Morning Chirps: Another Honor for Nick Lardis, Offer Sheets Coming?

Friday was the first of five straight days with no hockey as we await the start of the Stanley Cup Final. The Chicago Blackhawks named a new head coach for their American Hockey League affiliate, while a top prospect picked up another postseason accolade. Meanwhile, there could be a wholesale out east, while two Central Division rivals added to their player pools.

Blackhawks Chirps

• The Rockford IceHogs named Jared Nightingale their new head coach on Friday. Former interim head coach Mark Eaton will return to his role in the Blackhawks front office as assistant general manager, player development.
• We concluded our Draft Profiles on potential third overall picks with center Caleb Desnoyers. Our next set of profiles will focus on players who could be available for the Blackhawks’ second first-round pick at No. 25.
• Blackhawks prospect Nick Lardis was named to the Ontario Hockey League’s First All-Star Team.
• On this date in 2010, the Blackhawks took a 2-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Final by beating the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1. The game-winning goal came from an unlikely source, with Ben Eager scoring 28 seconds after Marian Hossa found the back of the net. Goaltender Antti Niemi made 32 saves for the victory.
• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, May 31: Art Coulter.

NHL Chirps

• Frank Seravalli reported on Daily Faceoff Live that several teams are already preparing offer sheets for Buffalo Sabres forward JJ Peterka if he isn’t traded or signed before July 1. Let’s hope one of those teams is the Blackhawks.
• Staying in Buffalo, the Sabres hired former Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen as a senior advisor to general manager Kevyn Adams. It has to be awkward for Adams to have his replacement advising him.
• It didn’t take Mathieu Darche long to start handling business on Long Island. NYI Hockey Now has all the details on the contract extensions given to forward Kyle Palmieri and former Blackhawks defenseman Adam Boqvist.
• TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported that the Toronto Maple Leafs will not ask Morgan Rielly to waive his no-move clause. The 31-year-old blueliner has five years left on his current deal with a $7.5 million cap hit. He was a minus-2 with a 42.9 Corsi for percentage at 5v5 during the postseason.
• The Utah Mammoth have been passing out entry-level contracts like breath mints this week. On Friday, they signed center Gabe Smith to his first professional contract. The 6-foot-5 center was a fourth-round pick last year and was a teammate of Desnoyers with the Moncton Wildcats.
• The Colorado Avalanche signed their top goaltending prospect, Ilya Nabokov, to a two-year entry-level contract. He was a teammate of Blackhawks prospect Roman Kantserov on Metallurg Magnitogorsk, and they won the KHL championship together in 2024.