Morning Chirps: Kaner-a-Palooza, former Blackhawks defenseman joins the coaching ranks

Thursday was a huge day for the Chicago Blackhawks as they welcomed back franchise legend Patrick Kane. He’ll meet the media later today, and we’ll have full coverage of the press conference.

Blackhawks Chirps

•  The Blackhawks got up bright and early yesterday morning to announce a two-year, $16 million contract for Kane.

• Nick Villano wrote that the sticker price of Kane’s contract is not a big shock, as the Blackhawks have plenty of cap space and he’ll provide a ton of value to the franchise.

• We all know what Kane can do at 5-on-5 and on the power play, but what he does after regulation will be a welcome addition to this team.

• Scott Powers spoke to Kane’s agent, Pat Brisson, to get an inside look at how the signing came about. The Blackhawks were aggressive from the get-go, and their patience paid off.

• Kane couldn’t wait to trade in his Red Wings jersey while working out at the Blackhawks Ice Center yesterday.

• We had a ton of Kane content on the CHGO Blackhawks Podcast yesterday. First, we were up early for immediate reaction to the news.

• Later, on the regularly scheduled podcast, we broke it down even further and projected what the lines could look like this season.

• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, July 24: Rosie Couture, Gord Hollingworth, Jack O’Callahan, David Mackey, Trevor van Riemsdyk, Robin Lehner, and Tanner Kero.

NHL Chirps

• Former Blackhawks defenseman Jack Johnson has joined the coaching ranks. He was named the associate head coach for the Ohio State University women’s hockey team. He takes over for another former Blackhawks blueliner, James Wisniewski, who left to be closer to his family.

• Jet Greaves and the Columbus Blue Jackets settled on a three-year, $15 million contract, avoiding an arbitration hearing.

• The Seattle Kraken are looking for a trade partner for center Shane Wright. There are numerous teams interested in trading for him, and Josh Yohe of The Athletic reported that the Pittsburgh Penguins are in the mix.

• The Carolina Hurricanes and defenseman Roanan Seeley avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $850,000 contract. He was a big part of the Chicago Wolves' blue line last season before making his NHL debut in the final regular-season game.

• NHL Birthday Roll Call, July 24: Jamie Langenbrunner, Patrice Bergeron, Nathan Gerbe, Ryan Johnson, and Jonathan Lekkerimaki.

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