Blackhawks Notebook: Mastrosimone to Toronto; Cherry Talks Toews

When Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said during development camp he was all but done, he surely meant it.

“We might look at a spot or two for depth. But we may also just stay patient on that and wait until the fall,” Davidson said.  “Nothing we’re chasing right now. We found Jarred Tinordi late in the process last year and could go down that road again. Yeah, nothing we’re necessarily looking to move on anytime soon.”

He stuck to his word.

🖊 News | We've signed forward Robert Mastrosimone to a one-year AHL contract. #LongLive

— Toronto Marlies (@TorontoMarlies) August 20, 2023

Mastrosimone was a kid who looked good on paper, but still didn’t fit into the Chicago’s schema. Perhaps there were discussions. But he’s off to Toronto on a one-year deal that’s only AHL for now. There’s plenty of depth in Chicago’s system.

Don Cherry Talks Blackhawks, Toews

On the Don Cherry Grapvine podcast, the former CBC analyst talked Jonathan Toews and recalled his performance from the 2007 World Juniors where Toews was featured prominently in a shootout. Along with co-host and son Tim Cherry, they recall the shootout performance from Toews against the US in the semi-final round. The then 18-year old scored three shootout goals and helped push Canada in the Gold Medal game. They would go onto beat Russia 4-2 to capture the gold.

But it made Toews a household name, and seemed to foreshadow what would be a dominant NHL career.

“Everybody remembers him,” the elder Cherry recalled. “He was the hero of heroes.”

Cherry went further in saying that despite a shortened season and needing to take a year off now, Toews still had respectable numbers in 2022-23.

“He had a great year,” Cherry said. “He got 15 goals in 53 games. They’re going to miss him.”

A lot of Blackhawks fans feel the same way, too.