Morning Chirps: Blackhawks fantasy sleepers, Penguins make head-scratching move

We made it to Friday! Congratulations, everyone! Let’s celebrate with a fresh batch of Morning Chirps.

Blackhawks Chirps

• After chatting with general manager Kyle Davidson, I learned that it took all hands on deck to convince Patrick Kane to return to the Blackhawks.

• Connor Bedard was a popular topic yesterday, as he should be. First, Jeff Maroon compared the start of his career to the first three seasons of other recent first overall picks. Then, Justin Lynch wrote about his confidence that he is ready to be the next team captain.

• Finally, Brooke LoFurno broke down how Bowen Byram will live up to the high cost it took to acquire him.

• Jay Zawaski and I looked at some of the prospects we are most excited and intrigued to follow this season on the CHGO Blackhawks Podcast.

• For those of you who are big fantasy hockey players, NHL.com provided you with some potential fantasy sleepers on the Blackhawks roster.

• On this date in 1992, the Blackhawks traded goaltender Dominik Hasek to the Buffalo Sabres for fellow netminder Stephane Beauregard and a fourth-round draft pick in 1993. Trading a future Hall of Famer never looks good, but when you already had Ed Belfour in the crease, it stings a lot less. That draft pick turned into Eric Daze, who scored 226 goals and 398 points in 601 games for the Blackhawks.

• In 2018, the entire hockey world mourned the death of Blackhawks legend Stan Mikita, who passed away at 78 after a long battle with Lewy body dementia. He made his debut in 1958 and played until 1980. He is still the franchise leader in assists (926), points (1,467), and games played (1,396). His 541 goals are second all-time behind Bobby Hull’s 604.

• In 2020, the Blackhawks beat the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 in Game 4 of their Qualifying Round series to complete their upset and advance into the First Round. The Oilers jumped out to an early lead before Brandon Saad and Matthew Highmore responded before the first intermission. Dominik Kubalik broke a 2-2 tie with 11:30 left in the game. The game-winner was the rookie’s third goal of the series.

NHL Chirps

• The Pittsburgh Penguins signed forward Ville Koivunen to an eight-year, $32 million contract extension. The size and length of this deal is a bit of a head-scratcher for a guy who has two goals and 14 points in 47 career NHL games. General manager Kyle Dubas could look like a genius in a couple of years, or this deal will haunt him. This is likely the last eight-year contract signed because max deals go down to seven years next month.

• The Philadelphia Flyers re-signed winger Nikita Grebenkin to a two-year, $2.2 million contract. The 22-year-old forward played a career-high 55 NHL games last season, scoring four goals and 14 points. His season ended in mid-March due to an upper-body injury, but he’s expected to be ready for the start of training camp next month.

• Former AHL MVP Daniel Carr signed a one-year contract with HC Ajoie of the Swiss National League. Once a prized prospect of the Montreal Canadiens, he played 117 NHL games with the Habs, Vegas Golden Knights, Nashville Predators, and Washington Capitals. He won the AHL MVP during his lone season with the Chicago Wolves in 2018-19, scoring 30 goals and 71 points in 52 games.

• NHL Birthday Roll Call, Aug. 7: Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Bernier, Jake Allen, Damon Severson, Jeff Malott, John Leonard, and Adam Wilsby.

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