Morning Chirps: Line projections, Canucks sign 1st-round pick

We have made it to Wednesday! We are halfway through another hockey-less week as we creep closer to September and the return of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Blackhawks Chirps

• Gail Kauckuk started the day by giving us her projected lines without Connor Bedard for the upcoming season.

• Richard Jelinek laid out the case for who is the greatest Blackhawks player of all time, Stan Mikita or Patrick Kane.

• Brooke LoFurno looks at how Anton Frondell might fare playing center this year.

• On yesterday's CHGO Blackhawks Podcast, we broke down how close Bowen Byram is to breaking into the NHL Network’s Top 20 defensemen.

• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, Aug. 12: Walt Farrant, Moe L’Abbe, Ryan Garbutt, and Rob Klinkhammer.

NHL Chirps

• Patrik Laine remains without an NHL contract, but the former second-overall pick has plenty of suitors. Herb Zurkosky of the Montreal Gazette reports that the Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, and Tampa Bay Lightning have shown interest in signing him. There have also been reports linking the Toronto Maple Leafs to him.

• The Vancouver Canucks signed Adam Novotny to his three-year, entry-level contract. The Czech-born winger was the 24th overall pick of the past NHL Entry Draft. He should get a long look in training camp. With the Canucks rebuilding, there could be a spot for him on the NHL roster. At the very least, he could get a nine-game run before being sent back to the OHL’s Peterborough Petes, where he scored 34 goals and 65 points in 58 games last season.

"Character, compete, and a winning mentality- those are three of the things we really appreciate about Adam’s DNA. “It was a small sample size, but he showed us a lot at our development camp last month in Abbotsford. Besides his strong skating, puck control, and quick release, Adam was relentless in his pursuit of the puck and battled very hard in each drill.  A coachable and honest player, his leadership qualities were also noticeable, and you could tell right away how committed he is to try to do things the right way. We are very excited to have Adam sign his ELC, and we look forward to working with him in the years to come."

Canucks general manager Ryan Johnson

• The Milwaukee Admirals signed former Boston Bruins prospect John Farinacci to a one-year AHL contract. Originally a third-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes in 2019, he has 31 goals and 95 points in 197 AHL games. He scored a goal in his lone NHL game for the Bruins during the 2024-25 season. The Rockford IceHogs will play Farinacci and the Admirals 10 times this season.

• NHL Birthday Roll Call, Aug. 12: Greg Fox, Todd Marchant, Brad Lukowich, David Ayres, Kyle Quincey, and Mark Arcobello.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow