If you haven’t seen the collision between John Tavares and Corey Perry from last night, you’re not going to get it here. Sorry, I don’t want to share it any more than it already has been. You can find it. It was an ugly hit and one that cannot be placed on Corey Perry for what happened. At full speed in hockey, sometimes collisions are unavoidable and more often than not, those kinds of collisions are bad news. This was one of the worst that I can remember in a long time. The fallout from the hit is going to be talked about extensively in the hockey world today.
Following the end of the 2021 season, the Chicago Blackhawks have been holding the annual exit interviews with their players, coaching staff, and front office.
On Tuesday, Dominik Kubalík, Brandon Hagel, and Nikita Zadorov, along with unsigned prospects Lukas Reichel and Max Shalunov, were all confirmed to be joining their respective countries for the upcoming IIHF World Championships taking place in Riga, Latvia later this month.
Kubalík finished the 2021 season third on the Blackhawks in scoring with 17 goals and 38 points in 56 games. His 82-game pace for this season would have been 25 goals and 55 points, which would have been on the same point-pace from his rookie season last year.
The Chicago Blackhawks took Saturday off. They are taking Sunday off as well. They play the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night at the United Center. Between now and then, a lot of self-evaluation needs to take place as they head into the final eight games of the season with their playoff hopes in the Central Division all but dashed away. Part of the evaluation process is figuring out who will and will not be with the Blackhawks in the short and long-term futures and the final eight games of the season gives Chicago an opportunity to get one last look, or a first look, at which players fit the bill.