025-2026 season and with the salary cap rising rapidly I think it’s fair to say that both of these contracts should be considered hits!

    Now that we’ve talked about free agency, let’s move onto the 2024 entry draft. The Blackhawks selected three players during the first round, 2nd overall Artyom Levshunov, 18th overall Sacha Boisvert, and 27th overall Marek Vanacker. Other players from this class that are worth mentioning are AJ Spellacy a former two sport athlete who I believe can turn into a good bottom six energy player in the future, John Mustard a speedy winger with size and a good shot who’s currently PPG during his sophomore season at Providence, and Jack Pridham who has looked solid during his limited time with the Kitchner Rangers of the OHL. I think it’s fair to say that the Levshunov pick is probably the most controversial pick Davidson has made up to this point, mostly because of the fact that it meant passing on Ivan Demidov. He has had a weird start to his pro career, he missed his rookie season training camp due to injury, he performed ok as an 18 year old rookie in Rockford 52GP 5G 22P but he was far from spectacular most nights, but then he played 18 games for the Blackhawks to end the season and looked ok in those games as well. All in all his rookie season was a mixed bag but he did show promise, he needs to work on his understanding of the game and what is going on around him. If he can improve in that area I have little doubt that he can be a top pair defenseman in the NHL.

    Sacha Boisvert was the Blackhawks next pick in this draft and I cannot wait for him to be a Blackhawk. He had a very strong freshman season on an average NDSU team and then transferred to BU for his sophomore season. He started PPG at BU but unfortunately has picked up an injury that has seen him miss the last few games. Still with a heavy shot, a big frame, and good passing ability I think Boisvert will be a key player going forward for the Blackhawks once he decides to sign his ELC. Lastly, we have Marek Vanacker who despite missing the first 23 games of his D+1 season still played well. Vanacker is off to a phenomenal start in his D+2 season he has 11G in 11GP and is currently on pace for a 108-point season in his final year in the OHL, I expect that he’ll probably be on Rockford’s first line next season.

    The 2024-2025 season was rough for the players, staff, and fans of the team. Head coach Luke Richardson was fired on December 5th, 2024 after an 8-16-2 start. During his time as Blackhawks head coach the team had a combined record of 57-118-15. While I think it is unfair to judge the head coach of a rebuilding team solely on their record, especially a team that was actively tearing down the roster, I do think this firing was justified due to the fact that a lot of the young players on the roster either stagnated or got worse during his tenure. For example Lukas Reichel went from a highly touted prospect who had two great seasons in Rockford 111GP 41G 108P and then had 15P in 23GP in the NHL during the 2022-2023 season struggled to get in the lineup the next season. He was recently traded to the Canucks for a 4th round pick. That’s not to say that every young player struggled under him, Alex Vlasic is someone who has become a core part of the Blackhawks future and his career took off under Richardson. I think at the end of the day it was a matter of fit, I believe in a few years Luke will get another chance to be a head coach and I wish him the best of luck.

    The last major event of the 2024-2025 season was the Spencer Knight trade. The Blackhawks traded disgruntled defenseman Seth Jones and a 2026 4th round pick to the Florida Panthers for Spencer Knight and 2026 first round pick. This deal is looking like a win win for both teams, obviously the Panthers repeated as Stanley Cup Champions and Seth was a key contributor to their success, the Blackhawks meanwhile acquired their goalie of the future who is already playing great for the team and that 1st round pick may prove to be more valuable than initially thought with Florida’s current injury crises. 

    That takes us to the current day, it’s a little bit too soon to start judging the 2025 draft class since we’re only a month into the season although I will say that Frondell, Nestrasil, and Behm have been the standouts so far. The NHL team also looks much improved this season! I believe it’s due to a combination of things, namely the overall level of talent on the team improving, a mostly new coaching staff led by Jeff Blashill, and the amount of effort and desire also dramatically increasing on a nightly basis. At the time of writing both Frank Nazar and Connor Bedard are currently point per game players, Spencer Knight has a 930SV%, and the team has a record of 5-3-2. Is this level of play sustainable for the whole season? Probably not, but for the first time in years the Hawks aren’t just watchable, they’re enjoyable! I can see this group seriously challenging for a playoff spot next season.

  • Rookie vs The System – How Luke Richardon Failed Kevin Korchinski

    Many Blackhawks fans still remember the infamous “Kevin Korchinski Practice” on
    March 20 th , 2024 when coach Luke Richardson decided to “teach” a 19-year-old Kevin
    how to be stronger and box out NHL superstars, often 10 years older than him and
    almost always much heavier than him.


    It was a strange practice that had Kevin participating in one-on-one puck battles in front
    of the goal against the likes of Nick Foligno.


    “Korch definitely has got to get bigger and stronger at the net, boxing out, and that was
    seen on a couple of the goals,” Richardson said after arguably Korchinski’s worst game
    of the season against the LA Kings the night before where he recorded an assist but
    was a -4 and directly responsible for at least a couple of goals.


    Was this the right approach to take with the undersized rookie, playing in his first NHL
    season on a really bad team or did Luke Richardson fail to develop a system of play
    that prioritized his players’ attributes and compensated for their weaknesses?


    Luke Richardson came into the Blackhawks organization as a respected assistant
    coach that prioritized a conservative defensive approach that minimized the defenders’
    involvement in offensive play and made sure the box near the goalie was protected at
    all costs. This system was designed for big and strong defenders to limit high danger
    chances in front of the net and challenging the opposing teams to beat the goalie with
    long range shots. Meanwhile, the three forwards were tasked with generating all the
    offense with limited involvement from defenders that were expected to sit on the blue
    line.


    It was a system in which big and strong shut-down defenders like Alex Vlasic and
    Connor Murphy thrived in, while offensively minded puck movers like Seth Jones and
    Kevin Korchinski struggled in. Many fans lamented Seth Jones play in front of his net as
    he often got beaten while skating backwards in order to get in position to protect his net.
    It was even worse for a rookie defender like Korchinski.


    Furthermore, it also forced Connor Bedard to generate offense by himself with his line,
    often without help from defenders, while being pushed off the puck and even hit as he
    was often crowded and double-teamed, which in part led to his injury that kept him
    sidelined for 14 games. Additionally, it most likely led Bedard to put on too much muscle
    during the Summer of 2024 which in turn slowed him down as he lost his jump and
    explosiveness. Something he worked on to remedy last Summer.

    As such, under Luke Richardson’s system the Blackhawks became a somewhat solid
    defensive team, but one-dimensional in the offensive zone and unable to score goals.
    The team often gave up few but simply could not put the puck in the back of the net.
    Worst of all, it looked like Luke Richardson’s system was not designed to take
    advantage of the attributes of players like Connor Bedard and Kevin Korchinski but
    rather favored the older guard that was tasked with teaching the young core how to get
    stronger and get tougher.


    Unfortunately, Kevin Korchinski was the biggest casualty of Luke Richardson’s stubborn
    approach where he was unable or unwilling to adapt his team to the way his young
    players needed to play to develop.


    Many point to the fact that while Kevin Korchinski must indeed get bigger and stronger
    eventually to compete with the Blackhawks in the playoffs, he was not the first or the
    last undersized defender to enter the NHL.


    One can look to Montreal to see how Lane Hutson, an even smaller player than
    Korchinski, was put in a situation to become an asset to his team and became an
    eventual Calder Trophy winner. While Hutson struggled defensively against big forwards
    just like Korchinski, coach Martin St Louis did not try to force him to box out large
    players in his own zone but instead got him more involved in the offensive zone, to a
    point where Hutson ended the year with 6 goals and 60 assists.


    While Hutson was no doubt a beneficiary of playing on a more talented team than the
    2023-24 Chicago Blackhawks, his coach put him into a system that magnified his
    strengths instead of trying to mold him into a player that he was not.


    Kevin Korchinski made the 2023-24 Chicago Blackhawks roster partly because he was
    only 19 years old and the NHL rules prevented him from being sent to the AHL, but
    mostly for his elite skating ability to get out of his defensive zone and get involved in
    offense.


    Those traits were almost instantly buried as the season started as Kevin was asked not
    to skate out of his zone but quickly dump the puck out to his forwards. This caused a lot
    of turnovers as he was struggling to adjust to the speed of the game and to find open
    forwards to pass to, as opposing teams covered breakout passes. In the offensive zone,
    he was forced to stand by the blue line and not get too involved in the offense as
    Richardson’s system almost made the two defenders into cones that forwards only used
    to bounce puck off.

    While initially Kevin still found ways to use his elite skating to get into the neutral and
    offensive zones in dangerous ways, as the season dragged on and the Blackhawks
    struggled, his small size and inexperience were exposed against tougher teams.
    Meanwhile, Luke Richardson was so rigid in his ways, he did not change his system or
    make adjustments to empower his young players to thrive. Instead, tough and
    experienced veterans like Alec Martinez and T.J. Brodie were brough in over the
    Summer to fill in for Korchinski as he was sent down to the AHL for his second season
    in pro hockey.


    While Bedard struggled in the NHL with seemingly different linemates in each game,
    Korchinski began to slowly regain his confidence under Anders Sorensen who was also
    given Frank Nazar, who failed to make Luke Richardson’s team as well.
    Luke Richardson’s system, that did not benefit most of the young players, and his
    inability to change it eventually cost him his job while Chicago hired Jeff Blashill for the
    2025-26 campaign.


    So far, it seems Blashill designed his system with his players in mind. He knows he has
    a lot of young defenders on his roster, so he is playing with seven of them to limit their
    minutes and to play them situationally where they can use their strengths. They are also
    involved in offensive play, bringing pucks out instead of dumping them out, which is
    benefiting players like Sam Rinzel who are elite skaters. A system that will also benefit
    the likes of Kevin Korchinski.


    Blashill is also using other tricks to help his young players, like having all five players in
    the defensive zone build a box in the area that the puck is in. Such a strategy does not
    put pressure on young, undersized defenders to play man-on-man and to be physical,
    but rather to take away space to operate from the opposition.


    While Kevin Korchinski did not make Jeff Blashill’s team out of camp, mostly due to the
    fact that Sam Rinzel and Wyatt Kaiser had such good training camps, it seems like the
    new coach at least knows how Kevin can become an elite NHL defender.


    “Korch has to utilize his best assets. If part of that best asset is being offensive, you
    can’t lose that as you’re getting good defensively. But everybody has to be good
    defensively in order to play in this league. It’s almost impossible to outscore your
    mistakes. One thing is, when I talk to him about his strengths, he talks about his skating.
    I think he can use that skating offensively in a sense of beating people up the ice but he
    can also use his skating defensively to shut downplays and gap up. And if you do that,
    you spend more time in the ‘O’ zone.” Jeff Blashill said.

    It looks like Blashill sees Kevin for the player he is and gave him specific instructions on
    how to play to his strengths in Rockford. As of now, Korchinski seems to be taking his
    new coach’s advice, already excelling in Rockford with three assists in four games while
    being a +2 in his own zone.


    He will get tougher as he gets older, but Korchinski will never be a bulky shut-down
    defender that boxes out players in front of goal. He will use his skating and speed to get
    to pucks early and get out of trouble, while joining players like Connor Bedard and
    Frank Nazar in the offensive zone.

    Jeff Blashill sees that, and his system is designed to empower young players to thrive,
    while Luke Richardson’s never was.

  • What Has Kyle Davidson & Co Built

    General Manager Review

    Analyzing Blackhawks General Manager Kyle Davidson as Blackhawks General Manager

    In order to better understand hockey and the processes that NHL teams use to build their rosters into championship contenders I feel it’s important to analyze the men making these decisions. In this article we’re going to look at and analyze the first two draft classes as well as some free agent signings and trades of Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson.

    Before we jump into his moves and deals I feel that it’s important to give some context about the situation that Davidson inherited from his predecessor Stan Bowman who is now the GM of the Edmonton Oilers. Kyle Davison became interim Blackhawks GM on October 26th, 2021 before becoming the full time GM on March 1st, 2022. The Blackhawks to be frank were a disaster, the Kyle Beach scandal had rocked the organization, Jeremy Colition was still the head coach of the team until Davidson relieved him of his duties on November 26th, 2021 following a 1-9-2 start to the season, and the roster itself was an odd mix of veterans and young players along with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.

    One thing that became very clear from the jump with Davidson is that he wanted to completely rebuild the organization from the ground up. Since 2016 the team had found itself stuck in this weird limbo state between rebuilding and still trying to compete with Kane and Toews. The team’s roster had some good young players most notably Brandon Hagel, Dylan Strome, Kirby Dach, and Alex Debrincat but they hadn’t reached their full potential yet with the Blackhawks. Brandon Hagel would be traded to Tampa Bay during the regular season, Alex Debrincat and Kirby Dach would be moved at the draft, and Dylan Strome left via free agency. Patrick Kane would be traded to the NY Rangers the following season and Toews would play his final game for the Blackhawks on April 13th, 2023 before taking his sabbatical from the NHL as a whole. The dynasty years of the 2010s were truly behind the team now and the rebuild was in full swing. 

    Now is a good time to talk about Davidson’s first two draft classes as they go hand in hand with one another and with the moves he made during his first two seasons in charge. The Blackhawks did not have their first round pick going into the 2022 NHL Draft as they had traded it in a deal for Seth Jones previously. Obviously this is a huge roadblock for any NHL team going into a rebuild but despite this Davidson would end up selecting three players in the first round that year. Alex Debrincat was traded to the Ottawa Senators for the 7th and 39th overall picks as well as Ottawa’s third round selection in 2024, with that 7th overall pick the Blackhawks selected Kevin Korchinski of the WHL, while Korchinski hasn’t exactly bursted onto the scene yet, he is still a very highly thought of player in the Blackhawks system and is expected to play a big role for the team in the years to come.

    His next move was trading Kirby Dach to the Montreal Canadians for the 13th overall and 66th overall picks. This move may be the best move Kyle Davidson has pulled off during his tenure as Blackhawks GM, Kirby Dach has struggled with injuries his whole career and that has continued in Montreal, meanwhile Frank Nazar who was taken with the 13th overall pick has excelled in his short pro career so far. Frank Nazar recently signed a 7 year $46 million deal to be a Blackhawk long term and it’s fair to say the Blackhawks won this trade in a landslide. His final major draft pick of the 2022 class was selecting Sam Rinzel 25th overall after a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs. This pick did confuse people at the time but in hindsight it is looking like the Blackhawks may have gotten the steal of the draft. Despite only being 21 years old and 16 games into his NHL career Rinzel is already playing top pair minutes and is excelling in the role. He looks poised to be a key contributor on a championship level team in the future.

    The 2023 Blackhawks draft class landed the team something that every rebuilding team yearns for and craves, a franchise level talent. The Blackhawks with a bit of help from the lottery gods were able to select Connor Bedard from the Regina Pats of the WHL. To say that Bedard was the most hyped up 1st overall pick since Connor McDavid would almost be understating it, he put up insane numbers in the WHL and lit up the World Junior Championships in his draft year. After a phenomenal rookie season which saw him win the Calder trophy on a bad Blackhawks team, he faced a lot of criticism and adversity during his second season in the NHL but so far into his third season he has responded very well and has played great to start the season. Growing as a leader on and off the ice, I would not be surprised if he is given the captaincy next season.

    Oliver Moore was also taken 19th overall during this draft and after a strong showing in the NCAA for two seasons, where he was roommates with Sam Rinzel, he signed his pro contract towards the end of the 2024-2025 season. Moore had a strong showing at the end of last season for the Blackhawks as well as a strong training camp for the Blackhawks but he was still sent down to Rockford to begin the 2025-2026 season, however with how well he has started the season for Rockford it’s very likely that a callup will happen sooner rather than later, more importantly for Moore it’s about capitalizing when he gets his callup and making sure that he sticks around afterwards.

    While these 5 players are the major picks from Davidson’s first two draft classes there are other players that I feel deserve a mention. From the 2022 class Ryan Greene and Samuel Savoie, and from the 2023 class Roman Kantserov and Nick Lardis. Ryan Greene signed his ELC at the end of the 2024-2025 season and has made the most of his opportunities earning a roster spot out of training camp to start 2025-2026 season and has played well to start the season so far in a bottom 6 role, Samuel Savoie has become a favorite among Rockford fans and is a guy that I can see becoming an Andrew Shaw type of player. Roman Kantserov and Nick Lardis have both become prized prospects in the eyes of both Blackhawks fans and the organization. Lardis lit up the OHL last season scoring 71 goals and having 117 points, he has started this season with 2 goals and 8 points through 5 games in the AHL so far this season. While his overall game definitely needs some work he has shown clear scorers instincts and seems like a viable top 6 option in the future.

    Roman Kantserov also seems like a viable top 6 option, he’s been point per game so far this season for Magnitogorsk in the KHL and it seems very likely that he’ll be signing with the Blackhawks as soon as Magnitogorsk wraps up their season.

    In summary I think Davidson’s first two years on the job are the textbook way that a major rebuild should be done. He took a franchise that was in disarray and built a strong foundation for the future.

  • Re-Signing Connor Bedard in the Wild West Salary Cap Era

    As Charles Dickens once wrote “It was the best of contracts, it was the worst of
    contracts, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of
    belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of
    darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”
    Nobody expected that Charles Dickens will accurately predicted the 2025 NHL
    salary market. All jokes aside, on August 21 st , 2025 Frank Nazar signed a seven-year,
    $46.13 million contract with the Chicago Blackhawks at a $6,599,991 AAV. While the
    contract didn’t have the same shock as Kaprizov’s $17 million monstrosity or McDavid’s
    ridiculous $12.5 million “Win-Now-Or-Else” deal with the Oilers, it still sent ripples
    through the NHL.


    The Blackhawks fans almost immediately started celebrations on social media,
    both because of the length of the deal but also because it looked like a steal for a player
    of Frank’s caliber.


    Meanwhile, fans of other teams said “who?” some half-jokingly but others really
    not knowing who Frank was, while pundits across the league questioned Kyle
    Davidson’s decision to give out nearly $50 million for a player that didn’t make the team
    last year, had to go to the AHL and as of contract signing this Summer only played 56
    games in the NHL, wile registering 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 total points.
    However, as often is the case, the stats don’t tell the whole picture and those
    who watched Frank play last Spring saw a confident player that grew well into his NHL
    responsibilities and helped Connor Bedard shoulder the team’s offensive load down the
    stretch posting eight points in the final seven games of the season, then went on to lead
    team USA to a gold medal at the 2025 IIHF World Championship with a team-leading
    six goals and six assists in 10 games.


    Frank’s contract perfectly encapsulates the confusion, questions and
    celebrations that are now commonplace during the new wild west era of re-signing
    players when the NHL’s salary cap is moving up quickly after years of stagnation and a
    Covid-induced freeze.


    These feelings are exacerbated when teams sign unproven elite prospects out of
    their entry level contracts in the hope they will one day become the next superstars of
    the league. Logan Stankoven, Luke Hughes and Lane Hutson, just to name a few, were
    among contracts that were signed and followed by mixed emotions throughout the
    league about how underpaid or overpaid the players will now become. As GMs fear a

    rapid salary appreciation, they are signing players to large deals in the hope that
    eventually they will look like bargains.
    Which finally leads us to re-signing Connar Bedard. Over the Summer, a
    common consensus was that Connor will sign for somewhere around $10.5 AAV when
    factoring in percent-of-cap calculations and compared to similar forwards that signed in
    the past such as Jack Hughes.


    Then several things happened.


    Connor Bedard decided to bet on himself this year and earn a big contract after a
    re-worked Summer training routine that returned him to a player resembling his rookie
    self, when he was fast and explosive. Not an uncommon plan for elite prospects, if not
    for the fact that Frank Nazar decided to take the opposite route and sign for $6.59
    million AAV this Summer while at the same time starting to look like a more complete
    player than Connor Bedard himself, which would have been unthinkable just 12 months
    ago when he didn’t make the opening night roster.


    Nazar had an extremely impressive pre-season, netting four goals and adding an
    assist for a total of five points, while Connor Bedard ended the exhibition calendar with
    one goal and an assist for two points. As of this writing, through four regular season
    games, Frank Nazar is the team’s leading scorer with five points, while Bedard sits with
    three. Frank’s defensive game is also slightly more advanced than Bedard’s and he
    often plays on the penalty kill.

    Therefore, while Connor Bedard will still most likely end up being the team’s
    highest paid player when he eventually signs with the team, him being the first overall
    pick, the face of the franchise and still arguably with one of the highest ceilings in the
    league among young players, Frank Nazar’s performances and what starts to look like a
    team-friendly contract opens up a number of interesting questions.


    If Connor Bedard bet on himself to earn a contract well north of $10 million AAV,
    what happens if Frank Nazar outperforms him this year? Will it matter? Should it
    matter? Will Kyle Davidson use Frank Nazar’s contract and performances to negotiate
    with Connor Bedard’s representatives? Can he justify giving Connor a contract worth
    almost double against the player that just outperformed him over 82 games?
    Connor Bedard surely put himself in an interesting position.


    It would be unthinkable for Connor Bedard, a Calder Trophy winner, and his
    team’s leading scorer for two years in a row as an 18 and 19-year-old to sign for less

    than $10 million AAV, especially when players like Luke Hughes and Lane Hutson
    recently inked deals close to that number.


    Furthermore, every player’s situation is different and there are other intangibles
    that boost a player’s value such as name recognition throughout the league and in
    Canada, jersey sales and marketing potential. Also, as a first line center, Connor is
    often faced with the opposing team’s best centers, which influences his point production
    while Frank can benefit from slightly easier matchups.


    At the end of the day, no matter what happens, the Blackhawks are better off
    having two elite prospects that seem to be trending into becoming the next NHL
    superstars. They have recently become off-ice friends as well, attending Bears and
    Cubs games together. Their on-ice competition will make them better as players and
    make the team better moving forward.


    Whatever contract Connor ends up signing, it should not cause any problems in
    the dressing room or friction with Frank. However, it will be interesting to watch these
    two future franchise cornerstones over the course of the season.

  • Demidov is Delivering for the Canadiens

    Why is everyone bullish on Canadiens’ rookie Ivan Demidov? His skill? Yes, because Demidov is one of the most exciting, skilled players to have landed on the shores of the island of Montreal in many years. But more than that, it’s the way he is being deployed because he is not confined to just a fourth line or marginal role. Martin St. Louis eases rookies into the lineup by focusing on their main skill set, in this case, Demidov’s offensive talent, and gives them more opportunities than a restrictive defensive role, a philosophy he has used before with other rookies such as Lane Hutson. He puts a priority on playing collectively, where players are expected to play a defensive scheme that is designed to launch a transitional play. This allows individuals to use their speed and offensive skills to stand out. This allows him to build their confidence while adding to their responsibilities and ice time incrementally, allowing them to minimize their errors while showcasing the skills that got them to the NHL. 

    Why is he seen as a Calder Trophy-calibre rookie? Because Demidov’s game has a natural flair. What becomes obvious as soon as he steps onto the ice is his excellent puck-handling skills. Demidov has an incredible set of hands, but it is his impressive level of puck control and creativity that has set him apart from most young players today.  

    He manages not only to maintain control even in tight areas or when being marked closely but he also manages to adapt quickly. He can change his angle of attack with some edgework or a punch turn. He can do this due to his confidence with the puck, which allows him to generate scoring opportunities seemingly out of thin air.  

    He is skilled at making controlled zone entries. His use of speed and puck-handling skills allows him to open lanes. He uses speed changes to create separation and has the confidence to attack the net immediately. While this play didn’t amount to a shot on net, it is a scoring chance he generated on what seemed to be a harmless rush.  

    While he will improve his top speed and first-step explosiveness as he adds strength, it is Demidov’s skating mechanics that are his main strength in this area. He is proficient with the “10-2 skating style” (also called a mohawk), where he uses a heel-to-heel motion to turn by shifting weight from one foot to the other, with the “10” and “2” referring to the feet’s position in a clock-like face. He is also adept with the use of the “anchor point” as a stabilization technique, where the top hand is kept near the hip while the player uses the heel of the foot on which he wants to change direction. His deceptive edgework, offensive vision and his unpredictability keep his opponents on their heels, and that provides him an additional split second that allows him to find seams most players wouldn’t, which is another attribute that has set him apart.  

    Demidov displays several skills all in this one play. He joins the transitional attack, building speed up in the neutral zone. He makes a quick reaction to the broken play, a missed pass to Carrier at centre. He was able to corral the bouncing puck by reaching back behind his body and bringing it forward under control, all while retaining speed and keeping his head up the entire sequence. He then forces the defender back over the blue line because of that speed, allowing for a controlled zone entry. Once he draws Dunn in, he identifies Newhook streaking to the net. Once he sees Dunn go off balance, Demidov makes a hard stop, takes one step inwards to reset himself, turns in and places a hard, accurate pass through traffic, to an open Newhook who only needs to have his stick on the ice to redirect the puck into the net 

    He is still a rookie, so fans will need to remember that he’s still learning how to employ those skills on every shift. In the first five games of the season, he has averaged only 14:21 per game, but 2:44 of that has been on the power play. He still needs to improve his defensive play, but his desire to be a difference maker at both the offensive and defensive end has been on display. 

    He is set in his position on the power play, doing his job in helping win the faceoff. Once he is set on the half wall, he is positioned to scan the entire ice surface. He quickly identifies that the pass from Laine will be cut off and quickly adjusts from offence to defence. He turns up ice and uses strong, long strides while cutting at an angle to reduce the distance to the puck carrier on the breakaway and build speed. He overtakes not only Dobson but also catches Foligno as he reaches the high slot. Most rookies would use their stick to hamper the puck carrier, or even take a penalty; instead, Demidov uses his body positioning to force Foligno to his backhand, then uses physical contact to gently separate the player from the puck. More plays like this will allow the coaching staff to trust him in any situation, allowing him to gain more ice time 

    Demidov is learning what it takes to compete at the NHL level. It isn’t just about systems or talent; it is mental, it is about confidence. His belief and ability to remain calm when he is in control of the puck give him an edge as he is not only capable of creating plays in the offensive zone, but also willing to make the attempt when most players would make the safest play or dump the puck into a corner. It is this poise that will allow him to accelerate his development and make him a favourite for the Calder Trophy in 2025-26.