Morning Chirps: Misa Possibly Falling, Toews Contract Details

Happy Saturday! However, our Morning Chirps do not get the weekend off. We are less than a week away from the NHL Entry Draft, and the Chicago Blackhawks’ ideal target might fall to them at No. 3. Plus, we have more details on the big news out of Winnipeg and some rumbling about what could be outlawed in the new CBA.

Blackhawks Chirps

• Is there a flicker of hope for the Blackhawks landing Michael Misa with the third overall pick? On the latest episode of the FloHockey Called Up Podcast, Chris Peters and Cam Robinson talked about hearing that the San Jose Sharks are starting to lean towards taking Anton Frondell at No. 2. Scott Wheeler of The Athletic recently echoed that same report. Kyle Davidson might be taking the third pick off the trade table if this is the case. You gotta love draft week!
• Robinson also mentioned that Czech forward Václav Nestrašil could be a possibility for the Blackhawks at 25. He reported that the front office took him out to dinner recently. The 6-foot-6 winger had 19 goals and 42 points in 61 USHL games for the Muskegon Lumberjacks this past season. I’ll put together a draft profile of Nestrašil so we can all learn more about him.
• Three different NHL Entry Drafts were held on June 21 over the years. In 1997, the Blackhawks used the 13^th and 16^th overall picks to select Daniel Cleary and Ty Jones. Cleary had a long NHL career, but only 41 games with the Blackhawks. Jones was taken with the pick acquired for Jeremy Roenick and played only eight games. I am still mad that the Blackhawks let him wear No. 27 for his brief career. The best pick of the 1997 draft was fifth-rounder Kyle Calder, who scored 85 goals and 210 points in 359 games with Chicago.
• In 2003, general manager Mike Smith laid the foundation of the future Stanley Cup era. He drafted defenseman Brent Seabrook with the 14^th overall pick. Later, he selected goaltender Corey Crawford in the second round and defenseman Dustin Byfuglien in the eighth round. Smith does not get enough credit for his contributions to three championships.
• In 2019, the Blackhawks had the third overall pick and used it to take forward Kirby Dach. He scored 19 goals and 59 points in 152 games before getting traded to the Montreal Canadiens for the draft picks that turned into Frank Nazar and Gavin Hayes. The gem of this draft class was defenseman Alex Vlasic, who was selected in the second round.
• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, June 21: Pascal Rheaume and Reed Low.

NHL Chirps

• In case you were in a coma yesterday, former Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews signed with his hometown Winnipeg Jets. When the news first broke, the details of the contract, which can’t be signed until July, were unavailable. However, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has the breakdown of all the performance bonuses he can earn.

• The Athletic’s hockey staff put together a nice piece on Toews, analyzing the Jets’ risks, Toews’ expectations, and a reaction from his former teammate, Patrick Kane.

• After making two big moves on Thursday, the Dallas Stars signed defenseman Nils Lundkvist to a one-year, $1.25 million contract. Later in the day, they inked their lone restricted free agent, forward Mavrik Bourque, to a one-year, $950,000 contract. According to PuckPedia, the Stars have $2.75 million of cap space left with only nine forwards signed for next season.
• Pittsburgh Hockey Now’s Dave Molinaribroke down the Penguins’ new coaching staff, including former Hershey Bears head coach Todd Nelson.
• Frank Seravalli reported that the Philadelphia Flyers will explore the goaltending market this summer. Could we interest you in a fresh-as-daisy Laurent Brossoit?
• In CBA rumblings, Friedman reported on SN590 AM that the salary cap might carry over into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, eliminating the LTIR loophole. Chris Johnston reported that deferred money in contracts could be outlawed in the new CBA.