On the Chicago Blackhawks …
Scott Powers of The Athletic: The Blackhawks have 15 forwards signed or under control for next season, with five not needing to clear waivers. They may look to add another experienced veteran to the mix this offseason.
Many people believe that the Blackhawks should also be looking for a top-four defenseman.
Goaltender Corey Crawford has been out since December 23rd and his future status is unclear – no timeline on when he’ll be healthy enough to return and will he be the same player he was?
The Blackhawks still have Marian Hossa and his LTIR option for next season. They used his LTIR this season. Next year their returning roster is about a $75 million cap hit, including Hossa. Their best option may be to trade Hossa’s contract.
Brent Seabrook has a no-movement clause and his contract is likely untradable unless they retain salary.
On the Toronto Maple Leafs …
Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star: Recently wonder if a team would be interested in signing both Maple Leafs pending free agents – James van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak. The Maple Leafs haven’t held any contract talks with either free agent and JvR kind of likes the idea of continuing to play with Bozak.
“I’ve really enjoyed playing here (in Toronto) especially with him,” said van Riemsdyk. “It’s nice. You get a chance to grow, not only as a player but off the ice as well. It’s been fun for me.
“We’ve got that familiarity, chemistry. We know how to read off the other guy pretty well. It’s pretty clear we can help each other. He knows how to find me, I know how to find him. We know what to do with certain pucks in certain situations, so you know what you have to do to be successful.”
Three teams who could use and could fit in financially both a winger and a center include the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and New York Islanders.
“If you have the cap room, you might (try for both),” former GM Neil Smith, now an analyst with NHL Network, told the Star on Wednesday. “If a team thought those two teams worked well together, sure. If it was a rival of Toronto, or somebody from the division, they could really mess them up.”
van Riemsdyk stated again that he’d love to remain in Toronto but knows it’s out of his control right now.