Latest / Jablam Sports Hockey / Chicago Blackhawks 2026-2027 Season Preview: Can Kane, Bedard and Kids jump start the offence?

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Chicago Blackhawks 2026-2027 Season Preview: Can Kane, Bedard and Kids jump start the offence? · Jablam Sports Hockey

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to Bland's Board Talkie, your home for everything happening around the NHL.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_01: I'm your host, Peter Borgeranoff, and every episode we break down the biggest topic every fan is talking about with writers, TV, and radio experts from all 32 teams.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_01: We're still doing the team previews with the Blackhawks today.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_01: Back on the show is Mario Turbisi.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_01: What up, Mario?
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_01: Hey Peter, thanks for having me on.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_01: And he covers the Blackhawks, of course, and you can read more of his work at all challengago.com.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_01: And in trending now, we're gonna talk about the other conference and Atlantic stuff and some contracts over there.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_01: Let's drop the puck.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_01: You like the sound effects, Mario?
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: That's exact, that's exactly what I imagine a puck sounds like in my head.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_01: Last season, Chicago missed the playoffs, finished last in the central.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_01: They haven't made the playoffs in seven years.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_01: Gone are the glory days of Patrick Kane.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_01: If only those glory days can come.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_01: Patrick Kane, no, he might be coming back.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, and so that's a good thing.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_01: But is it a good thing, in my mind at least, for them to be in a rebuilding phase with this juggernaut of a top end of this division right now?
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, it's it is it ever a great time to go under rebuild?
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um, not usually.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I I think I think what's good is is that maybe this timing is is going to work out because you look at the teams like Minnesota and and Dallas and Colorado, um they might be coming towards the end of a contention window as the Blackhawks kind of like potentially are fully ascending.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but again, like usually good teams, if they're managed properly, find ways to continue to be good teams for for longer portions of time.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: So as much as it might be like, oh, their windows are open now, um, there's really nothing to say like they couldn't continue to have contention windows be open as the Blackhawks are trying to get better.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: But I think right now, as far as at least looking at at this season and the immediacy, I don't think the Blackhawks are necessarily looking at like the top of the division and saying, like, we should be with these teams.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: Like they should look at uh Utah, they should look at um Nashville and St.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: Louis and how are they competing with those teams?
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, throw Winnipeg in there because they there's they're still a big question mark uh with Hella Buck, what his situation is going to be and all that.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: But they should be looking at those teams like can they get to fifth in the division?
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: Can they get to fourth in the division?
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: Like if if that is maybe a um uh a goal to try and reach for this year, like that could be in their window rather than oh, can they win the division?
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think that they even even in their wildest dreams would think that they would win the division this year or even next year, but I think I think taking those smaller steps from a divisional standpoint is is is the way you want to go, especially as you pointed out, they've been at the bottom of the division for the last number of years.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: Like very rarely will you see a team go from last to first in their division um in a in a one-year span.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_00: So I I I think their timing is is good for what it needs to be.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but again, like I said, like there's really no not never a great time to have to tear things down and kind of restart things uh from an organizational standpoint.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_01: Is this the year where they take those few steps and start to turn it around?
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: I think so.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I I I think that this team is going to surprise some people.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: I think um there's a lot of unknown with this group, especially from maybe an outsider perspective.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: You see all these young players, you see, you see, okay, like Nick Lardis, he had a big year in the OHL the year before he turned pro, half a season last year, 10 goals.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: What is he?
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: Oliver Moore, you know, uh two-thirds of the season in the NHL last year, not a lot of points.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what is he?
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: Like you add that to a guy like Frank Nazar, Connor Berdard, like these guys that have been in the NHL for a few seasons, and in the forwards group, you know, you kind of you still kind of have a lot of question marks about what these players can be.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: Anton Frondel, uh, and Roman Kanserov are joining the mix as as rookies this year.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I know we've seen success from those guys in their European leagues.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but what does it translate to the end?
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: There's just a lot of question marks, and even defensively, too, you're you're bringing in Bowen Viram, you're paying him starting next year as a guy that's going to be a number one defenseman, and you're going to play him as a number one defenseman, but he's never done that.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: Can he handle it?
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: Like, there's a lot of question marks to this group, but the way that I look at it, and having seen some of these young guys uh and and their development path up close, for me right now, like there's there's really no reason in my mind that I'm thinking that they can't take those steps.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_00: I would have, I would have to be for me, proven otherwise that they that they can't get to those benchmarks that they want to this year, those those stages of development where you know those young players are taking the next step where they feel they look and feel more comfortable at the NHL level, the production is is is going up, the um, you know, they they are able to close out some close games, like learning to win in the NHL, um and and showing it on the ice.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: Like if they're able to do that this year, they're gonna surprise a lot of people.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, I I've seen a lot of you know over-unders in the betting world to being around, you know, 78, 79, 80 points.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: Like, yeah, I I would say I I would feel comfortable taking the over so long as there's no knock on wood, debilitating injuries to anybody this season.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um and and a lot of it too, also there is a lot of focus on the young players, but they need this veteran group to be consistent for who they are.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_00: You need Tavo to be like a 50-point player.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_00: You need Ryan Donato to be, you know, effective on a bottom six roll, penalty killing, whatever he's gonna be.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: You don't need him to be the 30 goal scorer he was two seasons ago.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: That's really not who he is.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you need Tyler Bertuzzi to be like a 50-point guy.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: Like, is he gonna replicate last year's 30 goal season?
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not expecting it.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: If it happens, that's great.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but you need him to be consistent and you and and Patrick King, too, coming back.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: Like he has game left in him.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_00: Can he put up 60 points if he's relatively healthy throughout the year?
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: If he can do that, then whatever development and steps the young players take um is just going to kind of push the team a little bit further uh up the standings and and and down the path of their development.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_01: You mentioned all those kids.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_01: Uh last year they finished, I believe, second last in the league in goals scored.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_01: Uh you with the kids that they've added, uh, the development of those younger guys, like, and again, you're adding, like you said, rookies, Anton Frondel, Roman Kanserov, a lot of question marks.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_01: But the fans were raving about this offense, what it could look like, what it's gonna be, what it possibly could be this season.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_01: Do you think they could be at least average or above average in offense this season?
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_00: I think if they uh I think if they're NHL average, um, that's a that's a stark improvement over what we've seen the last few years where it's been a struggle to score goals.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, you even with having guys that you don't expect to have big goal seasons, Ryan Donato's 30 goal season two years ago, last year Tyler Bertuzzi hitting 30 goals, they've really only been pretty one-dimensional in their offensive threats, and that's been counter Bedard the last few seasons.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, this year, it feels like there's more players that teams will actually have to worry about offensively.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, Bedard, again, once he's healthy and on the ice, another year of of development from him, like there's high expectations from him.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_00: You brought in Roman Kanserov uh from you know coming off of a season last year in the KHL where he led the team in goals.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: Does that translate to 20 or 25 NHL goals?
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_00: I think that that's possible.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_00: Could Anton Frondell score 20 to 25 NHL goals?
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's possible.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_00: Patrick Kane scored 16 last year.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_00: Could he be 15 to 20 goals?
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's possible.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then on the back end, like their top point producer last year was Louis Crevier with 25 points and I think it was seven goals.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_00: You're bringing in Bowen Byrum, who's a 40 to 50 point defenseman, if not more, like that's gonna kind of change the dynamic of the offensive attack as well, especially on the power play.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: And I think if if if the power play is league average, that's gonna bump up you know their their overall goal scoring.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_00: And I think just the the progress of some of these young players is just they're gonna figure out how you score at the NHL level.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_00: Nick Lardis is a guy that has a a dangerous shot and has you know that goal score ability in him, just how does it translate to once he's a full-time professional uh and what that looks like.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: So I I think their offense is gonna come along.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's it may not, you know, it may not be a huge jump where they're you know top third of the league, but if they're right in the middle, like that's that's gonna make a big difference for for this group.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_01: And that big difference is again, yeah, supporting Bedard, who hasn't had the complimentary offense enough to bring up his level.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_01: But we did see out of him last year, some people outside of Chicago are already saying, Oh, he's a bust.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_01: Last year, 30 goals, 75 points on that, you know, uh weak offensive team.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_01: Could we even see another big giant step this season out of him when he when he is back in the lineup?
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think it's gonna be interesting because I mean he's already skating and shooting here in Chicago.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_00: Like we've seen him on the ice starting to fire pucks.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_00: So being like two months ahead of the expected return, and he's skating and shooting.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um here in Chicago, we're very optimistic that he's not going to be out till mid-November.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so it'll just kind of depend like what he looks like when he does get on the ice and how much time he misses.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_00: But I I I think what you saw last year before his his injury was a guy that was highly motivated, had changed his offseason routine, um, changed a little bit of the you know mental side of his game and how he approached it to where you know he wasn't trying to do everything offensively for the group.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_00: Like he was able to kind of peel back a little bit and um feel a little bit more natural in in his offense rather than just trying to force everything.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um a thing that we noticed a lot in his first two seasons that there still was a little bit of it last year in year three for him, but noticeably less in the first two years, is he stopped doing the things that he was doing in the WHL that he could get away with, where he's dangling through three and four defenders all on his own and then having enough space to get a shot off.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_00: He was still doing some of those things as a rookie in in year two, where we just kind of got frustrated with like, look, like the NHL is a different game, like you're not you're not able to kind of get away with that as as much anymore.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_00: And he's peeled that back a little bit in year three.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I think year four, there should even be less of that to where he kind of knows what works at the NHL level.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_00: And I think once he's got that down, like he's gonna be real dangerous.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_00: And this is a guy that you know pre-injury last year was the the night he got hurt third in the league in scoring.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_00: Like, yep.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_00: I think when I think when he gets back on the ice healthy with an improved team around him, yeah.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I I think we're gonna see a a career year as far as points from him this year, even with missing you know a handful of games, however many ends up being.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_01: And again, more support.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_01: Blackhawks bring back the greatest American player home.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_01: Patty Kane signs two years, 16 million.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_01: What difference will Patty Kane bring to this lineup?
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_01: And for Bedard.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: I think for the for the lineup prior to uh him him signing back here in Chicago, when we would on our on the CHGO Blackhawk show, like we would kind of go through like what could the lineup look like next year, um, you know, trying to think about like line mates and and all that, it always felt like they are a player short of everyone kind of slotting in where they should be.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: And then after you sign Patrick Kane and you kind of look at, you know, okay, lineup with and without Bedard healthy, like what it looks like.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_00: This feels like having Patrick Kane put into your top six is like everyone's going to land where they should in the lineup.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_00: You're gonna have a top six with Kane and Bedard and Frondel and Nazar and Cancerov and Bertuzzi.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_00: Your your third line when everyone's healthy is probably going to be a mixture of like Table Terra Vinon, Ryan Green, Oliver Moore, Nick Lardis, players like that.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_00: And then your fourth line feels like an NHL fourth line with Cole Smith, Ryan Donato, Jordan Greenway, um, Andrew Mondria Pani is got you know gonna try and find a spot in the lineup too.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_00: Landon Slagard is a uh a guy that can play that kind of role.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_00: Like your forwards group just feels like everyone's going to be where they need to be.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and that's that's a big thing for continuity.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_00: It's a big thing for guys filling out roles that are you know more natural to them or or better suited to their their player profile.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I think that's a big thing on the ice.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_00: He still has game left in him.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_00: Like in the three seasons he was in Detroit post-surger, 0.86 points per game combined over those three years.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_00: Like he's still got game in him.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_00: So I he's not gonna be MVP Patrick Kane like he was um you know years ago, but he's still gonna be a guy that could put up 60 points um and be a threat offensively, be on the power play and help them there.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_00: And then off the ice, like look, like in in Chicago, there was a lot of sentiment of you know, never letting him go, uh, never trading him in the first place, and then always wanting him to come back every summer, as he did one year deal, one year deal, one year deal, and theoretically would have been a free agent uh in previous years of bringing him back to be with Connor Badard, not only as a potential line mate, but as someone that's like, hey, I was a number one pick.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_00: I was the hot shot young guy in town.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, just being able to kind of like give him a little bit of that perspective in, you know, in his career.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_00: They didn't go that route, but now that he is back, and some of these young players have kind of got their footing in the league, I think there's going to be less of what the lead what the organization might have held back from of having Kane and to a lesser extent Jonathan Taze, even though he wasn't necessarily healthy.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um not having those guys around, you kind of avoid the young players feeling too starstruck of like, oh my gosh, like I've watched these guys as kids, like I grew up idolizing Patrick Kane and these players, and and you kind of start to worry about those young guys not really feeling like themselves, like maybe as much as those guys as leaders, Kane and Taze, could be welcoming to young players.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_00: There's also still like those young guys are gonna be like, Well, I don't want to do anything to you know make them upset or like you know, not feel like I I'm I'm getting it or anything like that.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_00: Like you don't want that sentiment because then you got young players like not being able to kind of like fully develop as themselves.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_00: So I think now that some of those guys have kind of gone through at least a season or two um in the NHL, they feel a little bit more established as NHL players.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_00: And then now you have Patrick Kane here, and he's talking about I just want to be one of the guys.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_00: I don't necessarily want to want them to look at me as like you know, the the legend that he is of the organization, but um there's really no avoiding that.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_00: But I think like having just the mentality of like, look, like I'm I'm here, but you guys have kind of started to take over this team.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I think that that's a good mixture of bringing him into back into the fold and not having it be like, well, Kane's here, it's his team, everyone get out of the way.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_00: Like the like the young guys have kind of taken up that oxygen in the in the organization.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_01: My goodness, we can go on forever about the potential of these Blackhawks.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_01: We haven't even gotten to the back end with the new binum signing, uh, and and the potential of uh Spencer Knight.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_01: So maybe we should do a season uh preview, part two of the Blackhawks.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_01: But I wanted to touch base with me on a uh you wrote the article about uh top five prospects to look for in camp.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, and you wrote about Sasha Bois Vertre.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_01: What's one skill Hawk fans can expect or unique skill of Bois uh they could see?
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_00: The thing with Bois Ver is you know he's he's got a lot of skill to him.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_00: He's he's he had a down year in his second year in the NCAA playing for for Boston University, but his first year where he played in the NCAA was with North Dakota, and he was one of the best freshmen in the in the in the league, and something to the tune of like 32 points in like 37 games.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_00: Like he has a lot of skill, uh, the ability to be a goal scorer, like he's got that.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_00: The one thing that sets him apart from other Blackhawks prospects that have kind of come through the system over the years is he is a guy that embraces the physical side of the game, and he was doing that as a player in the USHL, did it in the NCAA.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_00: He got into a couple fights in the NCAA, which you're like literally not allowed to fight in college hockey.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so like that's an aspect of his game that I think a lot of people are expecting to kind of see from him uh grow.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_00: Like he is a skilled guy, but I think the willingness to get into the dirty areas and be physical, lay some hits, drop the gloves, like that's something that we haven't seen like a top-tier prospect from the Blackhawks have in their skill set.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_00: Now they've they've drafted some players and had some young players who are physical and punchy, but like that's more their calling card.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_00: Whereas like he's got a little bit of the rest of the tools around him that he can go out and do those things.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_00: And also, yes, he can hang with the speed and the skill of the game at the professional level.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_00: He talks about wanting to, you know, looking up to Tom Wilson and and wanting to like emulate the kind of player that he is.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_00: So that I mean that's that's you know, big shoes to fill, obviously.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_00: But um, if he can if he can kind of grow, and he's put on significant weight, something like 20 pounds in a few months from the end of last season to to this summer.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so he's embracing taking on that role at the next level.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, so I think that that's gonna be one thing that, you know, as we watch him through training camp, the preseason, and he'll probably land with the Rockford Ice Hawks and the AHL, but like just seeing how he kind of develops that angle of his game um is gonna be something the interesting to watch.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_01: And you can read more of Sasha Bolvare and the other prospects from Mario's work on all ch opp.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_01: Time for some quick trending now.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_01: The Montreal Canadian signed forward a Zach, Zachary Balduc to a four year contract of 4.2 million.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_01: The team announced on Sunday.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_01: 23 year old had 12 goals, 30 points, and 78 games last season.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_01: So, with the addition of Krider, it looks like he's gonna probably be on the fourth line.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_01: Is that what we're paying fourth liners now?
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_01: 4.2 per year.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_00: Well, you got Ryan Donato here in Chicago, probably playing on the fourth line, and he's making four million a year.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um yeah, I mean I I think with the salary cap going up, um, and we've seen this with some some of the bigger contracts and even some of the the more you know secondary deals, um, the money in the league is different now.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_00: And and I think it's gonna take maybe just this cycle of contracts to kind of rewire our brains as hockey fans, because I think a lot of people have just been used to the NHL salary cap going up one million year over year, or there were a few years where it was flat.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so now you're seeing these big jumps, and it's hard to kind of like wrap your head around like some players making the money that they are.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_00: But I mean, I I for a guy like him, like he's a young player.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_00: Montreal has done a really good job in their setting up their cap.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_00: Like they've got Lane's deal.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, well, I mean, they've they've got Lane Hudson on a really good deal, Ivan Demodov's uh uh on a good deal, Slavkovsk.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_00: Like they've got a really good young group, yeah, and they've got them on good contracts, like it's a really good setup.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_00: So with Bullduk, like like yeah, you bring in Chris Kreider, and maybe it knocks him down the line up a little bit, but Kreider's only there for a year.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_00: Bullduk's part of you know the plans moving forward for them.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that's a I think that's a pretty good number for a guy like him.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_00: And and and again, like young forwards who you know can find a role in the NHL, like they're gonna get some decent money.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_00: And and I think it's we'll all catch up to what the cap is rising to and what these numbers are gonna look like.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_00: Like Kale McCarr signing for 20 million, people were like, it was crazy that people were like, is Kale McCarr worth?
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, he's worth that.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_01: He's one of the best places.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's just we just haven't seen numbers this big in in a long time for the league.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_00: So it's just like we we kind of just got to rethink what contracts mean and what dollars mean.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_00: But I think it's I think for Montreal it's a fair deal.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_00: Like they're gonna be a competitive team uh this year, and and and they got a lot to build on still.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and he's obviously part of it.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_01: And of course, the Montreal Canadians uh gave head coach Martin St.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_01: Louis a multi-year contract extension on Monday.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_01: Continuing with the Atlantic division, last note the Maple Leaf signed defenseman Nick Blankenberg to a PTO, a professional tryout for the team announced on Monday.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_01: Uh he had career highs in his uh uh career last season, 61 uh games played, eight points, uh or no, eight goals and 24 points last season playing on those two teams, Nashville and Colorado.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_01: Uh you've seen him play against the Blackhawks.
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_01: What kind of defender is he and could he steal a spot on that third pairing?
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, Blankenberg's an interesting guy.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, he's he's not the biggest defenseman, but I think he's a guy that um does things right, does the little things right.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_00: And and and that's that's a good player to have uh in your group.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_00: I know that he was one of the guys that around the league people were kind of wondering like, how is this guy not getting in a contract?
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it's it's it's it's interesting you look at the free agent list who's available, and you're like, these guys shouldn't be playing.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_00: Like it's it's uh so so for him to get a piece.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I mean he's a he's a good player.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I look at the the Maple Leafs defensive group, and you went out and paid big for Darren Radish.
• 25:49
  SPEAKER_00: You have Morgan Riley still uh around.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_00: I know there were some rumors about him potentially moving.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe that still happens.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not I'm not certain.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_00: You have McCabe, you have Tanneh, you have Ekman Larson, good defensemen.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_00: These guys are all over 30.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, that feels like that's their defensive group.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and you also made uh the you made the trade in which you brought in uh Emil Andrade, and you also have uh Troy Stecher in the mix.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_00: I I I feel like Blankenberg is getting an opportunity.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_00: I just don't know how he cracks that that defense without someone being moved.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_00: And and maybe that does still happen because the leafs are over the cap as we're talking about the salary cap going up and everything, they're over it.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um, uh you know, not necessarily uh certain of their IR situation or anything like that, but they're they're over it as I'm looking at it right now here.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, I believe I believe Max Domey had secondary uh surgery on an undisclosed injury, and he won't start the season for a couple of months.
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_00: So okay, yeah.
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_00: I do I do remember seeing Domi was going through something like that, but um, but yeah, even still, like then you know, you you you maybe that is your seven defenseman group, um but or seven or eight, depending.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_00: But um, you know, you bring him in on a PTO.
• 27:20
  SPEAKER_00: If you do sign him, it's less money than you're paying anybody else uh on the defensive group.
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_00: So maybe that's a way that you save.
• 27:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but yeah, I mean I I think Mick Blankenberg is a good defenseman.
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_00: I just don't know if he really jumps any of those other guys.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_00: The Leafs feel like their defensive group is is pretty locked in with at least those first five guys, Radish, Riley, McCabe, Tannehv, and and Ekman Larson.
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_00: Like they're they're pretty locked in unless somebody is uh on the way out.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_00: But again, like I don't I don't know if that's uh if that's happening for them.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it'll be interesting what they do here and more question marks with a lot of teams and their uh fringe players.
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_01: That's it for this episode.
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_01: Mario, thank you for joining me again.
• 28:07
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I'm I'm I'm down for uh doing part two if you want.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_01: So maybe check that out next week or in the next two weeks.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, and again, anybody listening, let me know in the comments what you thought about the episode.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, and remember to subscribe to the show when you're listening out.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_01: See you next time.