A disappointing -- and very sudden -- exit from the Stanley Cup playoffs led to a number of changes for the Chicago Blackhawks this offseason.
The Blackhawks finished first in the Western Conference standings at the end of the regular season, posting 50 wins and 109 points. But then they ran into the Nashville Predators in the opening round of the postseason, couldn’t score enough on Pekka Rinne and were swept, while the Preds surged to the Stanley Cup Final.
That ushered in massive change to the roster.
Gone from the Blackhawks:
-- Scott Darling, traded to Carolina.
-- Artemi Panarin, traded to Columbus.
-- Marcus Kruger, traded to Vegas.
-- Brian Campbell, retired.
-- Niklas Hjalmarsson, traded to Arizona.
-- Trevor van Riemsdyk, selected by Vegas.
-- Marian Hossa, skin disorder.
Acquired by the Blackhawks:
-- Patrick Sharp, signed as a UFA.
-- Tommy Wingels, signed as a UFA.
-- Lance Bouma, signed as a UFA.
-- Brandon Saad, acquired from Columbus.
-- Anton Forsberg, acquired from Columbus.
-- Connor Murphy, acquired from Arizona.
-- Jan Rutta, signed as a UFA.
As you can see, general manager Stan Bowman has been very busy over the past few months following the playoffs.
Today at PHT, we’ll get into the big storylines surrounding the Blackhawks as training camp approaches.