Morning Chirps: One insider has optimistic timeline for Bedard's return

We are entering the dog days of the NHL offseason, as news becomes scarcer with each passing day. However, one insider had an update on Connor Bedard’s contract extension and had an optimistic timeline for his return.

Blackhawks Chirps

• While many fans want Patrick Kane to return, Shane Wright is on the trading block. I wrote exactly why bringing the 22-year-old center to Chicago makes all the sense in the world.

• Ryan Gagne gave us five things we may not have known about new Blackhawks defenseman Bowen Byram.

• Frank Servalli joined the Mully & Haugh show on 670 The Score earlier this week. He said that Bedard’s camp and the Blackhawks haven’t gotten “down to business” in talking numbers for his next contract. With every day that the new deal doesn’t get signed, the fan base grows more anxious. However, it will get done. His latest injury probably changed things a bit, so we’ll see what they agree upon.

• Seravalli also was very optimistic about Bedard’s timeline, saying he will only miss a “handful of games.”

• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, July 11: Clarence MacKenzie, Dave Chyzowski, and Ben Smith.

NHL Chirps

• Philadelphia Flyers general manager Daniel Briere released the following statement about signing Leo Carlsson to an offer sheet:

"We understood this outcome was possible when we made the offer. While the result isn’t what we hoped for, our goal does not change; we remain committed to pursuing every opportunity that will strengthen our team and continue to build towards becoming a consistent and perennial contender without sacrificing our future."

• The St. Louis Blues are bringing back a familiar face, signing forward Oskar Sundqvist to a one-year, two-way contract worth $850,000. The 32-year-old center played 52 games for the Blues last season, scoring five goals and 17 points. He’s played 432 of his 545 NHL games in St. Louis, winning the Stanley Cup in 2019. He also has stints with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings, and Minnesota Wild.

• The Vancouver Canucks have finalized the coaching staff that will work with new bench boss Manny Malhotra. We already knew that Ryan Mougenel got promoted from Abbotsford with Malhotra. They will be joined by Jordan Smith and Jason Krog. An Andrew Shaw has been hired as an assistant video coach, but not the Andrew Shaw that Blackhawks fans have an affinity for.

• The Montreal Canadiens signed defenseman Bogdan Konyushkov to his entry-level contract. The 110th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft will return to the KHL for the final season of his contract with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod.

• NHL Birthday Roll Call, July 11: Sid Smith, Jean-Guy Talbot, Ron Stewart, Bill Barber, Jorgen Pettersson, Gaetan Duchesne, Al MacInnis, Joe Pavelski, Vincent Trochek, Ryan Strome, Jordan Binnington, Daniil Miromanov, and Hugh McGing.

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