Morning Chirps: Peterka Traded, Bedard’s Offseason Training

One of the top trade targets is off the board, and he’s going to a Central Division rival. The Chicago Blackhawks introduced their newest forward, while their most important player revealed what he’s doing this summer. One more sleep until the NHL Entry Draft!

Blackhawks Chirps

• The newest Blackhawks forward, Andre Burakovsky, had an introductory video call with the Chicago media on Wednesday. He brings the experience of two Stanley Cup wins and is a huge believer in winning hockey starts on the practice rink.
• The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus recently had a one-on-one chat with Connor Bedard. The interview is worth the read, as the young star went into depth about his offseason training, what he’s learned two years into his career, and his thoughts on his next contract.
• Scott Powers told us what he’s hearing heading into a crazy few days. I won’t spoil all his scoops, but he did reveal that Ryan Donato did get some limited trade protection in his contract, and that Lukas Reichel isn’t being actively shopped, but they are listening to any offers.
• Hopefully, you didn’t preorder a JJ Peterka Blackhawks jersey because you’ll look silly when the Utah Mammoth come to town. As first reported by Frank Seravalli, the Buffalo Sabres traded Peterka to Utah for defenseman Michael Kesselring and forward Josh Doan. That’s it. Utah kept the fourth overall pick. Peterka also agreed to a five-year, $38.5 million deal with the Mammoth. The Sabres wanted a young right-shot defenseman, and the only two the Blackhawks have to offer are Artyom Levshunov and Sam Rinzel. That’s why they didn’t make the trade.
• Since Peterka is off the board, Seravalli speculated that the St. Louis Blues could be moving on from Jordan Kyrou. The 27-year-old forward has 131 goals and 285 points over the last four seasons. He had 13 more goals than top free agent Mitch Marner in that span, but Marner had nearly 100 more points. Kyrou is signed through the 2030-31 season with an $8.1 million salary cap hit. If he is available, he’s certainly worth looking into.
• On this date in 1993, the Blackhawks drafted Eric Daze (90^th overall) in the fourth round of the NHL Entry Draft. He scored 226 goals and 398 points in 601 games and would have produced a lot more if it weren’t for a series of back injuries. The only other players from this draft class to play in the NHL were Eric Manlow (37 games) and Calgary Flames head coach Ryan Huska (1 game).
• In 1998, the Blackhawks lost Greg Johnson to the Nashville Predators during the NHL Expansion Draft. He played 502 games for the Predators over seven seasons.
• A year later, the Blackhawks selected defenseman Steve McCarthy in the first round (23^rd overall) of the NHL Entry Draft. He played 134 games over five seasons in Chicago before being shipped to the Vancouver Canucks in 2005 for a third-round pick. The only other member of this draft class to play in the NHL was goaltender and sixth-round pick (165^th overall) Michael Leighton, whom the Blackhawks beat in the 2010 Stanley Cup Final.
• In 2004, after Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin went first and second overall, the Blackhawks selected defenseman Cam Barker. This draft produced some key players of the Stanley Cup era, including Dave Bolland, Bryan Bickell, and Troy Brouwer.
• In 2009, the Blackhawks selected defenseman Dylan Olsen in the first round (28^th overall). In 2013, he was traded to the Florida Panthers with Jimmy Hayes for Kris Versteeg. Other notable picks included Brandon Pirri in the second round and Marcus Kruger in the fifth.

NHL Chirps

• The Vancouver Canucks continue to show that they have no plan after acquiring Evander Kane from the Edmonton Oilers for a fourth-round pick. Per Thomas Drance of The Athletic, general manager Patrik Allvin says Kane has matured and could be a “long-term” fit. Say what you want about the Blackhawks rebuild, at least it’s a plan. That’s better than whatever the hell Allvin is doing. Quinn Hughes might be counting down the days to free agency.
• To give you an idea of the goaltending market this summer, Jake Allen is viewed as the top free agent target. According to Anthony Di Marco of the Daily Faceoff, Allen is believed to be seeking a multi-year deal worth $5 million per season. There is a chance he never hits free agency, as he is reportedly still discussing an extension with the New Jersey Devils.
• According to general manager Don Sweeney, the Boston Bruins are working on an extension with former Blackhawks defenseman Henry Jokiharju.
• The Vegas Golden Knights re-signed forward Rielly Smith to a one-year, $2 million deal. They are also reportedly working on an extension with two-time former Blackhawk Brandon Saad.
• NHL Birthday Roll Call, June 26: George Hainsworth, Kirk McLean, Ed Jovanovski, Cody McLeod, Ethan Bear, Connor Dewar, and Arthur Kaliyev