Blackhawks Breakaway

On the latest Blackhawks Talk Podcast, Pat Boyle catches up with Senior VP of Hockey Operations, Al MacIsaac. They discuss the process the Blackhawks took in transforming the roster this off-season. MacIsaac is entering his 20th year with the Blackhawks and talks about the organizational changes over the last two decades. He also weighs in on the role analytics plays in evaluating current or potential Blackhawks and he explains why the team made a commitment to make its new practice facility the “gold standard” of the NHL. 0:45 – MacIsaac on changes within the Blackhawks organization in the last 20 years 4:00 – How the Blackhawks have added great depth this summer 5:25 – A good problem to have with two good goaltenders 6:23 – How the hockey ops meeting went at the end of last season 8:45 – How much the Blackhawks use and rely on analytics 10:27 – The importance of the Blackhawks strength and conditioning programs 12:24 – The planning behind Fifth Third Arena’s development 14:40 – The dynamic between hockey ops and business ops 16:37 – Agreements and disagreements within the hockey ops group 18:32 – MacIsaac’s longtime relationship with Mark Bernard 20:27 – Looking ahead to training camp and the regular season 22:42 – Tough decisions will need to be made when the season starts

On the latest Blackhawks Talk Podcast, Pat Boyle, Charlie Roumeliotis and Slavko Bekovic offer their thoughts on Jonathan Toews being left off NHL Network's Top-20 center rankings and make their case for why he should be on the list. The guys also answer your mailbag questions, including whether Patrick Kane and Toews have another Stanley Cup run in them, Kirby Dach's chances at making the Blackhawks out of training camp and what the lines may look like on Opening Night. 0:43 – NHL Network keeps Jonathan Toews off top-20 centers list 8:45 – Will Blackhawks move on from Brendan Perlini? 11:30 – Status of DeBrincat and Strome contract extensions 14:35 – Do Toews and Kane have another Stanley Cup run in them? 18:26 – Is Saad/Dach/Shaw the Hawks third line? 22:08 – Evaluating the Hawks’ current playoff chances 24:45 – Who is the Hawks' No. 1 goalie? 27:04 – Will the Hawks make more roster moves? 30:48 – Frontrunners for Hawks bottom six roles? 33:13 – What the Hawks lines and pairings might look like? 37:11 – The Erik Gustafsson situation going forward

On the latest Blackhawks Talk Podcast, Pat Boyle and Charlie Roumeliotis recap the top storylines from the 12th annual fan convention. The guys talk about Chris Kunitz joining the organization as a player development adviser, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews on the roster makeover this offseason, Andrew Shaw's return to Chicago and top prospects Adam Boqvist and Kirby Dach aiming to make the NHL roster out of training camp. 0:45 Chris Kunitz joins team as player development adviser 4:45 Biggest takeaway from Hawks Convention 8:15 Kane & Toews discuss offseason moves 9:45 Versatility of roster 15:45 Kane & Toews on Shaw’s return 18:45 Playing in Chicago vs. elsewhere 22:45 Goalie situation & Delia’s role 27:50 Marc Crawford addition 29:20 Brendan Perlini’s contract 31:50 What’s up Dach? 34:20 Upcoming schedule

The biggest bromance in the NHL joins the Blackhawks Talk Podcast live from the Blackhawks Convention. Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome join Pat Boyle and Charlie Roumeliotis to break down their long-time friendship, share stories of their time playing with Connor McDavid and look ahead to the upcoming Blackhawks season. 0:47 – Dylan Strome on his first convention 1:11 – Alex DeBrincat on another convention experience 1:30 – On staying in Chicago to train 3:20 – Strome on using a shorter stick than usual 4:27 – How much did they pay attention to the Hawks roster changes? 5:04 – On Andrew Shaw playing on Strome/DeBrincat line 6:13 – How Connor McDavid was there before the Strome/DeBrincat bromance 8:09 – On playing with Connor McDavid with Erie 9:00 – DeBrincat’s feistiness on the ice getting Strome and McDavid in trouble 10:00 – Biggest pet peeves in their friendship 10:45 – Who keeps who in order in the friendship? 11:30 – Friendship put aside during the World Championships this spring 12:19 – On the Canada/USA rivalry 13:05 – How much of the playoffs did they watch? 14:08 – On the Blues winning the Stanley Cup 15:20 – Early impressions of Kirby Dach, Adam Boqvist and other prospects 16:23 – Advice to prospects trying to break the team after camp 17:42 – Strome on why he only would have wanted to get traded to Chicago 19:18 – DeBrincat on the goal scoring lead wager with Patrick Kane 20:36 – How Patrick Kane continues to get better over time 22:27 – Strome’s competition with his brothers 24:04 – Who they would dream to play in a line with 25:05 – How they chose their sweater numbers 26:13 – DeBrincat on his pregame doughnuts tradition 26:55 – On Strome’s Blackhawks debut 27:45 – Favorite non-hockey memories from their time in Erie 29:10 – Best (and worst) parts of playing together 30:10 – The scoop on Ralph DeBrindog! 31:00 – First tourist things they did in Chicago 31:45 – Best nicknames on the Blackhawks 32:50 – Favorite players growing up 33:30 – Their mental preparation before games 34:23 – The Blackhawks Lightning Round 37:49 – Who is the better dancer between Strome and DeBrincat?

On the latest Blackhawks Talk Podcast, Pat Boyle and Charlie Roumeliotis react to the trade of Artem Anisimov to the Senators for Zack Smith. The guys discuss the role Smith could have with the Hawks and the areas where he has an edge over Anisimov. They also discuss the first couple days of Development Camp and how this year’s top two draft picks - Kirby Dach and Alex Vlasic - have looked so far. Plus, a breakdown of the other top blue-liners and how Adam Boqvist, Nicolas Beaudin and Chad Krys have progressed and why they agree with Ian Mitchell’s decision to return to Denver for his junior year. 0:35 – Initial reaction to Anisimov/Smith trade 2:02 – Smith adds faceoff and penalty kill abilities 3:38 – Candidates for bottom-six center spots 4:57 – Edge a common theme among new Blackhawks 6:08 – Alex Nylander’s presence at Development Camp 8:20 – Kirby Dach has an open door to a roster spot 10:38 – Alex Vlasic holding his own against Dach 11:46 – Adam Boqvist wants to play in the NHL now 13:23 – Were Blackhawks recent moves scripted before NHL Draft? 15:28 – Ian Mitchell’s decision to return to college 18:57 – Young defenseman make decisions tough down the road 20:21 – Keeping an eye on Philipp Kurashev at camp 21:20 – Is Stan Bowman done making moves? 22:34 – Salary cap outlook with DeBrincat/Strome extensions coming

On the latest Blackhawks Talk Podcast, Robin Lehner joins the show to talk about mental health, the goaltending competition with Corey Crawford, his potential workload with the Blackhawks and much more. Pat Boyle and Charlie Roumeliotis then react to the Lehner interview, discuss how the starts could be divided between Crawford and Lehner, react to the Henri Jokiharju-Alex Nylander trade and project the defensemen pairings. 0:40 - Robin Lehner joins the show 0:55 - Lehner in Chicago, what has the last week been like? 2:00 - Did going through treatment help Robin deal with uncertainty of free agency? 4:30 - Did Lehner discuss with Blackhawks their medical staff and support system for Robin to use going forward? 7:00 - Changing the stigma of bipolar disorder 10:15 - Has he talked to Corey Crawford? 10:40 - Summer training regimen 11:15 - How are you approaching your role this season? 12:55 - Did you discuss workload with Colliton? 14:30 - New mask design 16:00 - React to Lehner interview 17:25 - Sharing Lehner's story 19:35 - Goalie workload 22:00 - Does top goalie performer get extension? 23:30 - Will Crawford play beyond this season? 24:53 - Reaction to Jokiharju trade 27:00 - Scouting Nylander 34:00 - Projected defensemen pairings 36:18 - Blackhawks sign Kirby Dach 38:20 - Blackhawks biggest boom or bust team?

On the latest Hawks Talk Podcast, Pat Boyle, Slavko Bekovic and Charlie Roumeliotis talk about the Blackhawks' surprise free-agency splash with Vezina Trophy finalist Robin Lehner. What was the reasoning behind it? The guys also discuss the trade for Andrew Shaw, a busy day in the Central Division and what could be next for Stan Bowman and the Blackhawks this summer. 0:55 – Robin Lehner a surprise splash in free agency 5:35 – Lehner’s messy situation with Islanders 8:21 – Is Lehner product of Isles’ great defense? 11:13 – Stan Bowman on the Blackhawks cap situation 12:23 – Great 1-2 punch with Crawford & Lehner 15:39 – Andrew Shaw back with Blackhawks 18:31 – Shaw can help Hawks in many ways 20:58 – Bowman addressing Hawks’ biggest problems 25:53 – Busy day for the Central Division 30:48 – Finally…an offer sheet! 32:53 – Biggest move the Hawks have made so far 37:04 – What move is next for Bowman?

On the latest Hawks Talk Podcast, Slavko Bekovic and Charlie Roumeliotis offer their thoughts on the Calvin de Haan trade and what it could mean for the future of the Blackhawks defense. Is Stan Bowman finished exploring the trade market? The guys also talk about the Blackhawks' restricted free agents, potential free agent targets, competition for the bottom-six spots and the prospects on display at development camp. 0:53 – Thoughts on the Calvin de Haan trade 2:46 – NHL trades have been salary cap driven 6:00 – How does Hawks blue line shake out? 9:07 – What to do with Erik Gustafsson 11:59 – Hawks have depth on the blue line 14:20 – Potential free agent targets for the Hawks 18:44 – Will Artem Anisimov get traded? 21:17 – Can Kirby Dach make the NHL right away? 23:44 – RFA’s that got qualifying offers 25:21 – Competition for bottom six spots 26:52 – Is Dylan Sikura a lock to make the Hawks? 27:36 – A wild week for Ryan Hartman 30:30 – Prospects on display at development camp in two weeks 32:20 – Michal Teply headed to the CHL 35:12 – Will we finally see an offer sheet signed?

After being introduced to the media, Blackhawks third-overall pick Kirby Dach sits down with Charlie Roumeliotis to talk about what it's like to join the historic Original Six franchise, why he wears the number 77 and how he plans on breaking camp in the NHL this fall. 0:35 – Kirby Dach joins the podcast 0:55 – Dach on the history of the Blackhawks 1:25 – His conversations with Kane and Toews 1:40 – The whirlwind after the draft process 2:10 – His meetings with the Blackhawks at the combine 2:50 – What draft day was like 3:23 – On his competitive nature 3:40 – How much hockey does he watch? 4:20 – How his game translates to playoff hockey 4:50 – Why he wears #77 5:10 – Will he wear 77 in the NHL? 5:30 – His offseason plans 6:10 – His goal of making the NHL right away 6:25 – Winning the Cup would be…

Day 2 of the NHL Draft kicked off with a bang as PK Subban was traded out of the Central Division and Pat Boyle and Charlie Roumeliotis recap a busy weekend in Vancouver. The guys break down how Wilmette native Alex Vlasic could be a steal in the 2nd round and Pat catches up with the newest Hawks’ defenseman prospect. Plus - why their trade with the Devils bringing back a Quenneville to Chicago could be a good change-of-scenery for both sides and GM Stan Bowman looks ahead to the next 10 days where there could be a lot of movement with trades and in free agency. 0:30 – Morning trades shook up day 2 of NHL Draft 1:57 – John Hayden traded for John Quenneville 3:36 – Thoughts on Blackhawks drafting Alex Vlasic 5:29 – Interview with Alex Vlasic 7:48 – Vlasic’s NHL projections 9:11 – Hawks prioritize adding size in draft 10:41 – Will Bowman be active in trade market? 12:16 – Stan Bowman on the next moves for Hawks 14:26 – How Hawks will fill out roster in next 10 days 15:22 – Does Corey Perry fit with Hawks next season? 17:30 – Blackhawks interested in Christian Dvorak? 18:57 – Dach’s chances of making NHL immediately