NHL Headlines: Hawks core four going nowhere, and 7 teams can start camp early
Anthony Scultore
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The biggest news in the NHL right now is the admission of the Chicago Blackhawks that they are rebuilding. They did so in a communication to their fans explaining the direction of the franchise.
Chicago Blackhawks rebuild letter
In the letter found on the team’s website, the Hawks finally admitted the truth. It’s exactly what Jonathan Toews was asking about after players like Corey Crawford and Brandon Saad were gone.
We’d like to address that direction and share why we’re hopeful for the future of Blackhawks hockey. We’re committed to developing young players and rebuilding our roster. We want more than another window to win; we want to reach the summit again, and stay there — an effort that will require a stockpile of emerging talent to complement our top players. The influx of youth and their progression will provide roster flexibility and depth throughout our lineup.
Hawks core four will remain
Now that Chicago has put this out in the open, what does it mean for Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, and Brent Seabrook? Last night on TSN’s Insider Trading, Pierre Lebrun tried to answer.
“[The Blackhawks] want those guys to be part of this rebuild,” Lebrun began. “In fact, general manager Stan Bowman had a video call a few days ago with those four to further explain where the Blackhawks are going and what they plan to do.”
Now it will fall onto them if they want to be a part of the rebuild. “At this point we haven’t heard from them and they’ve got time to digest this during the off-season but certainly the Blackhawks want those players, those veterans to be part of this rebuild,” Lebrun concluded.
NHL grants 7 teams extended training camps
There was talks about the teams that missed the cut in the Return-To-Play format to get a longer training camp. Since they haven’t skated since March 13, it was only equitable to grant them an extended camp.
According to reports, the teams asked for this back in August and will likely receive two extra weeks to skate.