Morning Chirps: Lardis Fully Recovered, Sharks Continue to Add Veterans

Happy 4^th of July! Enjoy the holiday, and let’s all meet back here tomorrow morning with all 10 fingers and all 10 toes still intact!

Blackhawks Chirps

• I spent some more time on the CHGO Blackhawks Podcast yesterday, and we took a trip around the Western Conference to see who’s improved and who’s heading in the wrong direction.

• Nick Lardis spoke at development camp yesterday and told reporters that he is now six feet tall! More importantly, he said he’s completely recovered from his knee surgery and is skating again. That is excellent news, as he should be ready to make an impression during training camp this fall.
• The Athletic’s Scott Powers tells us why the Blackhawks are staying the course and not rushing the rebuild.
• Phil Thompson of the Chicago Tribune has a good write-up on new prospect Anton Frondell and what he will bring to the Blackhawks.
• The Rockford IceHogs continue to fill out their roster. On Thursday, they signed forwards Marcel Marcel, Kevin Lombardi, and Ryan Gagnier to one-year AHL contracts.
• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, July 4: Vic Desjardins, Pat Stapleton, and Jason Dickinson.

NHL Chirps

• Nikolaj Ehlers finally made his decision, and he signed with the team many felt he would end up with before free agency started. He agreed to a six-year, $51 million deal with the Carolina Hurricanes.
• Former Blackhawks forward MacKenzie Entwistle is returning to the Florida Panthers organization. He signed a two-year, two-way contract worth $1.55 million. He spent the entire season with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, helping them reach the Calder Cup Final.
• The San Jose Sharks added two veterans to their back end, signing Dmitry Orlov to a two-year, $13 million contract and claiming Nick Leddy off waivers from the St. Louis Blues. I’m not sure why they did the Blues a favor by taking Leddy’s contract off their hands. They could have tried to work out a trade where they might have received a draft pick or a prospect in exchange for taking on the entire last year of his contract.
• Now that Leddy is off the books, Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reported the Blues are “trying hard” to acquire defenseman Bowen Byram from the Buffalo Sabres.
• According to Cole Bagley of KSL Sports, the Utah Mammoth have begun contract extension talks with Logan Cooley. He’s coming off a breakout season with 25 goals and 65 points.
• The Washington Capitals re-signed former Blackhawk Anthony Beauvillier to a two-year, $5.5 million deal.
• NHL Birthday Roll Call, July 4: Juha Widing, Kevin McClelland, Steve Rucchin, Mike Knuble, Keith Kinkaid, Jake Gardiner, and Atturi Lehkonen.  
• A couple of recent draft picks got entry-level deals on Thursday. The Capitals signed second-round pick Milton Gastrin, who will play in Sweden next season. Meanwhile, the Seattle Kraken inked Jake O’Brien, the eighth overall pick of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.